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LIFE 100 People Who Changed the World

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Full-color photos and fun, engaging information fill out this survey of interesting world-changers, including religious and political leaders, artists, scientists, adventurers and other cultural icons, both famous and obscure.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

26 people are currently reading
288 people want to read

About the author

LIFE

1,174 books70 followers
Life was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, Life was a wide-ranging weekly general interest magazine known for the quality of its photography.

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5 stars
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45 (34%)
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Profile Image for Charles Wagner.
199 reviews2 followers
January 7, 2020
Current celebrities of history

I bought the damn thing on December 23, 2019. It is the paper version available at checkouts everywhere until 3/13/2020 for $14.95 + 7% for Governor Holcomb.

This is a selection unlike yours or mine... Where is Ayn Rand who has risen from the dead and is sleeping with Jesus Christ? Where is Rush Limbaugh? Where is Milton Friedman?

The editor says that history is fluid. It evolves. It is also forgetful, clear as mud, and twice as obfuscated. The good deeds of a changer can be wiped out by a single Republican Senate, or, abruptly changed by those who control religious media or text books.

Ask yourself why Oprah Winfrey is on the cover, or how soon the Beatles will be forgotten. How about Muhammad Ali who got his brain destroyed for viewers’ amusement? This publication also includes fictional beings.

It is easy to argue, of course that the deeds done were either good or bad, but of major significance. People you love or hate are given a half page or full page as Life is so inclined... Ali got two pages and the full back cover in color.

Many of those included were involved in mass deaths, a couple even more so than Hitler or Stalin.

Nobody changes the world forever. In this long history of this planet, most events are soon forgetten.

Oh, well. This publication offers the opportunity to further research inclusions and consider who you would have included or deleted.
Profile Image for Helen.
5 reviews1 follower
January 13, 2020
It was nice, and I appreciate the information about the Beatles. It was very disappointing that Michael Jackson was not included! Michael Jackson has been noted for changing how Music was Marketed forever with Thriller. He opened the door for other black artist with Billie Jean something that was not easy to do. With his dancing and story lines in his short films he changed how music was viewed. Even today he is still one the highest earning Dead celebrity. Halloween has become an international event to celebrate MJ dancing in Thriller, people all over the world Dance this every year. No artist has topped his number of number 1 hits on a album, but he is the maker artist strive to do better than. He gave more money to charity than any artist and his music is filled with verses about ending War, wanting peace. Nothing anyone says about MJ can take this accomplishments away. He also has never been found guilty of anything.
Profile Image for Mr. Kovach.
294 reviews12 followers
April 14, 2013
An enjoyable book with interesting pictures and brief bios of 100 important people. I love lists, history, and pictures, so I knew I'd enjoy this read. Two issues I have with it, though, are 1) the annoyingly folksie writing style and 2) the constantly interspersed apologies and hedges about who they chose to be on the list (including numerous references to Time having chosen this or that person as well, so THERE). Kind of dopey but a fun and
informative read.
Profile Image for Roos.
681 reviews129 followers
October 29, 2015
Ik vond het een leuk boek om tussendoor te lezen. De categorieën maakten het overzichtelijk. Er komen veel diverse personen aan bod, vaak met schitterende foto’s. Daarnaast zijn de teksten informatief, maar niet te droog. Vaak staan er ook leuke weetjes tussen. Een grappig, informatief boek voor tussendoor!

Mijn volledige recensie vind je op:
http://sterrenboek.wordpress.com/2015...
Profile Image for Chelsea.
48 reviews
August 13, 2013
Book 12/50.

Mom threw it out before I could finish it :( I still consider it completed. It was 'ight.
Profile Image for nobume san.
4 reviews
June 14, 2022
It was Alright, the book was very concise and intrigued me to read more about the people included that I haven't heard of. There were things that I disliked and I don't have much energy to point them all out but one of the things that disappointed me was how they didn't include other people whom I though should've been included. Like Chuck Berry, He's the father of rock n roll and pretty much paved way for modern music/rock music. Another one was Michael Jackson, dude if there is anybody in the world more worthy of this title it's Michael Jackson, Not only was he an outstanding artists, he was also a philanthropist. This man changed music forever.

I have other things I'd like to say but I shouldn't voice it for now, overall it was okay.
Profile Image for Abbas Mehrabian.
63 reviews14 followers
June 9, 2020
This book lists 100 of the most influential people on the West and explains their life and the reason for their importance in some 500 words. It has excellent photographs, as you would expect from a LIFE book, and I liked the collection, especially the selected cultural icons, people like Mary Wollstonecraft, P. T. Barnum, Mother Jones, Lewis Hine, Margaret Sanger, Igor Stravinsky, Martha Graham, Benjamin Spock, Dr. Seuss, Rachel Carson, whom I didn’t know about before reading this book. The main lesson learned was that you can change the world if your work is excellent, regardless of your specific profession.
1 review1 follower
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June 11, 2020
Dear Sir/Ma’am. Greetings!it is for your kind information that I have read the Life magazine it’s very impressive ,on the other side I have shocked that Dr. B.R. Ambedker The Hero of human Rights,his name and struggle is not a part of your magazine, whole world has known his participation . It is therefore requested to analyze my feedback . With regards. Rowan.
Profile Image for Joseph Dinas.
40 reviews
June 27, 2023
Definitely would say this book is worth reading. It has a wealth of little bios on lost of people who changed the world in many great and very bad ways. Some of the entries arent great but most of them are helpful. I learned a lot from almost every entry. Also helpful for my overall education on humanity in general.
438 reviews
May 4, 2024
This special LIFE issue is a politically correct and Western-oriented view of history. To be fair, LIFE doesn't make the claim that its choices are the 100 people who MOST changed the world. But some of their choices are questionable.
Profile Image for Nattapan.
2,440 reviews78 followers
September 15, 2017
An interesting book with a concise biography for each one.
It is good to have a chance to learn more about people (someone I have never heard of) who had significant impacts to the world.
22 reviews5 followers
February 1, 2013
as a non-english speaker, for me, this is quite hard to understand book. it is not direct profile, name, birth, contribution etc. but it is very informative, that i could tell you. just be patient and try to read it slowly page by page and thought about what these 100 people significantly changed the world. that's what i do till the last page.
Profile Image for Charissa Ty.
Author 7 books101 followers
July 15, 2014
This mag should spend less time justifying themselves. Nevertheless, that's history in tiny little bite sized pieces. Easily digestible, and I seem to be going online to acquire further knowledge on these figures. It provides just enough information to fuel my need and appetite to know more about them. Great. Now I'm hungry.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews