He was just a dude in his 20s and in his brief 12-year stint, he did this: Modified from source. What’s especially cool about Alexander the Great is that he did it all in his 20s. The crazy thing is he was just getting started-his stated expansion goal was “the ends of the world and the Great Outer Sea”, and he was well on his way (he made a push towards India, and his next plans were to take the Arabian Peninsula) when he died of some sickness (or possible assassination) at the age of 32. For the next 12 years, Alexander would accomplish his father’s ambitions and go far beyond-into Egypt and as far East as present-day Pakistan. But no one had any idea what this kid’s deal was-turns out power had just been handed to one of the most prolific conquerors in history. Philip II had had military ambitions to expand his kingdom into Persia, and Alexander inherited an army ready for battle. His main thing: When Alexander was 20, his father, King Philip II of the ancient kingdom of Macedon, was assassinated by one of his bodyguards. In 11 words: Strapping man’s man world conqueror who greatly expanded Greek civilization. But remember, everyone’s different life experience leaves them with their own unique set of gaps-where you have gaps is typically a random crapshoot-and some of the names youknow very little about will seem totally obvious to someone else. I got to this list by surveying friends and readers about which huge names they were ashamed to know very little about, and these are some names that came up again and again.Īs you read, you’ll come across some that are already in your Zone 3 or 4, and you’ll be surprised they’re even on the list. Today, we’re going to focus on a 10 absurdly famous, almost mythic people (much more famous than Kissinger) who are yet in a lot of people’s Zone 2 (and maybe even a few in Zone 1)-when you finish the post, they should all be in your (and my) Zone 3, and you’ll be safe. But most people reach full adulthood with a still-crowded Zone 2, and names that are referenced all the time should ideally not be in Zone 2. Zone 1 is by far the most dangerous, and as you get older, there are fewer and fewer big names there (I was 18 during the Kissinger Catastrophe-18-year-olds tend to have a lot of big names in Zone 1). To break it down further, here’s where you can fall when it comes to a famous name: There are some names in everyone’s Danger Zone. Throughout your life, you fill in more and more of the gaps, but no matter who you are, you have some embarrassing gaps somewhere. And you learn about these people in a variety of ways-school, parents, books, articles, movies, etc.-but the system isn’t airtight. There’s no feeling quite like it.īut wipe that fucking grin off your face, because here’s the thing about famous historical people-there are a lot of them. I was in a “I somehow don’t know who this incredibly famous person is and I’m about to be horribly exposed for it” situation. My heart sank as I looked at the words “Henry Kissinger” written on the paper I was holding. “Humphrey Bogart!” one person yelled out. “I think he’s a famous old actor,” I said, during a game I play with friends where you have to get your team to say a name you’re reading on a slip of paper that they can’t see. The memory is from 14 years ago, but it stings like it was yesterday.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |