Who is the most famous person in the WORLD?

[yeesterbunny]

I was having an arguement with my roomate the other day. We were debtaing who's the most famous person in the entire world. Not just America, Europe, China, etc. I mean, this person has to be so famous that even at places where there's no internet or tv, ppl had heard of this person.

I suggested Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson, and Albert Einstein. He refuted me by saying it's Pele. I'm not a big soccer fan, so I don't think Pele is THAT famous.

Who do you guys think is the most famous person in the world?

[Hawker]

David Beckham.

[-primetime-]

I was told in art school (this was years ago) that the most known figure on the planet is Mickey Mouse.

and that includes Jesus...more people know who Mickey Mouse is than who Jesus is...

but since he is a fictional character I am not sure if he counts...


also times have changed, so this may not be true now like it was when I was told...IDK

[undertaker21]

The one and only, the beautiful Queen Elizabeth II

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/MMPH/263831~Queen-Elizabeth-II-Posters.jpg

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary;[1] born 21 April 1926) is the queen regnant of 16 independent states and their overseas territories and dependencies. Though she holds each crown and title separately and equally, she is resident in and most directly involved with the United Kingdom, her oldest realm; part of her lineage traces through the royal houses of England, Wessex, and Scotland for over fifteen hundred years. She ascended the thrones of seven countries in February 1952, on the death of her father King George VI.

In late February 2003, the Queen's reign, then just over 51 years, surpassed the combined reigns of her four immediate predecessors: Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII and George VI. She is currently the second-longest-serving head of state in the world, after King Bhumibol of Thailand (fourth if one includes the rulers of the subnational entity Ras Al Khaimah and of the Government of Tibet in Exile), and the third-longest serving British or English monarch. Her reign of over half a century has seen eleven different Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom (twelve terms) and numerous Prime Ministers in the Commonwealth Realms.

In June 2005, she was forced to cancel several engagements after contracting what the Palace described as a bad cold. Nonetheless, the Queen has been described as being in excellent health, and is seldom ill.


The Queen has never given a press interview, and her views on political issues are largely unknown except to those few heads of government in her confidence. Conservative in dress, she is well known for her solid-colour overcoats and decorative hats which allow her to be seen easily in a crowd. She attends many cultural events as part of her public role. Her main leisure interests include horse racing, photography, and dogs, especially her Pembroke Welsh Corgis.

Long Live the Queen!:cheers: :party:

[kwajo]

Kobe (assuming there is no world outside of ISH)

[Bulls2333]

Santa Claus, hahaha.

[B-Low]

honestly right now my guess would be George Bush. Everyone in every country, whether they love him or hate him, has an opinion on him. From 3rd world countries to the mega powers.

[undertaker21]

honestly right now my guess would be George Bush. Everyone in every country, whether they love him or hate him, has an opinion on him. From 3rd world countries to the mega powers.
Queen Elizabeth II has in power for 56 years (for many country), George Bush/monkey has be in power for 8 (in US only). I think she has him there.

[-primetime-]

Queen Elizabeth II has in power for 56 years (for many country), George Bush/monkey has be in power for 8 (in US only). I think she has him there.
Jesus has 2,007 years

[undertaker21]

Jesus has 2,007 years
pics or it didn't happen.:)

[NY Comeback]

Big Foot

[-primetime-]

pics or it didn't happen.:)
It may not have actually...:confusedshrug:

[Dasher]

Muhammad Ali is probably the most famous person in the world. His name rings from the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli.

[Psileas]

Among living men, I'll probably say Bush.

All-time, it's for sure the founder of big religion, probably Jesus. Islamism may be close to Christianity when the number of followers is concerned (some figures here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_religious_groups), but Muhammad is probably a less "household" name worldwide, including followers of other religions or even non-religious people. One reason for this (apart from the number of followers) could be that no God-like features were attributed to Muhammad by his followers, thus somewhat limiting the interest of the neutral person about his life and personality compared to Jesus. Plus, Islam recognises Jesus and (if I'm not mistaken) considers him one of God's prophets, while Christianity probably doesn't mention Muhammad at all.

