Compare the Greatest Historical Figures

Our scoring system uses 49 anchor figures — historically well-documented individuals across civilizations and eras. These anchors establish the scoring range (0-100) for each dimension through direct interpolation.

No scale factors. Unlike traditional scoring systems, we apply zero multipliers for era, civilization, lifespan, or occupation. An Ancient philosopher is evaluated by the same standards as a Modern politician. Domestic cultural evaluation — how figures are viewed by their own people — takes priority over external perspectives.

The two highest-weighted dimensions are Influence (25%) and Legacy (25%), together accounting for 50% of the total score. This ensures that thinkers, artists, and scientists who transformed civilization through ideas — not conquest — can rank alongside military and political leaders.

Primary sources: Academic biographical databases, peer-reviewed historical journals, military campaign records, political chronologies, and institutional histories. We cross-reference multiple sources to minimize single-source bias.

Quantitative data: Where available, we use hard metrics — battle outcome statistics, territorial extent, census data, legislative records, and duration of institutional survival. Subjective assessments are aggregated from multiple scholarly sources.

Known limitations: Historical records are inherently incomplete, and quantification of cultural impact involves scholarly judgment. Non-Western figures may be underrepresented in English-language sources — we actively reference domestic historiographical traditions where available. Religious and artistic contributions are inherently qualitative; we triangulate across multiple evaluation frameworks.