22 Famous Leaders Who Changed History Forever

Modern history is overrun with charismatic personalities that have shaped the course of world events.

1. Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the president of the United States in a pivotal moment during the Civil War. Although he was assassinated before completing his term as president, the relentless work ethic and unmatched communication skills that Abraham Lincoln showcased while healing the fractured country made him one of the greatest leaders in U.S. history.

2. Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a distinguished leader in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement of the '50s and '60s. He worked with grassroots activists and civil rights attorney groups to organize large-scale marches and employ nonviolent tactics to fight for justice and equality for people of color.

3. Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was a prominent civil rights leader who fought segregation and racial apartheid systems in South Africa. Similar to many famous world leaders, his views were not popular with the prime minister and government of his time, and he was targeted for his ideals.

Mandela spent 27 years in prison between 1952 and 1990. However, his continued support led to a presidential nomination. In 1994, Mandela became the first Black head of state in South Africa and the first democratically appointed president in the country's history.

4. Mahatma Gandhi

Famous world leaders must have excellent communication skills to convey their messages and motivate others. A successful leader must also have a noble cause that people can support. Mahatma Gandhi illustrates this union between soft skills and powerful ideas.

Gandhi was one of the most influential leaders of the 20th-century civil rights movement in India and around the globe. He fought bravely for Indian independence against British colonialism and inspired citizens everywhere to stand up for their rights and beliefs.

When you lead a nation that is at war, you're faced with unfathomable decisions in surplus. There are other famous world leaders who made choice that were beyond questionable, but this list includes some of the ones who history remembers more favorably.

1. George Washington

George Washington was the military mind among the Founding Fathers, beginning with local revolutionary movements against British rule in the colonies and ending with the victory of the Revolutionary War and the independence of the United States.

2. Franklin D. Roosevelt

FDR was the only President of the United States to serve more than two terms. Roosevelt led the country through the Great Depression during the 1930s and tried to keep America out of the war until the attack on Pearl Harbor forced his hand to join the Allied Forces with Great Britain and Russia.

3. Winston Churchill

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was his country's go-to leader and calming voice, helping his country stand against Germany's military might in World War II. After the Allied forces won the war, Churchill and company established the United Nations to avoid future cataclysmic conflicts.

4. Dwight Eisenhower

Some of the greatest leaders of World War II, like FDR or Prime Minister Winston Churchill, could turn the tide of battle with their inspiring speeches, while General Dwight Eisenhower made decisions on the ground that decided the fates of hundreds of thousands of lives.

Eisenhower's incredible organization and motivation skills, mixed with his ability to collaborate with other powerful world leaders, helped win the war for the Allied Forces and enamored the public to vote him in as the 34th president of the United States.

Life and death don't need to be on the line for leadership to matter in a big way.

1. Steve Jobs

The tech industry would not be what it is today without the vision and business success of Apple's former chief executive officer Steve Jobs.

Jobs did not win wars or fight injustice like many of the other great world leaders on this list, but his maverick rebellion against the status quo placed personal computers, phones and other smart devices in nearly every home and pocket in modern society.

2. Henry Ford

Henry Ford was famous for his commitment to innovation and his collaborative leadership style. (He's also credited with introducing the moving assembly line.)

The founder and former CEO of Ford Motors was a captain of industry but also a pioneer of inclusion in a time when women, minorities and people with disabilities were barred from the workforce. That said, many of these individuals were also overworked, leading to later labor reform.

These leaders had a massive impact on history, and not in a good way. But people followed them nonetheless — a lot of people — and ignoring their significance would erase the mistakes that we as humans need to learn from.

1. Ghengis Khan

Although he may not be considered a great leader in terms of moral fiber, Ghengis Khan was a key figure in shaping the landscape of the ancient world. He united nomadic tribes under one flag and forged a mighty empire that swept through China and Central Asia.

2. Napoleon Bonaparte

Not many other leaders in history could contend with Napoleon's skill on the battlefield. Using his great leadership skills and ruthless tactics, the French general took his country from the tattered rags of revolution to becoming one of the greatest European powers of the 19th century.

3. Adolf Hitler

Due to his charismatic leadership style and nationalistic fear-mongering, Adolf Hitler became one of the most powerful leaders of all time as he rose to prominence in Germany's Nazi fascist political party in the mid-20th century.