[Dasher]

Jesus<Muhammad with or without the Ali, you have to have definitively existed to be counted. Right?

[-primetime-]

Among living men, I'll probably say Bush.

All-time, it's for sure the founder of big religion, probably Jesus. Islamism may be close to Christianity when the number of followers is concerned (some figures here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_religious_groups), but Muhammad is probably a less "household" name worldwide, including followers of other religions or even non-religious people. One reason for this (apart from the number of followers) could be that no God-like features were attributed to Muhammad by his followers, thus somewhat limiting the interest of the neutral person about his life and personality compared to Jesus. Plus, Islam recognises Jesus and (if I'm not mistaken) considers him one of God's prophets, while Christianity probably doesn't mention Muhammad at all.
good point

however...do we have 100% that he was in fact a real person and did exist ??? (regardless of weather or not you bleieve he is the son of god or a prophet)

[Psileas]

The problem with famous athletes is:

1) Sometimes, the sports they represent aren't popular anywhere. I remember a survey in around 1996 in England, and there were a lot of Englishmen who didn't know who Michael Jordan or Shaq were. I've also met a handful of people here in Europe (various ages) who don't know who Muhammad Ali is.

2) Women, quite simply...

[undertaker21]

Jesus<Muhammad with or without the Ali, you have to have definitively existed to be counted. Right?
yes, agree

[InspiredLebowski]

Definitely NOT Pele. He got carjacked and mugged a few weeks ago in Brazil, he told the thugs who he was and there only reply was "who?" Along with some thumps to the head. Even at his peak I doubt he was anywhere near the top of the list.

Since you said PERSON, not cartoon character or some other make believe being, I'd say it's either Bush, MJ, or the Dali Lama. Soon to be Obama.

[InspiredLebowski]

however...do we have 100% that he was in fact a real person

I have no links, but it's my understanding that it's widely accepted that jesus did indeed exist.

[RainierBeachPoet]

living, how about bill gates?

with all the tech folks in the world through microsoft
and now in africa because of his philanthropic ventures

[Dasher]

I have no links, but it's my understanding that it's widely accepted that jesus did indeed exist.It was once widely accepted that the Earth was flat. Wide acceptance does not equal fact.

[Psileas]

Is the Dalai Lama that famous? I bet there are millions of people (especially of old ages or from certain countries) who won't even know what Dalai Lama means. Even among those who do, surely not everyone knows who is the current Dalai Lama.

[InspiredLebowski]

living, how about bill gates?

with all the tech folks in the world through microsoft
and now in africa because of his philanthropic ventures

I thought about that, but when you take into account that probably 1/3+ of the world is in 3rd world status I can't see it holding water. He's made massive donations to Africa, but do Africans have any idea where that money comes from? Even if they know, I doubt they recognize who he is, just the American who gives money to AIDS causes.

[InspiredLebowski]

It was once widely accepted that the Earth was flat. Wide acceptance does not equal fact.

There's no conclusive evidence one way or the other, if you can find some lemme know.

[-primetime-]

There's no conclusive evidence one way or the other, if you can find some lemme know.
true...

I guess there is no proof that he didn't exist...works both ways

[Good Old Willy]

A British list, but still...


1. Queen Elizabeth
2. Harry Potter
3. God
4. Father Christmas
5. Simon Cowell
6. Jesus
7. Jonny Wilkinson
8. Spider-Man
9. Prince William
10. David Cameron

The 10 Most Famous People in the World, According to Under-10s

http://www.londonnet.co.uk/royals/2007/dec/queen-most-famous-person-world.html

[Chalkmaze]

true...

I guess there is no proof that he didn't exist...works both ways

Right:rolleyes: :rolleyes: , same was as another zillion things can't be proven not to exist. The story of Jesus is nothing more than a story until proven otherwise. The evidence is pretty sketchy at best.

I thought I'd heard that Muhammed Ali is the most well known figure in the world... Darth Vader is the most well known villian.

