The most famous people of Russia in history. Top great Russians who were not Russians

Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich (Cr. 952-1015) - Baptist of Ancient Rus'

The Russian prince Svyatoslav, who ruled in Kyiv, had three sons - Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir. Immediately after the death of Svyatoslav, the brothers went to war against each other, each wanted to rule in Kyiv, to become an autocratic prince. Vladimir showed great foresight in this fight and turned out to be the winner. He converted to Christianity, baptized Rus' and contributed in every possible way to the education of ordinary people.

Prince Ivan III Vasilievich (1440-1505) - Uniter of Russian lands

The Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily II, nicknamed the Dark One, during his lifetime involved his son Ivan in managing the affairs of the state. Thus, he confirmed his legal rights to succession to the throne. All business papers were signed by both of them. Ivan assumed full rights after the death of his father, when he was 22 years old. Ivan III began to unite the Russian lands around Moscow, turning it into the capital of the all-Russian state. Under him, the Principality of Moscow got rid of the Mongol-Tatar yoke. He knew how to listen carefully to the advice of his boyars. In adulthood, Prince Ivan 3 did not like to take part in military campaigns, believing that commanders should fight, and the sovereign at home should decide important matters. During the 43 years of his reign, the Moscow principality was freed from the power of the Horde khans, significantly expanded and strengthened. Under him, the code of laws “Code Code” was adopted, and a local system of land ownership appeared.

Peter I (1672-1725) - “What I want must be”

Peter 1 was truly great. Peter had everything great - growth, army, battles, territories, plans. He sought not only to expand the borders of the Russian state, but also to make life in it similar to what he saw in Europe. He learned a lot himself and taught others. However, in his desire to quickly introduce new orders, he often went to extremes; bloody massacres were not uncommon in his time. He was in a hurry in everything, as if he felt that fate had not given him a very long life.

Catherine II (1729-1796) - Enlightened Monarch

On June 28, 1762, a bloodless palace coup took place in St. Petersburg. The wife of Emperor Peter III, Ekaterina Alekseevna, with the help of the guards, removed her husband from power and declared herself an autocratic empress. Once on the Russian throne, Catherine II tried to win the devotion and love of her subjects. She carried out many economic transformations, contributed in every possible way to the development of trade, torture and executions were abolished in Russia, and elected courts appeared. The period of her reign was called the “golden age”, and the empress herself was called the Great.

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin (1799-1837) - The sun of Russian poetry

Time inexorably moves us away from Pushkin, the poet, playwright, and prose writer, but this makes his creative genius appear more and more clearly. His poems, poems and stories showed different sides of Russian reality, social life and peasant life, they reflected the restless soul of the poet, deep feelings and experiences. His poetry and prose were enthusiastically received by 19th-century readers. It was then that the aura of his greatness was created; he began to be considered the founder of Russian literature, the creator of the modern literary language. It is no coincidence that the time in which he lived is called the “Pushkin era.”

Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov (1810-1881) - Surgeon from God

Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov worked for hours in the anatomical theater, cutting soft tissues, examining diseased organs, sawing bones, and looking for replacements for damaged joints. Anatomy became a practical school for him, laying the foundation for his further successful surgical activity. Pirogov was the first to come up with the idea of ​​plastic surgery, used anesthesia in military field surgery, was the first to apply a plaster cast in the field, and suggested the existence of pathogenic microorganisms that cause suppuration of wounds. His works and various medical atlases brought Russian surgery to one of the first places in the world.

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821-1881) - Defender of the poor people

Despite the wide popularity of Fyodor Dostoevsky in Russia, worldwide recognition and interest in his work came after his death. Everyone noted his deep psychologism and passion in depicting the “humiliated and insulted.” The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote that Dostoevsky was the only psychologist from whom he learned anything. The works of Fyodor Mikhailovich had a noticeable influence on writers: the Austrian Stefan Zweig, the Frenchman Marcel Proust, the Englishman Oscar Wilde, the Germans Thomas and Heinrich Mann.

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy (1828-1910) - Preacher of morality

The famous Russian theater director and creator of the acting system, Konstantin Stanislavsky, wrote in his book “My Life in Art” that in the difficult years of the first revolutions, when despair gripped people, many remembered that Leo Tolstoy was living with them at the same time. And my soul became lighter. He was the conscience of humanity. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, Tolstoy became the spokesman for the thoughts and hopes of millions of people. He was a moral support for many. It was read and listened to not only by Russia, but also by Europe, America and Asia.

Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev (1834-1907) - Legislator in chemistry

Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev was a versatile scientist: in the laboratory he studied new properties of materials, in plants and factories he analyzed the results of their use, and at his desk he carefully summarized information. Every year he traveled to various regions of the country and went abroad. The Periodic Table of Chemical Elements he created, a brilliant discovery, established the dependence of various properties of elements on the charge of the atomic nucleus and was accepted throughout the world. The collection of his scientific works consists of 25 volumes.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) - Composer for all times

Foreign performers of piano music, violinists, cellists and vocalists are well aware of the International Tchaikovsky Music Competition, which is held in Moscow every 4 years. The symphonic works of the Russian composer have long been heard in the concert halls of many leading capitals of the world, his operas and ballets are in the repertoire of the world's outstanding opera houses. Tchaikovsky left behind a huge musical heritage, which has become part of global culture.

Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849-1936) - Teacher of reflex theory

Awarded the title of Nobel Prize laureate in the field of medicine and physiology for 1904, the creator of the science of higher nervous activity, Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov was recognized as the foreman of physiologists around the world.

Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky (1863-1945) - Discoverer of the biosphere

Vladimir Vernadsky entered the history of Russian and world science as an outstanding naturalist, thinker, and public figure. He studied such special branches of knowledge about the Earth as geology, crystallography, mineralogy, geochemistry, and biology. And he determined the paths of the general evolution of the Earth, introduced the concepts of “biosphere” and “noosphere” - areas of distribution of life on Earth as a result of the evolutionary impact on it by humans. He was the herald of a new branch of science - ecology.

Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) (1870-1924) - Practitioner of building communism

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin is the most famous political figure of the 20th century. For over 70 years in the Soviet Union, he was considered an unsurpassed genius who set the goal of building communism in Russia. In 1917, Lenin took on the impossible task of making backward agrarian Russia socialist and then communist. He dreamed that workers would receive everything according to their needs. The idea turned out to be untenable. True, after Lenin the country gradually switched to the industrial path of development. Communism was not achieved, but at the cost of enormous efforts, including millions of human casualties, the USSR moved closer to the forefront on the world stage.

Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (Stalin) (1878 -1953) - Inspirer of all victories

The General Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), the head of the Soviet government, Joseph Stalin led the country onto the industrial path of development, with his name the Soviet people won the Great Patriotic War, he caused mass labor heroism, and under him the country became a superpower. But he also imposed a totalitarian, dictatorial regime in the country, carried out forced collectivization, under him famine broke out in the country, mass repressions were carried out, the world community was divided into two camps - socialist and capitalist. In history, Stalin remained a dual personality: the winner of the war and the tyrant of his own people.

Sergei Pavlovich Korolev (1906-1966) - Chief designer

Sergei Pavlovich Korolev was an outstanding design engineer who dreamed of conquering space. He made a huge contribution to organizing the production of rocket and space technology and missile weapons in the Soviet Union. He was the first in the world to launch satellites, scientific stations, and spaceships into earth orbit. Reports of this shocked the whole world. He dreamed of exploring the vastness of the Universe with the help of automatic devices and began preparing a flight to Mars, but did not have time to carry out his plans.

photo from the Internet

Generations of actors all over the world study according to the Stanislavsky system, the works of Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Tolstoy excite the minds of intellectuals throughout the world, as well as the music of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky. Periodic table, Zvorykin's TV, Kalashnikov's assault rifle, Basov's and Prokhorov's laser, Gagarin's cosmic smile and even Pajitnov's Tetris.

It would seem that the time of the Russian Renaissance, when Russian thoughts, Russian melodies, Russian inventions influenced the development of all mankind - in the past, both ancient and recent, but still the past. However, despite the systemic crisis of the current post-Soviet and not yet fully Russian civilization, names appear every now and then that receive the attention of the world media for defining the face and course of the current era.

The most famous Russian surnames of recent years will be discussed in this material.

The science. Physics. Andrey Geim and Konstantin Novoselov. A native of Sochi and a native of Nizhny Tagil. A teacher and a student who met at the Institute of Solid State Physics in Chernogolovka near Moscow. Unfortunately, both left Russia, realizing that in the post-perestroika Fatherland there was nothing for people professionally involved in science. Andrey - at the dawn of the nineties, immediately after the collapse of the USSR, Konstantin - at the end of the transition decade, in its last year.

Andrey Geim and Konstantin Novoselov. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Both found refuge in the UK, where they created work that brought them both the Nobel Prize - they invented the thinnest material in history, just one molecule thick, called graphene. For which, in addition to the prize, by decree of the Queen of England they were awarded the title of “knight bachelors”.

Both natives of Russia are distinguished by their rather original behavior and activities. For example, Game, before his breakthrough work in all respects, was awarded the ironic “Ig Nobel” prize, given for the most useless scientific “achievements” - a study of frogs flying with the help of magnets... And Novoselov prefers to be addressed in the British region as Kostya, and is also interested in Chinese calligraphy - several of his drawings are even in the collection of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

In Manchester, the Nobel laureates gathered around them a team consisting mainly of Russian scientists, although, in fact, it is impossible to call both of them patriots. In particular, Game refused the offer to return to Russia. However, both do not deny that it was the domestic scientific school that allowed them to become world-famous physicists.

At the intersection of science and sports. Chess. Sergey Karyakin. Unlike the two previous heroes, the youngest grandmaster in the world (received the highest chess title at the age of 12, for which he was included in the Guinness Book of Records), can be called a conscious patriot. And in some ways a harbinger of the events of the Russian Spring.

A native of Crimea, Sergey Karyakin learned chess wisdom in the Donbass - at the famous chess club named after A.V. Momota in Kramatorsk. And in 2009, he asked for Russian citizenship, explaining his action by saying that he considered himself Russian and nothing else. Unlike many compatriots, official Moscow did not interfere with the young and promising chess player.

S. Karjakin. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

For which Karyakin thanked his historical homeland, becoming the silver medalist of the Chess Olympics as part of the Russian team in 2010, the world champion in rapid chess in 2012, and the world champion in 2013, again as part of the national team.

In 2015, Karjakin won the World Cup, beating his compatriot Peter Sandler. And in 2016, he entered into a battle for the world champion crown with the current champion, Magnus Carlsen.

The fight, which took place in New York, turned out to be spectacular and dramatic: the opponents played a draw in the first seven games, the Russian chess player won the eighth, the ninth ended in a draw again, in the tenth the Norwegian finally managed to defeat our grandmaster, after which two more drawn games were played. The outcome of the match was decided by a tiebreaker, the first two games of which ended in a draw, after which Carlsen won the third and fourth games, defending his title.

However, even after losing, Sergei Karyakin showed the highest level of play. Again, who knows, perhaps he will take the long-awaited chess crown, both for himself and for the sake of the honor of the country, sooner or later, but he will still succeed.

Sport. Hockey. Alexander Ovechkin. One of four Russian hockey players, along with Pavel Bure, Pavel Datsyuk and Sergei Fedorov, included in the list of the 100 Greatest NHL Hockey Players. And to this day, a graduate of the capital's Dynamo, who has been playing for the Washington Capitals since 2005, is only gaining weight, and, naturally, in earnings, surpassing tennis player Maria Sharapova in this indicator, who has long been considered the leader among Russian athletes.

