World History Tournament of Champions

Hammurabi, King of Babylon, he is the writer of the first written uniform code of law

Vs.

Hatshepsut, 5th Pharoah of the 18th dynasty, she is considered by Egyptologists as one of the most successful pharoahs

Moses, biblical leader, lawgiver and prophet who is believed to be the author of the Torah

Vs. Ramses the Great, third

Pharoah of the 19th Dynasty, considered to be the greatest of the pharoahs as he ruled for over 66 years

Homer, Greek poet and author of the epics The Iliad and The Odyssey, poems used in education

Vs.

Aesop, Greek slave who Aesop’s Fables are attributed to; these stories teach moral lessons to children

Pericles, Greek statesman who ruled Athens during the Golden Age between the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars considered Athens “first citizen”

Vs.

Socrates, Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Western Philosophy; known for his interpretation of ethics and the Socratic Method

Aristotle, Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Western Philosophy, student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great

Vs.

Plato, Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Western Philosophy; known for founding the Academy in Athens, the first institute of higher learning in the Western World

Euclid, Greek mathematician, considered the “Father of Geometry”, his work Elements is considered the most successful textbook in the history of mathematics

Vs.Hippocrates, Greek

physician and considered the “Father of Medicine”, he founded the Hippocratic School of Medicine, thus establishing medicine as its own profession

Hannibal, a Carthaginian military commander who dared defy Rome during the Second Punic War, known as one of the most talented military commanders in history

Vs.

Julius Caesar, Roman military commander and political leader of the first triumvirate who transformed Rome from a Republic to an Empire

Charlemagne, Frankish King who expanded his Empire into most of Western and Central Europe, crowned Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day in 800 by Pope Leo III

Vs.Napoleon, French military

and political leader, a soldier who became Emperor of a new French Empire, shaping 19th century European politics

Sundiata, founder of the Mali Kingdom, the Lion King is loosely based on his epic story as hero of the Malinke people of Western Africa

Vs.Mansa Musa, 10th

emperor of the Mali Kingdom, first African king to make the hajj and leader in promoting Islamic scholarship in Africa

Marco Polo, Venetian trader and explorer known as one of the first Westerners to travel the Silk Road and meet Kublai Khan

Vs.

Ibn Battuta, Muslim scholar and explorer who traveled for almost 30 years through parts of Northern and Western Africa, Europe, Eastern Europe, India, Central & Southeast Asia and China

Prince Shotoku, Japanese regent and politician who laid the groundwork for a centralized government, proponent of Buddhism leading to a time of great art and culture

Vs.

Lady Murasaki, Japanese novelist, poet, and maid of the Imperial Court, known as writer of the The Tale of Genji, one of the earliest novels in human history

Joan of Arc, French national heroine and a Catholic saint, a peasant girl who led the French Army to several victories during the Hundred Years War

Vs.Elizabeth I, also known as

the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth is credited with the founding of the Church of England, the defeat of the Spanish Armada and ruling during the golden age of England or the Elizabethan Era

St. Francis of Assisi, Friar and founder of the Franciscan order, known as patron saint of Italy and animals, challenged Muslim scholars to a “trial by fire” of the power of God during the Crusades

Vs.St. Thomas Aquinas, a

priest of the Roman Catholic Church who is known as a great philosopher and theologian, it is believed that his ideas of theology were immensely influential in modern Western philosophy

Dante, called “Father of the Italian language”, he was the writer of The Divine Comedies which is considered one of the greatest literary works composed in Italian

Vs.

Chaucer, an English poet and writer of The Canterbury Tales, one of the proponents of the use of vernacular English in writing and called “Father of English Literature”

Machiavelli, a Renaissance Man who wrote The Prince, a book on politics that proposed politicians should be realists and use deception if warranted

Vs.Thomas More, an English

statesman and Renaissance humanist who coined the word “utopia”, he was beheaded for refusing to acknowledge Henry VIII as the head of the Church of England

Shakespeare, an English poet and playwright who is considered one of the Greatest Writers of the English language, his plays have been translated into every living language and have been performed more than any other writer

Vs.Elvis Presley, called the

“King of Rock and Roll”, a cultural icon, he is considered one of the most influential music artists in history, his music was best-selling in its time and continues to sell today

Genghis Khan, founder of the largest empire in history, head of the Mongols

Vs.

