Recently I was asked “Who are my heroes in life?” My answer was so anti-climatic that my friends just stared at me like I was crazy. Some of their heroes were Marie Curie, Malala Yousafzai, Mother Teresa, and Oprah Winfrey (I question if Oprah Winfrey is really a hero). Looking at it now, their list of heroes were entirely women (I was asking my “girl friends”). Their question loomed in my head all day. I should have said that my heroes are Wangari Maathai or Beyoncé, but all of my heroes were related to me. Don’t get me wrong, my list of heroes wasn’t just the usual answer of “my mom,” although she certainly is. What I meant is that some of my relatives fought for what they believed in, even when it went against cultural norms. My heroes are not only influential to me, but they were always present in my life. My heroes aren’t people that lived and died before I was born; they are still in my life. They help mold me into the woman I want to be.
Here is a list of people that I consider to be my heroes. They may no longer be living, but their legacies are immortal.
Scientists
- Nikola Tesla was a Serbian American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, and physic. Although Tesla had many inventions and ideas, they were stolen from him. He knew about electrical currents before Edison published his findings. Tesla invented the radio, but Markoni received a noble prize for inventing it. X-rays and RADAR were both invented by Tesla, but Roentgen and Watson-Watt took credit for those discoveries.
Albert Einstein was a German theoretical physicist. His greatest achievements were his theory of relativity, the mass-energy equivalence equation E=mc2, and the atomic bomb. He received a Nobel Prize in 1921 for his contributions to physics.- Sir Isaac Newton was an English born scientist who is best known for devising the law of gravitation. His theory required more complex math than what currently exists, so he invented calculus. He was also famous for the invention of the reflecting telescope.
Albert Einstein was a German theoretical physicist. His greatest achievements were his theory of relativity, the mass-energy equivalence equation E=mc2, and the atomic bomb. He received a Nobel Prize in 1921 for his contributions to physics.Freedom Fighters
- Mahatma Gandhi is one of the greatest freedom fighters because of his revolutionary fight to stop British Imperialism. Gandhi was a Hindi lawyer who used his words to empower the people in a nonviolent movement to end their oppression. Gandhi’s fight prompted the end of imperialism in Asia as well as Africa.
- Nelson Mandela followed in Gandhi’s footsteps to stop Britain Imperialism on South
Africa. Although people think that South Africa was one of the first countries in Africa to gain independence, it was one of the last. Mandela advocated for a non-violent approach to independence. He spent 25 years in jail for speaking and acting against the apartheid. - Martin Luther King Jr. also had a non-violent response to oppression. He fought for racial equality during the 1960s. Although the racial freedom fight was great and empowering, Martin Luther King Jr. was killed for his beliefs.
Mahatma Gandhi is one of the greatest freedom fighters because of his revolutionary fight to stop British Imperialism. Gandhi was a Hindi lawyer who used his words to empower the people in a nonviolent movement to end their oppression. Gandhi’s fight prompted the end of imperialism in Asia as well as Africa.
Martin Luther King Jr. also had a non-violent response to oppression. He fought for racial equality during the 1960s. Although the racial freedom fight was great and empowering, Martin Luther King Jr. was killed for his beliefs.
Composers
- Johann Sebastian Bach was by far one of the greatest musicians in the world. Although Bach didn’t create a new style of music, he did perfect every single one of them. He wrote one of the greatest musical compositions, “Mass in B minor.” He spent most of his life using the skill of those before him to write some of the best known classical compositions.
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a very gifted child. In his lifetime he wrote 41 symphonies, 27 piano converti, a large number of chamber music compositions, 23 operas, 18 sonatas for piano, 36 compositions for violin and cello, 18 masses, 1 requiem, 4 horn voncerti, 20 string quartets, and he even wrote “Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star.”
- Ludwig van Beethoven is the father of romantic music. Many of us are familiar with his 5th Symphony. Beethoven was a deaf for the last 25 years of his life, but even with his disability still achieved greatness in classical music.
References
“Top 10 Greatest Scientists Who Changed The World.” Linkedin. Ed. Marko Jovanović. N.p., 09 Apr. 2015. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. <https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/top-10-greatest-scientists-who-changed-world-marko-jovanovi%C4%87-m-d->.
“Top 10 Freedom Fighters of the World.” Best Top Ten Lists. 31 Aug. 2013. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. http://www.toptentop.com/misc/people/top-10-freedom-fighters-of-the-world/
“Top 10 Freedom Fighters of the World.” Best Top Ten Lists. 31 Aug. 2013. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. http://listverse.com/2009/12/17/top-15-greatest-composers-of-all-time/
