I’m pretty much obsessed with history. My favorite eras would be ancient Egypt (obviously), Tudor & Stuart England, and probably the American Civil War.
My favorite historical figures?
1. Hatshepsut. As if you didn’t know that. 🙂
2. Theodore Roosevelt. I’d stalk him if he wasn’t dead. Or at least be his groupie. Yeah, I could totally be TR’s groupie.
3. Henry VIII. This guy fascinates me despite my feminist leanings. I mean, what kind of guy does the things he did to his wives, all for a son? And I like Anne Boleyn too- I think she’s gotten a bad rap.
There are scores of other people in history that I find intriguing- Abraham Lincoln, Caligula, Cleopatra VIII, Pope Joan, and Boudica all come to mind.
Now, I know not everyone loves history (although for the life me I can’t fathom why not!), but humor me here. Who do you think is a nifty historical person? Who from history would you want to read a book about?
Anyone who survived the Titantic. I don't know why, but I'm fascinated by that story, no matter how many times I've heard it or seen it portrayed.
Susan- I'm a fan of the Titanic too. After the movie came out I bought a gazillion books on the subject. There's something about the tragedy that just sucks me in!
I love history too. Leonardo Da Vinci would be my pick. He was so amazingly visionary in so many ways.
Henry VIII is fascinating, but… and I have a huge but (maybe I just said that so I could laugh asininely…) I didn't. I find him interesting, but I wouldn't want to meet him. Study him and so on, but not meet him. I feel the same way about Jack the Ripper.
I like Tess Gerritisen's "The Bone Garden" for capturing the feel of an era. It was intense historical fiction.
I'll second Leonardo Da Vinci– but also Michelangelo. And Julius Caesar. Some of the great Greek philosophers and thinkers I don't want to meet because I want to kick them for their theories about women. But I think Herodotus would have been an interesting Man to get to know. And Marcus Aurelius is my favorite Roman Emperor. Alexander the Great also would have been interesting to know. Man that guy had some serious motivation.
I could probably go on. Classical history is my favorite, but I'm also slightly obsessed with Bronze Age Scandinavia right now, and the Bronze Age Aegean, and Mycenae Greece. I'm a little bit of a history spaz. 🙂
I think Abraham Lincoln is my all time favorite. I read TEAM OF RIVALS a few years ago and it convinced Lincoln was one one of the best men ever to live. I'm also fascinated by Henry the XIII and Marie Antoinette. Ooo and I love Renaissance artists (Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael–you know the ones who had ninja turtles named after them).
Hm, I'm a huge history buff too, and I'm not sure I can pick people I want to meet. For me, it's more like time periods I would want to experience. Not necessarily live in, but experience: Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, of course. Feudal London, Germanic Europe. The renaissance in Italy. The revolutions, French and American. The "Wild West". The Victorian age.
My pick would be the peasant who came upon the vision of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I'm not even Catholic, but the thought that a humble man goes meandering through the mountains only to encounter a vision which has resonated across centuries in the Americas strikes me as an interesting story. I mostly hear about Our Lady of Guadalupe and just the barest details about Juan Diego, the peasant to whom she appeared. I'd love to be there with him in the first instance and subsequently as he tries to convince the church hierarchy that what he saw was for real.
Yeah! Another historical fiction writer!! Actually … the first one I've found in the blogosphere so far. 🙂 There are a ton of YA writers out there, but I have yet to find historical fiction. Until now!!!! And this makes me exceedingly happy. 🙂
If I could delve into history, I would choose Abraham Lincoln. I would love to know what made him stand apart living in the era that he did. Wow.
I am amazed at his courage and tenacity to be true to his morals. It teaches me the same.
My wife hates history, but I love it… almost everything except for American history (except for some of the early colonial, Native American stuff)…
Favorite historical character: Charlemagne, maybe, or Julius Caesar, or Sargon the great.
And anything about Stonehenge and Pyramids and Incas/Mayans/Aztecs… yeah, the list could go on 🙂
I never used to like American history, but after teaching it I've discovered it's actually pretty cool. I didn't like it because it didn't seem old enough, but now I appreciate how more recent events have shaped our modern country.
And have I mentioned I love Theodore Roosevelt? 🙂
For a favorite historical character, I have to actually go with Alexander the Great. Even though he died young, he showed that a kid from Macedonia could conquer the entire world if he wanted to. Helped that Alexander had the Greek armies at his beck and call though.