History

Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead 

alexf
Originally by
Updated September 13, 2018 149.5k votes 10.6k voters 100.7k views 100 items

List Rules Vote up the historical figures you'd like to see come back from the dead, hopefully to help improve society.

Throughout the course of history, the human race has produced some truly remarkable individuals - individuals who, sadly, have passed away, leaving nothing behind but the footprint of their influence on society. But what if these towering figures didn't have to stay dead? If you could bring someone of significant historical importance back from the dead, who would you pick?

list ordered by
1
Leonardo da Vinci is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Dec. at 67 (1452-1519)

Birthplace: Europe, Vinci, Eurasia, Italy, Southern Europe, + more

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian polymath, painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. He is ...more
2
Martin Luther King, Jr. ... is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Dec. at 39 (1929-1968)

Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America

Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1955 ...more
3
Albert Einstein is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Morten Evensen-Næri added Dec. at 76 (1879-1955)

Birthplace: Ulm, Germany

Albert Einstein ( EYEN-styne; German: [ˈalbɛɐ̯t ˈʔaɪnʃtaɪn] (listen); 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity, one of the ...more
4
Nikola Tesla is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Dec. at 87 (1856-1943)

Birthplace: Smiljan, Eurasia, Croatia

Nikola Tesla was a Serbian American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current ...more
5
Abraham Lincoln is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Dec. at 56 (1809-1865)

Birthplace: Hodgenville, Kentucky, United States of America

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American statesman and lawyer who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. ...more
6
Benjamin Franklin is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Dec. at 84 (1706-1790)

Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America

Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 [O.S. January 6, 1705] – April 17, 1790) was an American polymath and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Franklin was a leading author, ...more
7
Aristotle is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Dec. at 62 (383 BC-321 BC)

Birthplace: Stagira, Greece

Aristotle (; Greek: Ἀριστοτέλης Aristotélēs, pronounced [aristotélɛːs]; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher during the Classical period in Ancient Greece, the founder of the Lyceum ...more
8
John F. Kennedy is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Dec. at 46 (1917-1963)

Birthplace: Brookline, Massachusetts, United States of America

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by initials JFK and Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from ...more
9
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ... is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Nate Hodges added Dec. at 35 (1756-1791)

Birthplace: Salzburg, Austria

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791), baptised as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the classical era. Born in ...more
10
Jesus Christ is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead

Birthplace: Judea

Jesus (c. 4 BC – c. AD 30 / 33), also referred to as Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus Christ, was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity. Most ...more
11
William Shakespeare is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Dec. at 52 (1564-1616)

Birthplace: Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom

William Shakespeare (bapt. 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest ...more
12
Marie Curie is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Morten Evensen-Næri added Dec. at 67 (1867-1934)

Birthplace: Warsaw, Second Polish Republic

Marie Skłodowska Curie ( KEWR-ee, French: [kyʁi], Polish: [kʲiˈri]; born Maria Salomea Skłodowska; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who ...more
13
Ludwig van Beethoven is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Nate Hodges added Dec. at 57 (1770-1827)

Birthplace: Bonn, Germany

Ludwig van Beethoven ( (listen); German: [ˈluːtvɪç fan ˈbeːthoːfn̩] (listen); baptised 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the ...more
14
Theodore Roosevelt is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Dec. at 61 (1858-1919)

Birthplace: Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States of America

Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ROH-zə-velt; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919) was an American statesman, politician, conservationist, naturalist, and writer who served as the 26th president of the ...more
15
George Washington is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Dec. at 67 (1732-1799)

Birthplace: Virginia, United States of America

George Washington was the first President of the United States, the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He presided over the ...more
16
Johann Sebastian Bach is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Nate Hodges added Dec. at 65 (1685-1750)

Birthplace: Eisenach, Germany

Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March [O.S. 21 March] 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. He is known for instrumental compositions such as the Art of Fugue, ...more
17
Thomas Jefferson is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Dec. at 83 (1743-1826)

Birthplace: Shadwell, Virginia, United States of America

Thomas Jefferson was an American Founding Father, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third President of the United States. He was a spokesman for democracy, and ...more
18
George Carlin is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Dec. at 71 (1937-2008)

Birthplace: Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, author, and social critic. He was known for his black comedy and reflections on politics, the ...more
19
Alexander the Great is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Dec. at 33 (355 BC-322 BC)

Birthplace: Pella, Greece

Alexander III of Macedon (Greek: Αλέξανδρος Γʹ ὁ Μακεδών; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great (Ancient Greek: Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας, romanized: ...more
20
Winston Churchill is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Dec. at 91 (1874-1965)

Birthplace: Blenheim Palace, United Kingdom

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician, army officer, and writer. He was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, when ...more
21
Franklin D. Roosevelt is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Dec. at 63 (1882-1945)

Birthplace: Hyde Park, New York, United States of America

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (, ; January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), often referred to by initials FDR, was an American statesman and political leader who served as the 32nd president of the ...more
22
Mahatma Gandhi is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Dec. at 79 (1869-1948)

Birthplace: Porbandar, India

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist, who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful ...more
23
Alan Turing is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
victorBafcop added Dec. at 42 (1912-1954)

Birthplace: Maida Vale, London, United Kingdom

Alan Mathison Turing (; 23 June 1912 – 7 June 1954) was an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher and theoretical biologist. Turing was highly influential ...more
24
Cleopatra is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Jennifer Malone added Dec. at 39 (68 BC-29 BC)

Birthplace: Alexandria, Egypt

Cleopatra VII Philopator (Koinē Greek: Κλεοπᾰ́τρᾱ Φιλοπάτωρ, romanized: Kleopátrā Philopátōr; 69 – 10 or 12 August 30 BC) was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of ...more
25
Joan of Arc is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list Historical Figures You Most Want to Bring Back from the Dead
Saffron Higgins added Dec. at 19 (1412-1431)

Birthplace: Domrémy-la-Pucelle, France

Joan of Arc (in French Jeanne d'Arc pronounced [ʒan daʁk]; c. 1412 – 30 May 1431), nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" (French: La Pucelle d'Orléans), is considered a heroine ...more