LIFE 100 People Who Changed the World

Book excerpt: Here is a book that will surely spark a lively debate. Who are the hundred most influential religious and political leaders, artists, scientists, and adventurers of all time? How is it even possible to construct such a list? Now, the editors of LIFE comb history, compare notes and dive in. Find out who makes the cut: King Tut or Cleopatra? Thomas Jefferson or George Washington; The Rolling Stones or The Beatles; Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. This is a look at history told through its most charismatic and fascinating characters. It is also full of fun facts, tidbits, arguments and rarely seen pictures, and will appeal to curious minds, young and old alike.