[yobore]

George W. Bush
Nicholas Sarkozy

[Good_lord]

Einstein:D

[ShowTime LA]

Hitler

[-primetime-]

Right:rolleyes: :rolleyes: , same was as another zillion things can't be proven not to exist. The story of Jesus is nothing more than a story until proven otherwise. The evidence is pretty sketchy at best.

I thought I'd heard that Muhammed Ali is the most well known figure in the world... Darth Vader is the most well known villian.
a zillion other things like what...?

I can't prove that Godzilla doesn't exist but I am sure we can use common sense to agree that he doesn't...

I bet if there was a court case and the lawyer was worth a damn they could provide enough sufficient evedence that shows that Jesus Christ was in fact an actual human being that lived on this planet.....enough so to make a jury vote in favor of it rather than him being make believe anyway.

in other words, the fact that there is some evidence that he was real is much greater than the evidence that shows he never existed. (which is probably NONE)

[starface]

i would tend to think someone who's been in power on the world stage longer than GWB would take it.

Castro and Hussein come to mind, altho Saddam is (supposedly) now dead. If I had to bet, I'd think Castro's name would be more recognizable across the world than Bush's.

Or maybe Castro is not nearly as well known in country's that never had conflict with Cuba than I am giving him credit for.

Dunno.

[Aldridge Fan]

Doomsday

[Chalkmaze]

a zillion other things like what...?

I can't prove that Godzilla doesn't exist but I am sure we can use common sense to agree that he doesn't...

I bet if there was a court case and the lawyer was worth a damn they could provide enough sufficient evedence that shows that Jesus Christ was in fact an actual human being that lived on this planet.....enough so to make a jury vote in favor of it rather than him being make believe anyway.

in other words, the fact that there is some evidence that he was real is much greater than the evidence that shows he never existed. (which is probably NONE)

A zillion other things, as in anything you can imagine or conjure up. You have to prove something is there, it does not work the other way around. You may say the toothfairy took your teeth and left you money, I say prove it, you tell me I'm the one that has to prove that she didn't, but that's not how it works... Nope YOU HAVE TO PROVE IT, it's not up to me to disprove it. Show me some solid factual evidence.

Lawyer's have been wrong millions of times, the courtroom is not the best way to prove something historical. Just because a guy can bull**** with the best of them and occasionally pull one over on the judge and/or jurors with sketchy evidence and facts that random jurors are not informed or smart enough to see through, does not make it true or factual. A group of unbiased intellectuals who examined the facts would be a much more reliable source.

[yobore]

i would tend to think someone who's been in power on the world stage longer than GWB would take it.

Castro and Hussein come to mind, altho Saddam is (supposedly) now dead. If I had to bet, I'd think Castro's name would be more recognizable across the world than Bush's.

Or maybe Castro is not nearly as well known in country's that never had conflict with Cuba than I am giving him credit for.

Dunno.Castro isn't a big deal across the Atlantic anymore, only Latin America and the USA are guaranteed. Heussein was probably up there you're right but just because of the Gulf War and his confrontations with the USA, not because he was in power a long time. Most people know the American president, and most people seem to know Mr. Napoleon Jr. Sarkozy by now. I hate to bring this topic up again but MJ is probably up there. Almost everyone knows of him, yes more so than some soccer player because I'm sure there are many places in Asia where they don't really care about premiere league, yet have still heard of MJ.

Oh and an easy one I forgot: Nelson Mandela.

edit, just saw the OP didn't mean currently living so I have no clue. I guess Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, and Confucius are up there

[gts]

is there actual doubt jesus lived or is the doubt more in the question is he the son of god?

[BlogOFfatman]

Its Tiger Woods people

[yobore]

Its Tiger Woods people
no way most people of the world don't care about golf that is mostly a UK/USA thing

[InspiredLebowski]

is there actual doubt jesus lived or is the doubt more in the question is he the son of god?

Both, but obviously the more intense doubt lies in him being the son of god. I suppose in sheer magnitude of likelihood of reality they're equal, but there are pretty obvious consequences with the latter potentially being dis/proven.

