Greatest Britons: Results

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Donkey Toon
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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by Donkey Toon » Fri Mar 13, 2015 1:52 pm

overseasTOON wrote:
skalpel wrote:Armstrong, Turing and Franklin are great nominations. The only women I'd really thought of were Wollstencroft, Seacole, Anning. Maybe Elizabeth Fry, and they would have seemed out of place.

Re Churchill, I'd put in John before Winston.



<****> <laugh> Christ.

"...was shot in the face, head, stomach, ankle, leg, hip, and ear; survived two plane crashes; tunnelled out of a prisoner-of-war camp; and bit off his own fingers when a doctor refused to amputate them. Describing his experiences in the First World War, he wrote, "Frankly I had enjoyed the war."
<laugh>

He was just awesome
Doesn't get my vote for the greatest, as the greatest would've dodged all those bullets <whistle> .

But he'd probably get my vote for favourite. Wish he'd written an autobiography, such a life.

He is always my first choice General when I play Hearts of Iron as Britain, even though his stats aren't that good.

<awe>

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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by Mifune » Fri Mar 13, 2015 2:05 pm

Issac Newton
Charles Dawrin
George Orwell
Thomas Paine
Brunel
Tim Henman
George Stephenson
Tim Berners-Lee
Ranulph Fiennes
Christopher Wren
Alfred the Great

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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by Paco » Fri Mar 13, 2015 2:17 pm

William Shakespeare
Charles Darwin
Tim Berners-Lee
Winston Churchill
Isaac Newton
Alfred the Great
Adam Smith
William Wilberforce
"The Unknown Warrior"
George Stephenson

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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by skalpel » Fri Mar 13, 2015 2:24 pm

Unknown Warrior is a nice addition.

I've started keeping track now of the number of votes different nominees are getting. (Calm yourself, Cal). I can't say it wasn't amusing putting Tim Henman in there.

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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by TJR » Fri Mar 13, 2015 3:24 pm

Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Issac Newton
Charles Dawrin
Alexander Bell
George Stephenson
Clement Atlee
James Watt
Bobby Robson
Tim Berners-Lee
James Cook

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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by Ramone » Fri Mar 13, 2015 3:42 pm

J.R.R Tolkien
Ranulph Fiennes
Winston Churchill
Brunel
Charles Darwin
John Maynard Keynes
Horatio Nelson
Alexander Fleming
John Logie Baird
Stephen Hawking
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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by Seagull » Fri Mar 13, 2015 3:50 pm

That Top 100 list is incredible. Not least because Bono somehow managed to make it in there.
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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by overseasTOON » Fri Mar 13, 2015 3:59 pm

I want soutzoukakia smyrneika too wrote:That Top 100 list is incredible. Not least because Bono somehow managed to make it in there.
King Arthur made it as well and its debated if he even existed.

Daily Express readers were busy voting for Princess Di.

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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by Ramone » Fri Mar 13, 2015 4:00 pm

My personal favourite is Michael Crawford in the top 20 <awe>
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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by Paco » Fri Mar 13, 2015 4:44 pm

skalpel wrote:Unknown Warrior is a nice addition.

I've started keeping track now of the number of votes different nominees are getting. (Calm yourself, Cal). I can't say it wasn't amusing putting Tim Henman in there.
I may have stolen it from the original list <roll>

It was something like 70th though

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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by PTAO? » Fri Mar 13, 2015 5:10 pm

Dr. Bishop wrote:
Pull the Arfa One wrote:
Bear Grylls broke his back falling 16,000ft after his parachute ripped, 18 months later he climbed Everest. Drinks his own piss without gagging. Yeah he stayed in a hotel once when he pretended to sleep over night in a dangerous environment, but he does a lot of inspirational stuff.

Branson because he sticks two fingers up to the way other business men conduct themselves. Extremely down to earth, friendly, and incredibly ambitious. It's people like him that drive the creation of the Concorde and land men on the moon.
Fair enough. I didn't know that Grylls had broke his back but I'd still argue that there are much better explorers and survivalists throughout our history.

Personally I think the way Branson conducts himself in business isn't something to be proud of, but you have a point on his drive towards creation.
Yeah I included him more for his widespread inspiration, rather than as an explorer/survivalist.
overseasTOON wrote:Branson to me has built up a myth.

His Virgin companies are marketed on an impression that they are 'innovative', 'brand challenging' and 'disruptive' to global monopolies but in truth they are mainly already tried and trusted ideas and he has little to do with any of them in the day to day management.

A true story about Virgin Rail was that customers in a survey stated they gave the train company extra leeway over commuter aggravation simply because they thought that Branson was being lied to by the managers and would soon get involved personally and change it for the better.

Its this myth that he's 'fighting for the little guy against revenue hungry global corporation' that gives his ventures public kudos so the majority of his companies are highly profitable initially and fade out. Virgin Cola, Virgin Music, Virgin Vodka...

Recently he's taken the approach of buying a small share (10%-ish) in existing businesses and simply rebranding them 'Virgin' which is hardly innovative or brand challenging.