So, in January 2008, Ovechkin signed a thirteen-year contract worth 124 million dollars with the American team, thereby becoming the first athlete in the history of professional hockey to “overcome” the contract mark of a hundred million dollars. A year later he was recognized as one of the ten best NHL players of the previous decade. In 2010, the Russian hockey player was already the captain of the Washington Capitals.

A. Ovechkin. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Moreover, based on the results of games in professional hockey on the North American continent, the ex-Dynamo player became one of three hockey players in NHL history who managed to score more than 500 goals in seven seasons...

A player with a rather memorable colorful appearance has been playing in the Russian national team since he was 17 years old, thereby becoming its youngest member in history. Already at the age of 12, he broke Pavel Bure's record, scoring 59 goals in the Moscow championship.

However, despite his serious services to the Americans, the famous player’s last performances for his native team were quite uneven: in 2014, he was even forced to apologize to Russian fans for the outright failure of the Russian team at his native Olympics in Sochi. In the same year, having become captain of the national team, he took a kind of revenge at the World Championships in Minsk, where the Russian team took gold. However, at the 2016 World Cup under the leadership of Ovechkin, the Russian team also did not make it to the winning podium, taking only fourth place.

The outgoing 2017 also turned out to be not the most successful for Alexander: he lost the Maurice Richard Trophy - an award for the best scorer of the season, Canadian Sidney Crosby, who scored 44 goals against Ovechkin's 33. The Stanley Cup also went not to his Washington Capitals, but to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

However, the Russian player has already written his name into the history of world hockey. I would like to believe that before he ends his career, he will still put an end to it with a major victory for the Russian national team. In any case, it would be logical and more than appropriate.

Music. Opera. Anna Netrebko. The case when God's Gift - natural talent, beauty, charisma, world recognition and love for the Motherland organically coexist in one person. Kuban Cossack, people's arist of Russia, leader of the ranking of the highest paid musicians in Russia according to Forbes.

She started in the school choir "Kuban Pioneer", her first real stage was the Mariinsky Theater, today she performs at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, London's Royal Opera, Paris National Opera, Albert Hall... She has Austrian citizenship, for convenience of traveling around the Old World, while she does not renounce Russian citizenship.

World recognition does not give Anna Netrebko a reason to break away from her own roots; she is always with her people, especially in difficult years for them.

Thus, from the beginning of Ukraine’s armed aggression against the Russian Donbass, the prima came out in support of the latter. And she transferred a considerable amount from her own fee for the reconstruction of the Donbass Opera building, which was damaged by military operations. She was also not afraid to take a photo with the flag of Novorossiya.

A. Netrebko. Photo: photogolfer / Shutterstock.com

For her courageous civic act, Anna was threatened with individual sanctions, but nothing happened - talent of this level is too tough for demagogues and politicians. When another outstanding singer, Dmitry Hvorostovsky, became seriously ill, Netrebko took part in an action in his support.

The latest album with a recording of famous opera arias in her performance was nominated for a Grammy, she performs in the world's most legendary and famous concert venues, lives in Vienna, New York, and comes to Russia.

Anna Netrebko is the story of world recognition of a genuine talent who remains Russian in spirit and essence. A true and beautiful story.

Fashion. Clothing design. Gosha Rubchinsky. He is relatively young and certainly extremely ambitious. Some believe that he draws inspiration from the clothing style of young people from the outskirts of cities in the Russian Federation, while others are convinced that he is just an ordinary opportunist who is driving pseudo-youth exoticism a la Russe to the West.

In any case, his pants, jackets, sneakers and scarves, stylized in the style of gopniks, football fans, right-wing and left-wing street radicals, are clearly not affordable for these same gopniks, fans and radicals. And a sweatshirt, where instead of the inscription “YaRussky” in “Old Calendar” font, which was common ten years ago, “Gosh Rubchinsky” is written, it can completely confuse young people who are simple and unsophisticated in the shades of the “friend or foe” recognition system. Which once again proves that this is not for them.

It is no coincidence that Business of Fashion included the Russian designer in the list of the 500 most influential people in the fashion world.

Indeed, initially the Russian designer was inspired by the Western crooked vision of Russia, all these bears with balalaikas. His first collection was called “Evil Empire”. And there were both bears and eagles in it, both of them with machine guns in their hands. And instead of models, ordinary street skaters performed - it turned out lively and inexpensive.

Since then, Gosha has been a frequent guest at fashion weeks in Europe and Great Britain; through his eyes, the West sees wild Russian youth performed, admittedly, by an already middle-aged Russian intellectual. And such a view also has a right to life, if only because it is professional, and it comes out interesting. The main thing is not to believe that this is life. But for a costume show based on our reality, it’s quite suitable, if, of course, you don’t mind the money.

These are the new Russian world celebrities. It’s a pity that they are no longer on the level of Bulgakov, Diaghilev, Scriabin, Vertinsky and Sikorsky, but they are still bright and original. Therefore, I would like to believe that this is a respite for now. Before the next Russian breakthrough, which will cover the world, making it brighter, richer and more meaningful.

Russian scientists invented television, and Russian directors taught theater to the whole world. Which Russian made the greatest achievement?

Great Russian scientists

The whole world knows them. They did something that was beyond the control of the powers that be. They discovered “Russian science”, which the whole world started talking about.

Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov, who worked all his life as an ordinary electrical engineer in Paris. It was he, an inconspicuous-looking “hard worker,” who invented the world’s first electric light bulb. It did not burn for long and had a light of dazzling power. It was unsuitable for small rooms, but was widely used in lighting streets and large rooms. But thanks to Yablochkov, enthusiasts appeared who were able to create the light bulb that illuminates our houses and apartments.

Alexander Popov in 1895 created a unique device that works wirelessly using electromagnetic waves. This radio is the greatest achievement of the Russian people, an indispensable assistant for any inhabitant of the planet. The Americans and British offered fabulous sums for Popov to sell them his invention. He firmly answered that everything he came up with belongs not to him, but to his Motherland.