I mean we're talking about a guy who's (maybe) been dead for thousands of years. It's just stories handed down through generations. I'm atheist, I don't believe in whatever deity, but c'mon guys let's be realistic. Is there proof that Julius Caesar existed, any of the Egyptian royalty? I mean real conclusive proof. That's a real question, is there?

[Scott Pippen]

http://www.historyplace.com/kennedy/jfkpix/grmykthp.jpg

http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/blog/george-w-bush-picture.jpeg

http://www.unconfirmedsources.com/nucleus/media/3/20080416-pope_350.jpg

[bagelred]

Amognst the living:

http://www.hyscience.com/archives/Pope20Benedict20XVI_1.jpg

I win.

[Chalkmaze]

Is there proof that Julius Caesar existed, any of the Egyptian royalty? I mean real conclusive proof. That's a real question, is there?

There's 1,000's of times more proof those people existed than Jesus. Mummies, statues, historical texts, written at the time that are far removed from any fantasy type of wording... Caesar wasn't flying through the sky or had x-ray vision or things like that.

[yobore]

Amognst the living:

http://www.hyscience.com/archives/Pope20Benedict20XVI_1.jpg

I win.
I really doubt more people know the Pope than George W. Bush. I doubt Catholics represent 30% of the world's population, all of whom certainly know Bush. Even in America I bet only 75% know the Pope's name or anything about him.

[Good_lord]

I really doubt more people know the Pope than George W. Bush. I mean they might know a Pope exists but they don't know anything about him like his name.

But they sure do know Bush. About (thats what they think) all the Irak war, etc.

[bagelred]

I really doubt more people know the Pope than George W. Bush. I doubt Catholics represent 30% of the world's population, all of whom certainly know Bush. Even in America I bet only 75% know the Pope's name or anything about him.

Why do you have to be Catholic to know the Pope?

[yeesterbunny]

Amognst the living:

http://www.hyscience.com/archives/Pope20Benedict20XVI_1.jpg

I win.

To be honest I dunno who this guy is. But...i just found it funny that ur avatar is Joker and you posted such a peaceful old man hahaha

[bagelred]

To be honest I dunno who this guy is. But...i just found it funny that ur avatar is Joker and you posted such a peaceful old man hahaha

Wow. I just thought the Pope is someone everyone in the world knows.

[dnyk1337]

Pele is right. MJ too.

I was 3 and I knew who Pele and MJ were.

Pele was considered best soccer player and MJ was best basketball player. Hell, when I was 4 I used to listen to the other MJ too.

[SHEED_ gangsta]

both MJs

[Gad23]

OSAMA? haha
seriously david beckham is immensely popular in asia and europe and now in the us too. michael jordan too. hell when u have ur own brand, u better be popular.

[kidachi]

Jesus?

[baseketball4life]

the guy in the dosagges commercial?

"stay thirsty my friends"

[sunsfan1357]

Wow. I just thought the Pope is someone everyone in the world knows.

The Pope is a title that everyone knows but knowing the name of the current Pope is a different thing entirely.

[FireMcFailPlease]

Jeff Goldblum
http://www.kitsch-en.net/diario/media/goldblum.jpg

[plowking]

Candice Parker.

[dawsey6]

Well, according to what I read for my world civilization class, Jesus Christ is actually a real person, but it's his story that everyone finds sketchy, whether he was the son of God or not, or if he had any such relationship. So, if you think about it, he is the most famous person in the world, for the things said about him that remain to be unproven.

Other than that, my guess is Michael Jackson. I can't think of any place on Earth that someone wouldn't recognize Michael Jackson. As talented as he is, his fame actually eclipses his talent, because he's so well known throughout the world.


I was told in art school (this was years ago) that the most known figure on the planet is Mickey Mouse.

and that includes Jesus...more people know who Mickey Mouse is than who Jesus is...

but since he is a fictional character I am not sure if he counts...


also times have changed, so this may not be true now like it was when I was told...IDK

As far as fictional character fame goes, Superman > Mickey Mouse

[shawbryant]

The two girls (one cup)

[Dash]

and that includes Jesus...more people know who Mickey Mouse is than who Jesus is...

but since he is a fictional character I am not sure if he counts...

