If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be and why?

JoNightshade · Oct 1, 2007

The other day I got called for a "focus group" in my area and this was one of the screening questions they asked.

I thought it would be fun to see what people said.

For myself, if I could meet anyone, it would be Samuel Johnson. Boswell's biography of him made me fall in love with the guy, but from all accounts he was much better in person than on paper. He's just so bizarre and yet so persuasive and forceful, I think he would be a really interesting person to know.

I kinda lied on the screening, though. I gave them my second choice, Alexander Hamilton, because I figured nobody would know who Sam Johnson is, but most people would recognize Hamilton. She didn't.

DamaNegra · Oct 1, 2007

Hitler. I wanna know how the hell he managed to make so many people follow him blindly.

threedogpeople · Oct 2, 2007

I'd love to meet Jesus Christ I'd like to know how much the Bible has changed from the original book written in the Aramaic (or Coptic or Greek??) I'd also like to know the role of women as they traveled with the apostles; was Mary Magdalene an apostle or something else? Plus, I might get lucky and he could/would heal my orthopedic injuries.

Voyager · Oct 2, 2007

Vergil, because his writing was brilliant and because I want to know if he was really a subversive genius or just Augustus's bum boy.

Hillary · Oct 2, 2007

I want to go back and meet myself maybe 10 years ago. Ten years ago I sure could have used a glimpse into the future of the path I'd set myself on.

Selfish? Perhaps. But there is only so much insight I can gain from someone I don't know. And I could do much better things with my life, and more positively affect the lives of those around me, if I had some idea of where I was headed.

KTC · Oct 2, 2007

I have too many responses to this question. There are so many people I would have loved to have met!

Probably: Siddhartha Gautama...because.

But I'd also love to meet my grandfather.

NeuroFizz · Oct 2, 2007

Marilyn Monroe...enough said.

eldragon · Oct 2, 2007

I wouldn't be happy with just meeting someone, it would excite me more to, say, spend a month with them.

And then I'd pick (1) Jesus or (2) Buddha.

ajkjd01 · Oct 2, 2007

Elizabeth Cady Stanton.....just so's I can say....thank you.

NeuroFizz · Oct 2, 2007

A month with Marilyn. Ooohhhhhhh Yeaaaaaaahhhhhhhh.

Jaycinth · Oct 2, 2007

Eleanore of Aquatine.

Fabulous woman!

Wife to two kings...I believe she outlived both of them.

Mother to several princesses and two kings.

She was very canny, and ahead of her time. You could say she was the first 'women's rights activist' as she championed the idea of 'Chivalry' in an effort to make the men of her day be more respectful of women.

She is wonderful and I would have loved to hang out with her. For a month. I don't think I would want to put up with her time period for more than a month.

cray · Oct 2, 2007

*peeks in. nope. no one has mentioned cray yet. pfft. *

MidnightMuse · Oct 2, 2007

My maternal grandmother. She was a fascinating woman, I think, and an amazing poet. I'd love to have met her.

Azraelsbane · Oct 2, 2007

Tolkien. You can bash me if you want, but you can't taint my childhood fantasy of having a conversation with him.

robeiae · Oct 2, 2007

Theodoric of York, Medieval barber. Or Davey Crockett.

valen_sinclair · Oct 2, 2007

I think it would have had to have been Spielberg...yep I know his still alive and all that, would just love to get an insight into his early years...

KTC · Oct 2, 2007

robeiae said:
Theodoric of York, Medieval barber. Or Davey Crockett.

I guess I don't have to ask what names are in your hat today. You just pulled both of them out.

robeiae · Oct 2, 2007

KTC said:
You just pulled both of them out.

Leave my boys out of this. Perv.

KTC · Oct 2, 2007

robeiae said:
Leave my boys out of this. Perv.

Good God, Harvey! Don't you have a rabbit to strangle or something?

Salem · Oct 2, 2007

Cray! I'd want to meet Cray!!

Seriously, I'd probably choose Richard Feynman because I'm fascinated by physics and he's also a synesthete.

Of course there are the obvious ones that would be awesome to meet, too. Jesus, Einstein, Buddha, etc.

PeeDee · Oct 2, 2007

Mmmm. The first people that come to mind would be 1) John Lee Hooker, or 2) Charles Dickens. Oh! Or Winston Churchill. But I wouldn't know what to say. So I'd just sit and stare.

JoNightshade · Oct 2, 2007

Wow, I'm really impressed by everyone's answers! I think who we would choose to meet says a lot about our personalities.

Unique · Oct 2, 2007

Joan of Arc or Bernadette Soubirous because I am a curious cat and I want to know things.
>''<

benbradley · Oct 2, 2007

Salem Ollivander said:
Cray! I'd want to meet Cray!!

Seriously, I'd probably choose Richard Feynman because I'm fascinated by physics and he's also a synesthete.

Of course there are the obvious ones that would be awesome to meet, too. Jesus, Einstein, Buddha, etc.

I'd also be interested in meeting Feynman and similar characters, though I've read enough from him and about him that I feel like I've met him. "Genius" is a long but good Feynman bio that I finally read a year or two ago. It had much info I'd seen elsewhere, but much stuff I didn't know as well. I don't recall the synesthete thing - do you have a reference to that?

PeeDee said:
Mmmm. The first people that come to mind would be 1) John Lee Hooker, or 2) Charles Dickens. Oh! Or Winston Churchill. But I wouldn't know what to say. So I'd just sit and stare.

Robert Johnson!

"So, just how much did The Devil give you for your soul? Did He rip you off as badly as Led Zeppelin did?"

Salem · Oct 2, 2007

benbradley said:
I'd also be interested in meeting Feynman and similar characters, though I've read enough from him and about him that I feel like I've met him. "Genius" is a long but good Feynman bio that I finally read a year or two ago. It had much info I'd seen elsewhere, but much stuff I didn't know as well. I don't recall the synesthete thing - do you have a reference to that?

I have the book "Genius" also, but I don't remember if it mentions his synesthesia in it. I'll check it out and get back to you.

If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be and why?

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