Fate has always been favorable to the Russians. All the first world inventions belong to Russian people.

V.K. Zvorykin created the world's first electron microscope and the first television. Thanks to his invention, on March 10, 1939, the happy owners of televisions began to watch the first regular television programs broadcast from the television center on Shabolovka.

And the first airplane in the world was invented by a Russian - A.F. Mozhaisky. The complex design of the apparatus was able to lift a person into the sky for the first time.

Russian scientists invented the world's first satellite, ballistic missile and spacecraft. It was our compatriots who managed to create the first quantum generator, a caterpillar tractor and an electric tram. They always walked ahead - Russian scientists who managed to glorify our country.

The Russians were not only able to conquer the world. They discovered new lands, giving the whole world the opportunity to look into unexplored corners of the planet.

Famous Russian travelers

Two brothers, two village boys: Khariton and Dmitry Laptev. They devoted their lives to travel and exploration of the North. Having organized the Great Northern Expedition in 1739, they reached the shores of the Arctic Ocean, opening new lands to the whole world. The Laptev Sea is known throughout the world thanks to their courage and perseverance in exploring the wild North.

Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel led an expedition to explore Eastern Siberia. He discovered areas little known to science to the world and compiled a detailed geographical map of the northern coast of Eastern Siberia.

Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky explored the Ussuri region, discovering previously unknown geographical objects. He became the discoverer of the Altyntag Mountains in Central Asia. The whole world learned about the famous Przewalski's horse.

Miklouho-Maclay went to New Guinea in 1870, where he spent 2 years studying these lands, getting acquainted with the culture of wild tribes, their customs and religious rituals. In 1996, on the 150th anniversary of the traveler, UNESCO awarded him the title of “Citizen of the World.”

Our contemporary, Yuri Senkevich, conducted more than 100 studies of human survival in extreme conditions. He took part in an Antarctic expedition and visited the North Pole more than once. His famous program “Travelers Club” had an audience of millions.

Perhaps not everyone has read their books and is not familiar with their work. But despite this, their names are familiar to every person, because they are the geniuses of our era.

World-famous Russian writers

Leo Tolstoy - count, thinker, honorary academician, outstanding writer of the world. He had an amazing ability to learn foreign languages. Looking at the people, he learned to endure all the difficulties of life. Warming his hands by the stove, he immediately stuck them out the window into the cold to learn not only to bask in the warmth, but also not to be afraid of the cold. He made himself a canvas dressing gown, which he wore around the house, and at night it replaced his sheet. He wanted to be like Diogenes.

He was not interested in social life. At the balls he was distracted, thinking about his own things. The young ladies considered him boring because he did not try to carry on small talk, which for him was empty talk. He wrote many books that the whole world reads. His Anna Karenina and War and Peace became global bestsellers.

Fyodor Dostoevsky was the second child of 6 children in the family. My father was a priest and a doctor in a hospital for the poor. Mother belonged to a merchant family. He learned to read from the books of the Old and New Testaments. He knew the Gospel from childhood.

He spent 4 years in hard labor, then became a soldier. He was against the government, which renounced Christian morality and allowed the blood of the Russian people to be shed. His books are full of bitterness. Many consider him the most “depressive” writer of our era. But he created works whose influence greatly affected not only the culture of Russia, but also the West.

Bulgakov had a carefree youth, which he spent in the beautiful city of Kyiv. He dreamed of a carefree and free life, but the strong character of his mother and the hard work of his professor father instilled in him authority for knowledge and contempt for ignorance.

After receiving his education, he worked in military hospitals and was a rural doctor. He saved lives by fighting diseases. He lay in a typhoid fever, thinking every morning that this was his last day. It was the disease that radically changed his life. He left medicine and began to write.

“The Turbin Brothers”, “Heart of a Dog”, “The Master and Margarita” - brought the writer posthumous world fame. A triumphant procession of Bulgakov’s works began, which were translated into many languages ​​of the world.

The Russians have conquered the world in all directions. They read our books. Songs and films have become part of foreign culture.

World-famous Russian singers and actors

Fyodor Chaliapin - Russian bass, People's Artist since 1918. For three years he sang at the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theaters, performing only the first roles. An opera singer whose voice cannot be confused with anyone else. He loved folk songs and romances, filling the space around him with a powerful voice with rich timbre shades.

As fate would have it, he had to leave Russia. Since 1922, he sang only abroad. But despite this, the world considers him an outstanding Russian singer.

Her voice is known all over the world. This woman is a legend. Out of five thousand people, she became the only girl who was chosen at the competition to join Pyatnitsky’s choir. Lyudmila Zykina is an idol of the 60s and an ideal to follow at all times. Her “Orenburg Shawl” and “The Volga River Flows” are sung all over the world. She did not like to be “gray mediocrity.” She wore colorful outfits and had a weakness for jewelry.

She was an important person and had friendships with government officials. Everyone loved her: from the peasant and worker to the Kremlin minister. She was the embodiment of a Russian woman, a Russian soul. She is an outstanding singer, whose voice has become a symbol of Russia.

Mark Bernes is a handsome man, conqueror of women's hearts, singer, actor, sex symbol of his time. At the age of 15, he was able to visit the theater for the first time and fell in love with it for the rest of his life. He dreamed of the stage. He was a poster putter and worked as a barker for evening performances. He strove to be as close as possible to this temple of art.

He played his first, small episodic role in the film “The Man with a Gun.” In the film he sang “Clouds have risen over the city.” After the premiere of the film, the whole country started talking about it.

Playing in the film “Two Fighters,” he was sure that this was his last role in his life. The director was unhappy with him; the role “didn’t suit him.” They tortured him for almost two months, trying to create an image. And perhaps he would have had to say goodbye to cinema, but an inexperienced hairdresser saved him. Going in to get a haircut, Bernes fell into her hands. She cut his beautiful hair down to zero. Seeing this, the director's face lit up with a smile. This was the image he had been looking for for so long. For his role in this film, the government awarded Bernes the Order of the Red Star. In 1965 he became People's Artist of Russia.

