“I am the greatest.” - Mohammed Ali
Ali may have been the greatest in boxing, mainly if you include his verbal poetry, wit, and boxing talents. Today, inspiration and greatness are in short supply. Everything, even sporting performances, is tinged by controversy, whether it's in the realm of racism, sexual identity or political persuasion. Some believe our world appears headed for a monstrous nihilistic collapse.
There are times when we yearn for the past, for the greatness that once inspired us. In this spirit, I've compiled a list of what I consider to be the greatest in their respective fields. But remember, these are my personal choices, and I invite you to share your own.
Best Speech
It's Martin Luther King's speech, 'I Have A Dream'. It was an apolitical speech that united people, whether brown, black or white. There was no allusion to critical race theory, no demeaning of white America, just an appeal to judge people by their character.
Best Sporting Performance
For this, I've selected a non-human: a horse named Secretariat, nicknamed 'Big Red'. As a three-year-old, he won the Triple Crown with a phenomenal performance in the Belmont Stakes, winning by 31 lengths.
There were only five horses in the race because everyone knew that Secretariat was a certainty, barring injury. He broke the world record for the mile and a half by almost three seconds, according to his jockey, Ron Turcotte, despite not being pushed or breathing hard. After 51 years, the record remains and will likely never be broken.
Secretariat had a big heart—literally. After his death, an autopsy revealed that his heart was more than twice the size of the average horse at 22 pounds.
Best Motion Picture
In the list of top movies of all time is the 1941 Citizen Kane. If you haven't seen this movie, make sure you watch the black and white version, not the colourized one that exists. Unfortunately, many young today would not appreciate this film because most films are action-based, whether incredible or not. The goal, of course, is to give people that dopamine hit.
The movie is brilliant on so many levels. It covers lost childhood, megalomania, relationships and political corruption. The film was directed by Orson Welles, who also co-wrote it and starred as Kane. Initially, many shunned the movie because it closely resembled the life of media magnate William Randolph Hearst.
What was revolutionary about the film was the cinematography by Greg Toland, who devised special lenses to create the Deep Focus Technique. The technique makes the foreground and background to be simultaneously in focus. It makes you feel as if you are in the film. The film also uses unusual angles and black-and-white shadows.
One of my favourite scenes depicts the deterioration of a relationship in two minutes.
Greatest Discovery
Notwithstanding that the climate change alarmists think we need to abolish fossil fuels, the most significant discovery having the most impact on humanity is Oil. Where would we be without oil and its derivatives?
While the ancients knew about oil, its first commercial usage began in the second half of the 1800s. So many of the things that we have relied upon are dependent on oil: heating, gasoline, computers, phones, fertilizers, medications, paint, adhesives, asphalt, lubricants, solvents, and the list goes on and on.
Abolishing oil would take us back to the Middle Ages. While we use some alternative energy sources, we still need oil.
Greatest Scientist
Einstein's contributions were many and profound. He discovered the Photoelectric Effect, which is when light strikes a metal, causing the release of electrons. He then theorized that light is emitted as discrete packets called photons. It ultimately led to the field of quantum physics.
In 1905, Einstein developed the Theory of Special Relativity, which states that time is relative to the observer's motion. It led to the constant of the speed of light and 'time dilation' in which the faster one travels, time slows down relative to a stationary observer. It led to the Twins Paradox, meaning if one twin left Earth and travelled near the speed of light, he would be much younger than his counterpart on Earth. From this work, he developed probably the most famous equation in history: E=mc2
Ten years later, Einstein formulated his General Theory of Relativity, the Spacetime principle that gravitational bodies bend space and time.
Experimentation has confirmed his theories. Remarkably, his theories came about by using his mind with thought experiments.
Greatest World Leader
Leadership is more than passing laws or reducing taxes. Where leadership comes to the fore is in times of intense crisis. Winston Churchill as Prime Minister of Great Britain, exemplified this during the dark days of 1940 when the German air force bombed the major British cities. Thousands of civilians died, but Churchill inspired his people and the pilots of his airforce to repel the Germans.
"We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."
Even when the Nazis fired their terrifying V-2 rockets––despite the devastation–– Churchill stood firm. Britain was the last outpost of freedom in Europe, but thanks to his leadership, they managed to repel the Germans and ultimately help win the war. If Britain had fallen, who knows where we would be today?
Greatest Entertainer
As an entertainer, Sammy Davis Jr had it all. Though of a slight build and only 5'4" in height, he was an energetic powerhouse of an entertainer. He was a great singer with a distinctive voice and an impressive vocal range.
That was just one part of this man. He could play multiple instruments: trombone, trumpet, piano, vibraphone, xylophone and drums.
He was also excellent at performing impressions, was comedic, and was a competent actor. He was one of a kind.
Greatest Invention
The electric motor has given us the civilization that we have today. Michael Faraday first discovered that when he moved a magnet inside a wire coil, it generated a current. The result was the start of electromagnetism.
For electricity to be generated, something needs to either move the magnet or the wire.
The kinetic energy source may differ, but the effect on the turbine is the same: the electricity output. Humanity has enjoyed modernity in so many ways due to the electric motor.