He does PR well. He does marketing well.

For an entrepreneur he takes very little risk.
I don't think you can call Virgin Galactic non-risky or unambitious.
I get that his personality doesn't strike a chord with everyone, but personally I find the way he runs his businesses refreshing. He treats his employees as people, and has tipped his toe into multiple completely different sectors, whereas most people stick to what they know. Yeah he might not buy or create all of his new ventures from scratch, but only an idiot will. More than anything I appreciate his non-stop ambition and energy. Also his attitude of not caring what people think. A lot of CEOs wouldn't work from a private island and only hire attractive young assistants, wouldn't encourage people to have sex on their company property an wouldn't let their employees take unlimited holidays, because it would come across unprofessional, but he has his methods and he isn't afraid to execute them.

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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by Seagull » Fri Mar 13, 2015 7:20 pm

Francis Crick too controversial? (Hoping PTAO will have an opinion)
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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by dls » Fri Mar 13, 2015 7:24 pm

Mifune wrote:Issac Newton
Charles Dawrin
George Orwell
Thomas Paine
Brunel
Tim Henman
George Stephenson
Tim Berners-Lee
Ranulph Fiennes
Christopher Wren
Alfred the Great
Mifune wrote:Thomas Paine
Brunel
Tim Henman
George Stephenson
Tim Berners-Lee
Mifune wrote: Tim Henman

<worried>

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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by PTAO? » Fri Mar 13, 2015 8:12 pm

I want soutzoukakia smyrneika too wrote:Francis Crick too controversial? (Hoping PTAO will have an opinion)

<fist>

But I was beginning to wonder if anyone would comment on my inclusion of Rosalind Franklin. <awe>
I guess you'd have to justify why you wanted to include him? For work on DNA, I certainly view Franklin and her groups work to be more important, although you can't doubt he also played an important part. Personally I consider him a thief, and an all-round arsehole, views I've had backed up by what people who've met and worked with him tell me.

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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by Colback's Orange Tufts » Fri Mar 13, 2015 9:08 pm

If we go down the scientist route, Paul Dirac and Dame Bell should be on the list. Dirac's revolutions in physics were as big as Einstein's, but he was severely autistic and shy so never became famous. Dame Bell has done loads of Astro.

I'd add Florence Nightingale, Edward Jenner, Olaudah Equiano / William Wilberforce of abolitionist fame, Trevor Baylis
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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by Colback's Orange Tufts » Fri Mar 13, 2015 9:10 pm

PM Charles Earl Grey was pretty important in terms of democratic reform. Him maybe.

A suffragette should maybe be included, but not sure who?
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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by PTAO? » Fri Mar 13, 2015 9:25 pm

Cisse's Overheating Torso wrote:If we go down the scientist route, Paul Dirac and Dame Bell should be on the list. Dirac's revolutions in physics were as big as Einstein's, but he was severely autistic and shy so never became famous. Dame Bell has done loads of Astro.

I'd add Florence Nightingale, Edward Jenner, Olaudah Equiano / William Wilberforce of abolitionist fame, Trevor Baylis
My original list was all scientists, then I decided to diversify and tried to include only the ones who made the biggest changes to people of Britain and the world, rather than just had brilliant minds. I actually included Hawking more for his defying of medicine and persevering through his disease than his theories.

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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by Seagull » Fri Mar 13, 2015 10:23 pm

Pull the Arfa One wrote:
I want soutzoukakia smyrneika too wrote:Francis Crick too controversial? (Hoping PTAO will have an opinion)

<fist>

But I was beginning to wonder if anyone would comment on my inclusion of Rosalind Franklin. <awe>
I guess you'd have to justify why you wanted to include him? For work on DNA, I certainly view Franklin and her groups work to be more important, although you can't doubt he also played an important part. Personally I consider him a thief, and an all-round arsehole, views I've had backed up by what people who've met and worked with him tell me.
Oh, I didn't even notice you'd written Franklin. I suggested him for what he (and Watson) are widely credited for, but obviously a lot of that is controversial. I didn't know much about the specifics of the case so you've basically just confirmed what I suspected, that he isn't deserving of being up there.
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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by skalpel » Fri Mar 13, 2015 10:35 pm

There's a surprising dearth of artists as well. William Shakesman is the most represented so far, but there are only a couple of other writers, and no painters, no composers, nor filmmakers. (No Turner, Vaughan Williams, Hitchcock).

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Re: Greatest Britons

Post by Dr. Bishop » Fri Mar 13, 2015 11:18 pm

skalpel wrote:There's a surprising dearth of artists as well. William Shakesman is the most represented so far, but there are only a couple of other writers, and no painters, no composers, nor filmmakers. (No Turner, Vaughan Williams, Hitchcock).
I wouldn't say it is surprising to be honest. The majority of people mentioned have had some form of positive and significant impact in society that is quite easily quantified, e.g. social reform, scientific breakthroughs, medical advancements etc. With the arts, it's hard to quantify what effect they have had on society, especially when looking beyond writer's.
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