Innokenty Smoktunovsky is a provincial actor who, having arrived in Moscow, was unable to enter the theater school. This failure “gave” the world this outstanding actor. Having settled in the studio theater at Mosfilm, he immediately gets a cameo role in the film “Soldiers”. And this became a boost in his career. After filming ended, he played in “The Idiot,” amazing with his acting, transitions and nuances from one state to another. Worldwide fame was prophesied for him, and this prophecy came true. Smoktunovsky’s extraordinary, multifaceted talent has cemented his reputation as the best actor of our time.

Modern Russian actors deserve special attention. .
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The Russian Federation is a great state, occupying first place on the planet in terms of territory and national wealth. However, its main pride is its outstanding citizens who have left a noticeable mark on history. Our country has raised a huge number of famous scientists, politicians, military leaders, athletes and artists of world renown. Their achievements allowed Russia to occupy one of the leading positions in the list of superpowers on the planet.

Rating

Who are they, outstanding citizens of Russia? The list can be continued endlessly, because every period in the history of our Fatherland has its great people who became famous in different fields of activity. Among the most prominent personalities who, to one degree or another, influenced the course of both Russian and world history, it is worth mentioning the following:

1. Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky.
2. Peter the Great.
3. Alexander Suvorov.
4. Mikhail Lomonosov.
5. Dmitriy Mendeleev.
6. Yuri Gagarin.
7. Andrey Sakharov.

Minin and Pozharsky

The outstanding citizen of Russia Kuzma Minin and his equally famous contemporary Prince Dmitry Pozharsky went down in history as the liberators of Russian lands from Polish invaders. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Time of Troubles began in the Russian state. The crisis, which engulfed many areas of life, was aggravated by the presence of impostors on the capital’s throne. In Moscow, Smolensk and a number of other cities, the Polish gentry ruled in full swing, and the western borders of the country were occupied by Swedish troops.

In order to drive out foreign invaders from Russian lands and liberate the country, the clergy called on the population to create a people's militia and liberate the capital from the Poles. The Novgorod zemstvo elder Kuzma Minin (Sukhoruk), who, although not of noble origin, responded to the call, but was a true patriot of his Motherland. In a short time, he managed to gather an army from the residents of Nizhny Novgorod. Prince Dmitry Pozharsky from the Rurik family agreed to head it.

Gradually, residents of surrounding cities, dissatisfied with the dominance of the Polish gentry in Moscow, began to join the people's militia of Nizhny Novgorod. By the fall of 1612, the army of Minin and Pozharsky numbered about 10 thousand people. At the beginning of November 1612, the Nizhny Novgorod militia managed to expel the Poles from the capital and force them to sign an act of surrender. The successful operation was made possible thanks to the skillful actions of Minin and Pozharsky. In 1818, the memory of the heroic liberators of Moscow was immortalized by the sculptor I. Martos in a monument erected on Red Square.

Peter the First

The significance of the reign of Peter I, nicknamed the Great State for his services to the state, is difficult to overestimate. An outstanding citizen of Russia, Peter the Great was on the throne for 43 years, coming to power at the age of 17. He turned the country into the greatest empire, founded the city of Petersburg on the Neva and moved the capital to it from Moscow, carried out a number of successful military campaigns, thanks to which he significantly expanded the borders of the state. Peter the Great began trading with Europe, founded the Academy of Sciences, opened many educational institutions, introduced compulsory study of foreign languages, and forced representatives of the noble classes to wear secular attire.

The significance of the reign of Peter I for Russia

The sovereign's reforms strengthened the economy and science, contributed to the development of the army and navy. His successful domestic and foreign policies became the basis for the further growth and development of the state. Voltaire highly appreciated the internal transformations of Russia in Peter's times. He wrote that the Russian people managed to achieve in half a century what other nations could not achieve in 500 years of their existence.

A. V. Suvorov

The most outstanding citizen of Russia in the second half of the 18th century is, of course, the great commander, Generalissimo of the Russian land and naval forces, Alexander Suvorov. This talented military leader fought more than 60 major battles and was not defeated in any of them. The army under the command of Suvorov managed to win even in cases where the enemy forces significantly outnumbered it. The commander took part in the Russian-Turkish wars of 1768-1774 and 1787-1791, brilliantly commanded Russian troops during the storming of Prague in 1794, and in the last years of his life he led the Italian and Swiss campaigns.

In battles, Suvorov used combat tactics that he personally developed, which were significantly ahead of their time. He did not recognize military drill and instilled in his soldiers a love for the Fatherland, considering it the key to victory in any battle. The legendary commander made sure that during military campaigns his army was provided with everything necessary. He heroically shared all the hardships with the soldiers, thanks to which he enjoyed great authority and respect among them. For his victories, Suvorov was awarded all the high military awards existing in his time in the Russian Empire. In addition, he was a holder of seven foreign orders.

M. V. Lomonosov

Outstanding citizens of Russia glorified their country not only in the art of statecraft or military tactics. Mikhail Lomonosov belongs to the cohort of the greatest Russian scientists who made a huge contribution to the development of world science. Born into a poor family and unable to receive a decent education, from early childhood he had a high intelligence and was drawn to knowledge. Lomonosov's desire for science was so strong that at the age of 19 he left his village, walked to Moscow and entered the Slavic-Greco-Roman Academy. This was followed by studies at St. Petersburg University at the Academy of Sciences. To improve his knowledge of the natural sciences, Mikhail was sent to Europe. At 34, the young scientist became an academician.

Without exaggeration, Lomonosov can be considered a universal person. He had brilliant knowledge of chemistry, physics, geography, astronomy, geology, metallurgy, history, and genealogy. In addition, the scientist was an excellent poet, writer and artist. Lomonosov made many discoveries in physics, chemistry and astronomy, and became the founder of the science of glass. He owns the project for the creation of Moscow University, which was later named after him.

