Who are the great men of today
 

Just finished watching Ken Burns' documentary on the Brooklyn Bridge. I should be living in Brooklyn by now but have to be content with visits and film. Anyway, what struck me about the piece was John Roebling and his son Washington. John drafted the plans for the bridge and became the chief engineer. After his death, his son Washington took over and managed the engineering until it's completion.

The bridge was designed and built in an age where horse drawn carriages brought in materials. The engineering to create the largest bridge in the world, as you can imagine, was brilliant. I've long thought the industrial revolution cultivated and sparked genius, especially in the U.S. which allowed anyone to act on his ideas.

Who are the John and Washington Roeblings of today?

Vash.

Bush H and W?

Trump and Trump Jr?

I guess the father son thing is a bad analogy.

+100.

Trump and Obama

:D

I suspect that we don't/won't know most of them these days because being great is not news worthy. What we will know is who the biggest douchenozzles are, because Brawndo's got what plants crave!

Who are the John and Washington Roeblings of today?

Steve Jobs, Bill Gates & more recently Mark Zuckerberg. Like it or not these three guys changed the world!

This guy deserves a lot of credit. "Isambard Kingdom Brunel"
("Isambard" is a Norman name of Germanic origin, meaning "iron-bright".)

Basically he built the foundations of the industrial revolution.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1500425132.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isambard_Kingdom_Brunel

The every day working man (or woman).....who goes about their work every day......contributing to society while providing services and product(s) to their fellow mankind.

Humorous pic, but someone who has changed computing...

https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-conte...ou-640x363.png

I could probably dig out an old elementary school year book and post a pic of google employee #1

None of us would be here today without this guy -

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...night-crop.jpg

I'm not sure he's "of today". If that was the case, then might we include folks like Henry Ford or Winston Churchill?

The three guys that you listed first aren't bad, but I guess we would need a better idea what "great men" means to the OP or even the various posters. Maybe that would be good, tell us your great man and tell us why you think he's great.

Hugh Hefner.

Not really today, or a father son team, but these guys:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1500425916.jpg

Mark Zuckerberg gets my vote because Facebook has irreversibly changed the world. (for better or worse?)

I'm sure Mark didn't setout to do this but that's what's happened. What's more powerful than the influencing of ideas?
Think about this. YOU have more power now than your president did 30 years ago.
You can share a political opinion and people around the world can be reading that comment as soon as it's posted.

Ideas change the world!

Brunel gets a mention because of his body or work, early innovation and problem solving.

Steven Hawking
Richard Branson
Elon Musk
and of course Chuck Norris!

I am kind of a space science geek so Carl Sagan and Neil Degrasse Tyson.

Yeah, Zuckerberg did something that made a big change- or took advantage of a big change that was going on - ... but the 2nd pic I posted was of Tim Berners-Lee. We literally wouldn't be doing this, and Zuckerberg couldn't have done his thing if it weren't for him....

Frederick Law Omsted was as close to a Renaissance Man as we're ever likely to get. Amongst the myriad buildings and gardens he and his sons designed and built, is Central Park.

He also went as an undercover journalist down south to document southern slavery practices.

Ran The Red Cross before it was the Red Cross.

Wiki has a listing of his projects chronologically and alphabetically. Check him out.

I agree. Mr Berners-Lee deserves lots credit.
Without him you wouldn't know who I was or what I'm about & I wouldn't know you.

How powerful is that?

I don't know you guys, and I don't know that guy.

I guess to be considered "great" today, it's more about PR. The ones who we call "great" are great at marketing.

#1 Brett Favre

Kid Rock..........

Anyone else thinking "Holy crap, those are some big-ass chains"?