Zheng He, Chinese explorer and diplomat whose voyages spanned between the years of 1405 – 1433, some historians believe him to be the first world explorer

Magellan, Portuguese explorer, who is credited with manning the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe

Vs.Francis Drake, English

sea captain, explorer and privateer, he was second in command during the Spanish Armada and was hailed as an English hero for sailing around the world

Isaac Newton, English physicist and mathematician whose book, Philosophae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, is considered the most influential book in the history of Science, credited with the discovery of gravity and co-founder of calculus

Vs.

Francis Bacon, English philosopher, statesman, lawyer and scientist, known for establishing the scientific method still in use today

Catherine the Great, Russian empress who continued westernization, improved administration, and expanded the empire making Russia a power in Europe

Vs.

Peter the Great, Russian tsar and predecessor to Catherine known for initial Westernization and expansion of Russia making Russia an Eastern European power to be reckoned with

Louis XIV, King of France, known as the “Sun King”, an absolute monarch who built the lavish palace of Versailles and set the standard for monarchical power

Vs.Louis XVI, King of France

during the French Revolution, married to Marie Antoinette, was tried and convicted of treason and executed by the guillotine

John Locke, English philosopher, and Enlightenment thinker whose ideas were reflected in the American Declaration of Independence

Vs.

Rousseau, French philosopher who influenced both political and educational thought, influential during the French Revolution

Lenin, Russian revolutionary, leader during the October Revolution and first leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Vs.Stalin, leader of the

USSR following Lenin, launched new economic plans, allied power during WWII, formed the Eastern bloc, began the Cold War

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, United States President who led the country through the Great Depression and WWII, only president in US history to be elected to 4 terms as president

Vs.Winston Churchill, Prime

Minister to the United Kingdom during WWII, a British politician, orator, historian, artist and Nobel prize winning author

Adolf Hitler, German politician and leader of the Nazi party, fascist dictator of Germany during WWII, ruled through nationalism, oratory and propaganda

Vs.

Benito Mussolini, Italian politician and journalist who became leader of the National Fascist Party and Prime Minister of Italy, led Italian military forces through WWII

Mao Zedong, Communist leader and founder of the People’s Republic of China, a revolutionary who is credited with making China a major power in world politics, but also for failures in China such as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution

Vs.Gandhi, revolutionary political

and spiritual leader in India, known in India as the “Father of the Nation”, his non-violent techniques of protest inspired independence and civil rights movements around the world

Attaturk, nationalist leader after WWI turned the former Ottoman Empire into the Republic of Turkey, which he served as the first president, led the nation using Enlightenment ideals to a modern, democratic, secular, nation-state

Vs.Nasser, second president of

Egypt, founder of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, leader in pan-Arabism movement, important political figure in modern Arab history

Jomo Kenyatta, first prime minister and president of Kenya, considered the founding father of the nation of Kenya, co-founder of the Pan-African Federation, brought Kenya into the UN

Vs.Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid

activist and first President of South Africa to be elected in a fully represented election, he has taken the lead in establishing a racially diverse democratic government and won several awards including the Nobel Peace Prize

Helen Keller, American author, political activist, and the first deaf-blind person to receive a Bachelor of the Arts degree, she campaigned for woman’s suffrage, workers rights, in opposition to the war, and for socialism

Vs.Mother Theresa, an Albanian

Roman Catholic nun who gained international acclaim as a humanitarian and tireless worker for the poor, helpless, sick and dying, she started the Missionaries of Charity that administers over 600 missions and received the Nobel Peace Prize for her charitable works

Lech Walesa, Polish politician who founded the first Soviet independent trade union, Solidarity, fought for human rights and won a Nobel Peace Prize before becoming President of Poland

Vs.Mikhail Gorbachev, Russian

politician who served as the last General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the last leader of the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991, he led many reforms leading to the end of the Cold War and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

Deng Xiaoping, Chinese revolutionary, politician and reformer, he is credited with introducing a Chinese Socialist Market Economy beginning the opening up of China into the global economy

Vs.Dalai Lama, Tibetan spiritual

leader and retired leader of the Tibetan government-in- exile, he has won the Nobel Peace Prize, is a noted speaker, and is the 14th in a line of Tibetan leaders, he has sought to spread Buddhist teachings, global harmony and interfaith cooperation

Ronald Reagan, former President of the United States, former California Governor, spokesperson for GE, and president of the Screen Actors Guild, he headed the US government at the end of the Cold War, preferring arms build-up to détente, responsible for military actions in Grenada and Libya, died in 2004 after battling Alzheimer’s

Vs.Barack Obama, current President of

the United States, first African-American president, former US Senator from Illinois, community organizer, civil rights attorney, first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, defeated John McCain in November 2008