D. I. Mendeleev

The world-famous chemist Dmitry Mendeleev is the pride of Russia. Having been born in Tobolsk in the family of a gymnasium director, he had no barriers to receiving an education. At the age of 21, young Mendeleev graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the St. Petersburg Pedagogical Institute with a gold medal. A few months later, he defended his dissertation for the right to lecture and began teaching practice. At the age of 23, Mendeleev was awarded a master's degree in chemistry. From this age he began teaching at the Imperial University of St. Petersburg. At the age of 31 he became a professor of chemical technology, and after 2 years - a professor of general chemistry.

Worldwide fame of the great chemist

In 1869, at the age of 35, Dmitry Mendeleev made a discovery that made him famous throughout the world. We are talking about the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements. It became the basis for all modern chemistry. Attempts to systematize elements by properties and atomic weight were made before Mendeleev, but he was the first who managed to clearly formulate the pattern existing between them.

The periodic table is not the only achievement of the scientist. He wrote many fundamental works on chemistry and initiated the creation of the Chamber of Weights and Measures in St. Petersburg. D.I. Mendeleev was a holder of eight honorary orders of the Russian Empire and foreign countries. He was awarded a doctorate from the Turin Academy of Sciences, Oxford, Cambridge, Priston, Edinburgh and Göttingen universities. Mendeleev's scientific authority was so high that he was nominated for the Nobel Prize three times. Unfortunately, the winners of this prestigious international award were different scientists each time. However, this fact does not in any way diminish the merits of the famous chemist to the Fatherland.

Yu. A. Gagarin

Yuri Gagarin is a prominent citizen of Soviet-era Russia. On April 12, 1961, on the Vostok-1 spacecraft, he flew into space for the first time in the history of mankind. Having spent 108 minutes in Earth's orbit, the cosmonaut returned to the planet as an international hero. Even world movie stars could envy Gagarin’s popularity. He made official visits to more than 30 foreign countries and traveled throughout the USSR.

An outstanding citizen of Russia, Yuri Gagarin, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the highest insignia of many countries. He was preparing for a new space flight, but a plane crash that happened in March 1968 in the Vladimir region tragically cut short his life. Having lived only 34 years, Gagarin became one of the greatest people of the 20th century. Streets and squares in all major cities of Russia and the CIS countries are named after him, and monuments to him have been erected in many foreign countries. In honor of Yuri Gagarin's flight, International Cosmonautics Day is celebrated all over the world on April 12.

A. D. Sakharov

In addition to Gagarin, there were many other outstanding Russian citizens in the Soviet Union. The USSR became famous throughout the world thanks to academician Andrei Sakharov, who made an invaluable contribution to the development of physics. In 1949, together with Yu. Khariton, he developed a project for a hydrogen bomb - the first Soviet thermonuclear weapon. In addition, Sakharov conducted a lot of research on magnetic hydrodynamics, gravity, astrophysics, and plasma physics. In the mid-70s, he predicted the emergence of the Internet. In 1975, the academician was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In addition to science, Sakharov was engaged in active human rights activities, for which he fell out of favor with the Soviet leadership. In 1980, he was stripped of all titles and highest awards, after which he was deported from Moscow to Gorky. After the start of Perestroika, Sakharov was allowed to return to the capital. The last years of his life he continued to engage in scientific activities, and was also elected as a deputy of the Supreme Council. In 1989, the scientist worked on a draft of a new Soviet constitution, which proclaimed the right of peoples to statehood, but sudden death did not allow him to complete the work he had begun.

Outstanding citizens of Russia of the 21st century

Today in our country there live a huge number of people who glorify it in politics, science, art and other fields of activity. The most famous scientists of our time are physicists Mikhail Allenov and Valery Rachkov, urbanist Denis Vizgalov, historian Vyacheslav Vorobyov, economist Nadezhda Kosareva, etc. Outstanding artists of the 21st century include artists Ilya Glazunov and Alena Azernaya, conductors Valery Gergiev and Yuri Bashmet, opera singers Dmitry Hvorostovsky and Anna Netrebko, actors Sergei Bezrukov and Konstantin Khabensky, directors Nikita Mikhalkov and Timur Bekmambetov and others. Well, the most outstanding politician in Russia today is its President, Vladimir Putin.

Who do you consider the most worthy example and inspiration for yourself personally? Martin Luther King Jr., Yuri Gagarin or maybe your grandfather? Our world took several millennia to form, and many historical figures took part in this difficult process, who made their invaluable contribution to science, culture and many other spheres of life, both in their countries and in all of humanity. It is very difficult and almost impossible to select those whose influence was most significant. However, the authors of this list still decided to try and collect in one publication the most inspiring personalities in the history of world civilizations. Some of them are known to everyone, others are not known to everyone, but they all have one thing in common - these people changed our world for the better. From the Dalai Lama to Charles Darwin, here are 25 of the most outstanding figures in history!

25. Charles Darwin

A famous British traveler, naturalist, geologist and biologist, Charles Darwin is most famous for his theory, which changed the understanding of human nature and the development of the world in all its diversity. Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection suggests that all species, including humans, are descended from common ancestors, a concept that shocked the scientific community at the time. Darwin published The Theory of Evolution with some examples and evidence in his revolutionary book On the Origin of Species in 1859, and since then our world and the way we understand it have changed greatly.

24. Tim Berners-Lee


Photo: Paul Clarke

Tim Berners-Lee is a British engineer, inventor and computer scientist best known as the creator of the World Wide Web. Sometimes called the "Father of the Internet", Berners-Lee developed the first hypertext web browser, web server and web editor. The technologies of this outstanding scientist spread worldwide and forever changed the way information is generated and processed.

