Description: They are our greatest scientists and artists. Our most admired thinkers and dreamers. From revolutionaries to saints, explorers to philosophers, this epic set counts down the 100 most influential people of the past 1,000 years. To assemble this landmark program, BIOGRAPHY. conducted a survey of scholars, scientists, journalists, artists and viewers. Among those asked to rank the 100 most important people of the millennium were Henry Kissinger, Kofi Annan, Isaac Stern, David Remnick and Bob Ballard. BIOGRAPHY then tabulated the results and produced a mini-profile of each of the 100 people who made the final list. The result is a fascinating, whirlwind tour through history, a kaleidoscopic landscape of the personalities who have shaped the world. And the countdown format eventually reveals the individual BIOGRAPHY has chosen as the "Person of the Millennium." From Genghis Khan to Thomas Edison, Bill Gates to Margaret Sanger--these are the people who have done the most to shape our world today.
Amazon.com: Choosing the 100 greatest people of the past millennium is an audacious task and one that's pretty much guaranteed to invite criticism and dispute. As General Norman Schwartzkopf asks in Biography of the Millennium, how can you possibly rank these folks? But choose and rank is what A&E does, as they count down the 100 most influential people of the past 1,000 years until they reach the single individual named the person of the millennium. Writers, philosophers, artists, musicians, politicians, monarchs, inventors, explorers grace this list, and modern luminaries comment on the selections. Without giving away too many of the surprises (and these are in no particular order), we will say that Dr. Ruth and Gloria Steinem give thoughts about Margaret Sanger; C. Everett Koop explains the work of William Harvey; David Remnick, author of Lenin's Tomb and editor of The New Yorker, discusses Karl Marx; and Richard Holbrooke looks at Mikhail Gorbachev. Many of the selections are bold; some will appear obvious. But regardless, this special Biography is captivating viewing and a great launching pad for an evening of friendly debate. --Jenny Brown
PRINCESS DIANA?!! RIDICULOUS! STRONG FINISH THOUGH... Some of the choices on Biographiy's list do not belong. Princess Diana doesn't belong at all. She is rated #73--higher than Stalin, Peter the Great and the Beatles! I almost turned the video off, expecting Muhammad Ali or Marilyn Monroe to pop up ahead of Magellan or FDR. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the top 40 choices. I feel the following people do not belong on this list: Patient Zero, Eleanor Roosevelt, Diana, Harriet Tubman, Margaret Sanger, Mary Wollstonecraft. These people obviously belong on the list: Goethe, Bismarck, Saladin, Cervantes, F.W. Hegal, Khomeini. Strong cases could also be made for Catherine the Great, Eleanor of Aquitaine, John D. Rockefeller, Cardinal Richelieu, Kemal Attaturk, Spinoza, J.P. Morgan, Nasser and Tamurlane. Two of the three people I once heard described as the most overrated in history--John Kennedy and Louis XIV--did not make Biography's list, but the third--Voltaire--did. Kennedy, what ever I think of him- was definately more important than Diana. Overall 3 stars.
Best of the Best I love Biography and the work they do. This is a great snapshot of the top 100 people in the last thousand year. While I disagree with some of the placings, Biography does back up their choices with solid reasoning. It is fun to watch.
A Must See for All In true Biography form, this series is an excellent review of some of the greatest individuals from the years 1000-2000. While I did not agree with all the choices, or the order of importance that they were ranked, I still highly recommend this for viewing by young and old alike. All walks of life are equally represented by the choices of the panel--writers, politicans, scientists, philosophers, activists, inventers, etc. Interwoven between the bios of the 100 are comments from current field leaders that lend an interesting flavor to the choices. The choice of the panel for the number one most influential person of the millennium was someone that I never would have guessed, but in retrospect it was a very logical choice. You'll have to watch it to see what I mean!
history teacher writes to feeler, Jesus couldn't be listed #1: he was not on earth during the last millennium. to stinky: get some education, and try again when you know what's what.
THIS is an outstanding film, and I use it to teach modern history, even as I disagree with much of it. It's great at boiling things down to their essences...
biased views It is a pity that Biography wasted such a great opportunity to produce a wonderful video, mostly due to a terrible selection of commentators. (Ret.)Gen. Schawrzkopf's commentary about Simon Bolivar is an outrage; any serious historian knows that Bolivar was anything but a ruthless dictator who opened the doors to the modern latinamerican authoritarian regimes. There were many members of the 100-list who are questionably worth having been included, far too many americans, besides. I think a revision or re-make of this material should be made, and this time, please, have serious, more expert people making the comments.
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