Following the promise of returning Germany to the rank of a major European power, Nazi forces spread like a plague across Western and Central Europe during World War II and carried out the atrocities of the Holocaust.

4. Joseph Stalin

This ruthless leader of the Soviet Union came from humble beginnings as a not-so-honorable Robin Hood character who found political power during the Bolshevik Revolution. After Stalin ousted Vladimir Lenin, he ruled as a dictator of the Soviet Union between 1924 and his death in 1953.

During his 30-year reign, Stalin and his Soviet Union forces fought Nazis on the eastern front before entering Cold War tensions with their former allies. The advent of the nuclear bomb set East and West on a collision course that continued through the Space Race and several Olympic rivalries.

5. Mao Zedong

Mao was the most influential Marxist theorist and revolutionary in the Chinese Communist Party. He is regarded as one of the most important world-famous leaders for architecting his country's economic and cultural development plan, known as the "Great Leap Forward."

No list of the most famous world leaders list would be complete without traveling back to the Middle Ages and beyond to discuss some of the most influential movers and shakers of all time.

1. Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar was one of the great leaders on the battlefield during the Gaelic Wars. However, his leadership skills were overshadowed by his personal ambition as he dissolved the first Triumvirate of the Roman Republic during a civil war and acquired supreme power in the Eternal City.

2. Augustus Caesar

There would be no Roman Empire without the work and accomplishments of the first Roman Emperor, Augustus. Although he isn't as much of a household name as his adoptive father, Julius, Augustus was a progressive leader who restored peace with Pax-Romana following the chaos after Julius' assassination.

3. Alexander the Great

With so many exceptional leaders in history, it's nearly impossible to pinpoint an individual who stands above the rest. However, Alexander the Great of Macedonia has a reasonable claim for the top position since few people have risen to such great heights in such a short lifetime.

Alexander carried the weight of the world at an early age when his mother claimed he was the son of Zeus, destined to join the ranks of other Greek heroes like Achilles and Perseus. He was able to forge this path since his biological father, Phillip II, equipped him with the most dangerous standing army.

Alexander's unwavering commitment to his heroic narrative sent him on a crash course to making the humble Macedonia the ultimate world power and becoming one of the greatest leaders in history through passion and military prowess.

4. Cleopatra

If there had been a massive survey on the most famous world leaders during the time of the Roman Empire, Cleopatra would rank near the top, based on her many fans in the ancient global community.

The last Ptolemaic ruler of ancient Egypt was a master statesperson who drastically improved trade and solidified sovereign control of her kingdom through personal relationships and strategic political alliances with Rome and other Mediterranean powers.

Although she is remembered in pop culture as a beautiful seductress, that concept is largely Roman propaganda meant to downplay her political mastery and humanitarian achievements that place her in the same conversation as Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther King Jr.

5. Charlemagne

Some consider Charlemagne to be a great leader for his sound rule and advancement of the Frankish kingdom. The warrior poet became an immortal idol for most famous world leaders to follow during his reign as the first Holy Roman Emperor.

6. Joan of Arc

Although there were several famous leaders that appeared across Western Europe during the Hundred Years War, there are few that captured the imagination as well as Joan of Arc.

This inspirational leader is said to have been called into action by visions from God, and her unwavering commitment to her country and eventual martyrdom continues to fuel narratives all these centuries later.

7. Queen Victoria

Even great leaders risk short-lived reigns as there is always opposition who wishes to sit on the throne. Few monarchs can boast the longevity of Queen Victoria, who survived eight assassination attempts as she oversaw the British Empire during one of the most important ages of industrial expansion in the 19th century.

Leadership skills cover a wide spectrum because there are so many factors involved in motivating others.

For instance, both business leaders and military generals rely on strategic thinking, but leadership styles differ slightly between the boardroom and the war room because decision outcomes are drastically different. A prime minister or president will also have more at stake than a financial advisor

Although stress is relative, the tools that great leaders use to organize chaos and create change are similar, regardless of the environment. The best strategy for leadership in any arena is to learn what motivates team members and develop game plans to put people in positions to be successful and add the most value to the mission.

Strong leaders do not practice a one-size-fits-all leadership style. Instead, great leaders in history are remembered because they were advantageous during the time they lived and used all their strengths to become influential despite their circumstances.