23. Nicholas Winton


Photo: cs:User:Li-sung

Nicholas Winton was a British philanthropist, and since the late 1980s he has become best known for smuggling 669 Jewish children out of Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia just before World War II. Winton transported all these children to British orphanages, and some of them even managed to be placed in families, which definitely saved them all from inevitable death in concentration camps or during the bombings. The philanthropist organized as many as 8 trains from Prague and also took children out of Vienna, but using other modes of transport. The Englishman never sought fame, and for 49 years he kept his heroic deed a secret. In 1988, Winton’s wife discovered a notebook with notes from 1939 and the addresses of the families who took in young Salvationists. Since then, recognition, orders and awards have fallen upon him. Nicholas Winton died at the age of 106 in 2015.

22. Buddha Shakyamuni (Gautama Buddha)


Photo: Max Pixel

Also known as Siddhartha Gautama (from birth), Tathagata (the comer) or Bhagavan (the blessed one), Shakyamuni Buddha (the awakened sage of the Shakya lineage) was the spiritual leader and founder of Buddhism, one of the world's three leading religions. Buddha was born in the 6th century BC into a royal family and lived in absolute isolation and luxury. As the prince grew older, he left his family and all his property to plunge into self-discovery and seek to rid humanity of suffering. After several years of meditation and contemplation, Gautama achieved enlightenment and became the Buddha. Through his teachings, Shakyamuni Buddha influenced the lives of millions of people around the world.

21. Rosa Parks

Photo: wikimedia commons

Also known as the "First Lady of Civil Rights" and the "Mother of the Freedom Movement," Rosa Parks was a true pioneer and founder of the black civil rights movement in 1950s Alabama, which was still heavily segregated by race. In 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, a courageous African-American woman and passionate civil rights activist, Rosa Parks, refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger, disobeying the driver's orders. Her rebellious act provoked other blacks into what was later called the legendary "Montgomery Bus Boycott." This boycott lasted 381 days and became one of the key events in the history of the black civil rights movement in the United States.

20. Henry Dunant

Photo: ICRC

A successful Swiss entrepreneur and active public figure, Henri Dunant became the first person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. During a business trip in 1859, Dunant encountered the terrible consequences of the Battle of Solferino (Italy), where the troops of Napoleon, the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Austrian Empire under the leadership of Franz Joseph I clashed, and the troops were left to die on the battlefield. almost 9 thousand wounded. In 1863, in response to the horrors of war and the brutality of the battle he saw, the entrepreneur founded the well-known International Committee of the Red Cross. The Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded, adopted in 1864, was also based on ideas expressed by Henri Dunant.

19. Simon Bolivar

Photo: wikimedia commons

Also known as the Libertador, Simon Bolivar was a prominent Venezuelan military and political leader who played a key role in the liberation of six countries in South and Central America - Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama - from Spanish rule. Bolivar was born into a wealthy aristocratic family, but he devoted most of his life to military campaigns and the fight for the independence of the Spanish colonies in America. The country of Bolivia, by the way, was named in honor of this hero and liberator.

18. Albert Einstein

Photo: wikimedia commons

Albert Einstein is one of the most respected and influential scientists of all time. This outstanding theoretical physicist, Nobel laureate and public figure-humanist gave the world over 300 scientific works on physics and about 150 books and articles on history, philosophy and other humanitarian areas. His whole life was full of interesting research, revolutionary ideas and theories, which later became fundamental for modern science. Einstein was most famous for his Theory of Relativity, and thanks to this work he became one of the greatest personalities in human history. Even after almost a century, this Theory continues to influence the thinking of the modern scientific community working to create a Theory of Everything (or Unified Field Theory).

17. Leonardo da Vinci


Photo: wikimedia commons

It is difficult to describe and list all the areas in which Leonardo da Vinci, a man who changed the whole world with his mere existence, succeeded. Over the course of his entire life, this Italian genius of the Renaissance managed to achieve unprecedented heights in painting, architecture, music, mathematics, anatomy, engineering, and many other areas. Da Vinci is recognized as one of the most versatile and talented people to ever live on our planet, and he is the author of such revolutionary inventions as the parachute, helicopter, tank and scissors.

16. Christopher Columbus

Photo: wikimedia commons

The famous Italian explorer, traveler and colonizer, Christopher Columbus was not the first European to sail to America (after all, the Vikings had been here before him). However, his voyages gave rise to an entire era of the most outstanding discoveries, conquests and colonizations, which continued for several centuries after his death. Columbus's travels to the New World greatly influenced the development of geography of those times, because at the beginning of the 15th century people still believed that the Earth was flat and that there were no more lands beyond the Atlantic.

15. Martin Luther King Jr.


Photo: wikimedia commons

This is one of the most influential personalities of the 20th century. Martin Luther King Jr. is best known for his peaceful movement against discrimination, racial segregation and for the civil rights of black Americans, for which he even received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Martin Luther King was a Baptist preacher and powerful speaker who inspired millions of people around the world to fight for democratic freedoms and their rights. He played a key role in promoting civil rights through peaceful protests based on Christian faith and the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi.

14. Bill Gates

Photo: DFID – UK Department for International Development

The founder of the legendary multinational company Microsoft, Bill Gates was considered the richest person in the world for almost 20 years. Recently, however, Gates has become known primarily as a generous philanthropist rather than for his success in business and in the information technology market. At one time, Bill Gates stimulated the development of the personal computer market, making computers accessible to the simplest users, which is exactly what he wanted. Now he is passionate about the idea of ​​​​providing Internet access to the whole world. Gates is also working on projects dedicated to combating global warming and combating gender discrimination.

William Shakespeare is considered one of the greatest writers and playwrights in the English language, and he has had a profound influence on a galaxy of literary figures, as well as millions of readers around the world. In addition, Shakespeare introduced about 2,000 new words, most of which are still in use in modern English. With his works, the national poet of England has inspired a great many composers, artists and film directors from all over the world.

12. Sigmund Freud

Photo: wikimedia commons

Austrian neurologist and founder of the science of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud is famous precisely for his unique research into the mysterious world of the human subconscious. With them, he forever changed the way we evaluate ourselves and the people around us. Freud's work influenced 20th-century psychology, sociology, medicine, art, and anthropology, and his therapeutic techniques and theories in psychoanalysis are still studied and practiced today.