You're right...I don't think Jesus would count.

[starface]

jesus christ = L. ron hubbard

made up a crazy story and called it religion in order to bankroll

[NoGunzJustSkillz]

michael jackson.

[pethuel03]

superman? :confusedshrug:

[Mamba]

in all honesty i wouldn't be surprised if Ronald Mcdonald is the most recognizable in the world, i mean the golden arches of Mcdonalds are the most famous symbol including the crucifix, so imagine all the commercials in the world, and an easy 2 recognize head, he could be the most famous.

but i think that in actual people Jesus > anyone. mohammed can't basically be famous because its illegal to show his face anywhere, so i think that Jesus who you can actually make an icon of is the most famous, because most cultures do believe in him or know of him, the jews know who he is but don't believe he is the saviour, christians of course know who he is, muslims believe he is a profit, and most atheists are christains that turned away from the religion because they're were to many subdivisions of churches or basically stopped believing, you don't find many atheist muslims, buddhists or jews plus all the malls get decorated with the manger scene of jesus' birth and the christian holidays are basically always on show.

[brantonli]

Most famous person in the world.....It's so hard to sayy, because even if you took the best litmus test it's still raises questions:

Imagine you go to a a 3rd world village, with no concept of the world except their own village, and you brought a list of famous people, and ask each villager who they know. Who do you think they will say they know?

But the flaw in this is that if they yknow one person (say they know Jordan) then surely they must have some means, however slight, of communication and knowledge of other countries, and this makes me think, Which person has the most connections, most media, most knowable person, ie, this person is just so famous that you can't go around one day without hearing his day being mentioned.

And I can't honestly think of one person, not for the test I mentioned above.

So I'll have to go with a fake answer: God. Sure he's not a person, and I'm not directly answering the question, but I think the most famous being, is God.

[JtotheIzzo]

Bush
Bin Laden

























































Beckham
Jordan

[Kebab Stall]

Queen Elizabeth II

[yobore]

Bush
Bin Laden
Jordan
You got the first one right. I don't know about OBL, there may be places in Asia where they don't really follow that stuff even though they know we're in Afghanistan, but you may be right about him #2. Putin is probably up there too. I think Sarkozy is rising fast on the list because he's the most ambitious person in the world and gets involved everywhere on every issue. If he weren't president of a stable democracy I would be worried about him having power.
Clearly number 1 and 2
1. Bush
2. Clinton

3. Bin Laden

4. Mandela
5. Putin
6. Sarkozy

somewhere nearby MJ, Zidane, Beckham etc.

my guess

[yobore]

Queen Elizabeth II
I think that's like the pope most people know there's a queen but people don't know the name.

[Kebab Stall]

I think that's like the pope most people know there's a queen but people don't know the name.
That's exactly how I see it. People know (or atleast should know) that there is a Pope and a Queen of England, but I doubt many people know their names, or even what they do.

[hateraid]

both MJs


Yes, Mick Jagger is a stud who captured the worlds attention. Lol, j/j.

Really, I think it's got to be Jacko. The entertaiment industry is bigger than the political, religious, or sport industry. It's the only industry followed equally by all, ages, genders, and nationalities.

[JtotheIzzo]

You got the first one right. I don't know about OBL, there may be places in Asia where they don't really follow that stuff even though they know we're in Afghanistan, but you may be right about him #2. Putin is probably up there too. I think Sarkozy is rising fast on the list because he's the most ambitious person in the world and gets involved everywhere on every issue. If he weren't president of a stable democracy I would be worried about him having power.
Clearly number 1 and 2
1. Bush
2. Clinton

3. Bin Laden

4. Mandela
5. Putin
6. Sarkozy

somewhere nearby MJ, Zidane, Beckham etc.

my guess

everyone knows Bin Laden.