People

Avicenna (Ibn Sina)

Persian polymath, Canon of Medicine

Medieval influential

37

Mother Teresa

Humanitarian, Nobel laureate

Modern influential

36

Peter Singer

Animal rights, utilitarian ethics

Contemporary influential

35

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Romantic poet

Modern influential

35

Martha Nussbaum

Capabilities approach, philosophy

Contemporary influential

32

Moliere

French playwright

Early Modern influential

32

Sappho

Greek lyric poet

Ancient influential

32

Li Bai

Chinese poet

Medieval influential

27

James Watt

Steam engine improvements

Early Modern influential

25

Toussaint Louverture

Haitian Revolution leader

Early Modern influential

25

Max Weber

Sociology, bureaucracy

Modern influential

23

Du Fu

Chinese poet

Medieval influential

23

Saint Augustine

Influential Christian theologian

Ancient influential

21

Antonio Gramsci

Marxist philosopher, cultural hegemony

Modern influential

21

Averroes (Ibn Rushd)

Islamic philosopher

Medieval influential

19

Murasaki Shikibu

Tale of Genji

Medieval influential

18

John Keats

Romantic poet

Modern influential

18

Captain James Cook

Pacific explorer

Early Modern influential

17

Akbar the Great

Mughal Emperor, religious tolerance

Early Modern influential

15

Suleiman the Magnificent

Ottoman Sultan

Early Modern influential

14