11. Oskar Schindler

Photo: wikimedia commons

Oskar Schindler was a German entrepreneur, Nazi Party member, spy, womanizer and drinker. None of this sounds very appealing and certainly doesn't sound like the characteristics of a real hero. However, despite all of the above, Schindler deservedly made it onto this list, because during the Holocaust and World War II, this man saved about 1,200 Jews, rescuing them from death camps to work in his factories. The heroic story of Oskar Schindler has been told in many books and films, but the most famous adaptation was Steven Spielberg's 1993 film Schindler's List.

10. Mother Teresa

Photo: wikimedia commons

A Catholic nun and missionary, Mother Teresa devoted almost her entire life to serving the poor, sick, disabled and orphans. She founded the charitable movement and women's monastic congregation “Missionary Sisters of Love” (Congregatio Sororum Missionarium Caritatis), which exists in almost all countries of the world (in 133 countries as of 2012). In 1979, Mother Teresa became a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and 19 years after her death (in 2016) she was canonized by Pope Francis himself.

9. Abraham Lincoln

Photo: wikimedia commons

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States and one of the most influential figures in American history. Coming from a poor farming family, Lincoln fought for the reunification of the country during the Civil War between the North and the South, strengthened the federal government, modernized the American economy, but he earned his reputation as an outstanding historical figure primarily for his contribution to the development of a democratic society and the fight against slavery and oppression black population of the USA. Abraham Lincoln's legacy continues to shape the American people today.

8. Stephen Hawking


Photo: Lwp Kommunikáció / flickr

Stephen Hawking is one of the most famous and respected scientists in the world, and he has made invaluable contributions to the development of science (especially cosmology and theoretical physics). The work of this British researcher and ardent popularizer of science is also impressive because Hawking made almost all of his discoveries in spite of a rare and slowly progressing degenerative disease. The first signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis appeared in his student years, and now the great scientist is completely paralyzed. However, severe illness and paralysis did not prevent Hawking from marrying twice, becoming the father of two sons, flying in zero gravity, writing many books, becoming one of the founders of quantum cosmology and the winner of a whole collection of prestigious awards, medals and orders.

7. Unknown rebel


Photo: HiMY SYeD / flickr

This is the conventional name given to an unknown man who independently held back a column of tanks for half an hour during the protests in Tiananmen Square (Tiananmen, China) in 1989. In those days, hundreds of protesters, most of whom were ordinary students, died in clashes with the military. The identity and fate of the unknown rebel remains unknown, but the photograph has become an international symbol of courage and peaceful resistance.

6. Muhammad

Photo: wikimedia commons

Muhammad was born in 570 AD in the city of Mecca (Mecca, modern Saudi Arabia). He is considered a Muslim prophet and the founder of the Islamic religion. Being not only a preacher, but also a politician, Muhammad united all the Arab peoples of those times into a single Muslim empire, which conquered most of the Arabian Peninsula. The author of the Qur'an started out with a few followers, but eventually his teachings and practices formed the basis of the Islamic religion, which is now the second most popular religion in the world, with some 1.8 billion believers.

5. The 14th Dalai Lama


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The 14th Dalai Lama, or by birth Lhamo Thondup, is a 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a renowned preacher of Buddhist philosophy of peace, professing respect for all life on Earth and calling for the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. The former spiritual and political leader of Tibet in exile, the 14th Dalai Lama always tried to find a compromise and sought reconciliation with the Chinese authorities who invaded Tibet with territorial claims. In addition, Lhamo Dhondrub is a passionate supporter of the women's rights movement, interfaith dialogues and advocates for solving global environmental problems.

4. Princess Diana


Photo: Auguel

Also known as “Lady Di” and “the people’s princess,” Princess Diana captured the hearts of millions around the world with her philanthropy, hard work and sincerity. She devoted most of her short life to helping those in need in third world countries. The Queen of Hearts, as she was also known, founded the movement to end the production and use of anti-personnel mines, and was actively involved in several dozen humanitarian campaigns and non-profit organizations, including the Red Cross, London's Great Ormond Street Hospital and AIDS research. Lady Di died at the age of 36 from injuries received in a car accident.

3. Nelson Mandela


Photo: Library of the London School of Economics and Political Science

Nelson Mandela was a South African politician, philanthropist, revolutionary, reformer, passionate advocate for human rights during apartheid (policy of racial segregation) and President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He had a profound influence on the history of South Africa and the world. Mandela spent almost 27 years in prison for his beliefs, but he did not lose faith in the liberation of his people from the oppression of the authorities, and after leaving prison he achieved democratic elections, as a result of which he became the first black president of South Africa. His tireless work to peacefully end the apartheid regime and establish democracy inspired millions of people around the world. In 1993, Nelson Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize.

2. Jeanne d'Arc

Photo: wikimedia commons

Also known as the Maid of Orleans, Joan of Arc is the greatest heroine in French history and one of the most famous women in world history. She was born into a poor farming family in 1412 and believed that she was chosen by God to lead France to victory in the Hundred Years' War with England. The girl died before the end of the war, but her courage, passion and devotion to her goal (especially during the siege of Orleans) caused a long-awaited moral upsurge and inspired the entire French army to the final victory in the protracted and seemingly hopeless confrontation with the British. Unfortunately, in battle, the Maid of Orleans was captured by her enemies, condemned by the Inquisition and burned at the stake at the age of 19.

1. Jesus Christ

Photo: wikimedia commons

Jesus Christ is the central figure of the Christian religion, and He has had such a profound impact on our world that He is often called the most influential and inspiring person in human history. Compassion, love for others, sacrifice, humility, repentance and forgiveness, which Jesus called for in His sermons and personal example, were concepts completely opposite to the values ​​of ancient civilizations during His life on Earth. Yet today there are approximately 2.4 billion followers of His teachings and Christian faith in the world.