1. Zachary Taylor (24 November 1784 - 09 July 1850)
Zachary Taylor served as the 12th president of the United States from the period 1849 to 1850. He was a successful military leader and his contribution as a military leader was immense. He fought the Presidential election as a Whig party candidate in 1848 and went on to win it by defeating his opponent Lewis Cass. He was the last Whig to win the presidential election and hold slaves under him. His military career lasted for a period of forty years while serving in the United States Army.
He led the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War and the Second Seminole War as a military leader. He headed the American troops to victory in the Battle of Palo Alto and the Battle of Monterrey during the Mexican-American War. He faced criticism for his moderate approach on the issue of slavery. He also urged the settlers of New-Mexico and California to form statehood and hereby set the stage for the Compromise of 1850. He served as President for just sixteen months and died of gastroenteritis. It's the shortest tenure served by any U.S. President.
2. Jacques Chirac (29 November 1932)
Jacques Chirac is one of the most influential politicians in France. Getting inspiration from Charles DeGaulle, Chirac entered French national politics in 1950s. After serving as the Mayor of Paris for 18 years, he was elected as the President in 1995 and continued to hold the post till 2007. He also served as the Prime Minister, from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988. Throughout his political career, he assumed various high level government posts, including secretary of state for social affairs in charge of employment, secretary of state for the economy and finance, minister delegate to the premier for relations with Parliament, minister of agriculture and rural development and minister of the interior. His popularity increased after his opposition to George W. Bush's decision of invading Iraq in 2003.
3. Raul Castro (03 June 1931)
Raul Castro is the current President of Cuba and brother of the Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. Most of his life was spent under the shadow of his elder brother and he was always seen as the right hand of Fidel. Raul played a very important role in the Cuban Revolution as well as in formation of the government of Cuba, after the revolution was over. He helped his brother plan and execute the socialist revolution, which overthrew the dictator Batista, in the 1950s. He is most famous for his role in Cuban military. He has been counted amongst Cuba's top-ranking military officers since soon after the Revolution.
4. Alexander Hamilton (11 January 1755)
Alexander Hamilton was one of the important pioneers in the early formation of the American government. He participated in Washington's Revolutionary War from 1777 to 1781. After the war, Hamilton co-wrote the famous 'Federalist' Papers with John Jay and James Madison, which served as a primary source for Constitutional interpretation. Hamilton signed his essays as 'Publius'. President Washington appointed Hamilton as the country's first Secretary of the Treasury in 1789. He held this post until 1795. Alexander Hamilton was a man of great intelligence and ambition.
5. Yoshiro Mori (14 July 1937)
Yoshiro Mori is a Japanese politician and former Prime Minister of Japan who served the country from the year 2000 to 2001 as its 85th and 86th Prime Minister. Yoshiro Mori is mainly known for his frequent 'slips of tongue and inappropriate actions' that surfaced on many occasions in his political career. Though Yoshiro Mori failed to achieve distinction as Prime Minister of Japan, the emergence of Japan as a strong industrial country can be credited to the former prime minister who adopted revolutionary fiscal policies and several economic reforms. In 2004, Yoshiro Mori was awarded India's third highest civilian award Padhma Bhushan for his contribution in world economy and education. A keen Rugby Player, Yoshiro is presently President of the Japan Rugby Football Union and the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union as well.
6. Winston Churchill (30 November 1874 - 24 January 1965)
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was one of the greatest politicians of the United Kingdom who went on to become the Prime Minister of the country in 1940, serving till 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. Winston enjoyed an exceptional success in his political life from the very beginning and held many important positions such as President of the Board of Trade, Home Secretary and First Lord of the Admiralty in the Asquith Liberal government. Before chosen to the premiership of the country, Winston was appointed the Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1924. He also served in the British Army for a short period, where he witnessed the second Boer war and penned his experience as British officer in books such as The Second World War and A History of the English Speaking Peoples. Winston Churchill was a prolific writer, historian and artist.
7. Vladimir Lenin (04 May 1870 - 21 January 1924)
Vladimir Lenin was a Russian revolutionary and communist who led the famous October Revolution in Russia. Lenin was a driving force in overthrowing the Czarist autocracy and was de facto first leader of the Soviet Union. In 1902, Vladimir Lenin published a pamphlet, What Is To Be Done?, where he argued for a party of professional revolutionaries dedicated to the overthrow of the autocracy of the Czars.
Following the 1917 revolution, the Bolshevik faction of the Social Democratic Labor Party, headed by Lenin emerged victorious and subsequently formed the government. While in power, Lenin howled against the oppression of peasants and workers and emerged as the strongest force against capitalism in the world. He was criticized for establishing dictatorship of the Communist Party in Russia. Lenin died on January 21, 1924. The reverend leader was also the first head of the Russian Soviet Socialist Republic.
8. Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 - 30 December 2006)
Saddam Hussein was the 5th President of Iraq and a member of the Revolutionary Ba'ath Party, which held a long term power in the country. As President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein accelerated the country's ride to a fast growing economy and espoused the policies of secular leadership and modernization. Saddam maintained power while controlling the government and repressing any movement he considered intimidating to the country or his empire.
Venerated as a hero for his aggressive stand against foreign intrusion in Iraq, Saddam Hussein was praised for his support to Palestinians, though his image remained suspicious in the view of Western countries particularly the United States. The American government held him responsible for the Gulf War and intensifying nuclear threat in the world and chose a more viable option to war with Iraq rather than negotiate with its adamant president. Invasion of Iraq in 2003, led to the arrest of Saddam Hussein and downfall of his government. He was held in custody by the U.S. forces for his alleged crimes against humanity and following a long trail, was hung on 30 December 2006.
9. Betty Williams (22 May 1943)
Betty Williams is the President of the 'World Centers of Compassion for Children' and the Chairperson of 'Institute for Asian Democracy'. She is also a co-founder of 'Community for Peace People', an organization established for and dedicated to bringing peace and harmony in the world by denouncing violence and war. She is not a political figure neither does she have a strong political background, but it could not prevent her from raising voice against the evils of society and escalating menace of terrorism in the World.
Though sometimes her campaigns have been restricted to her native land, the humanitarian appeal of her efforts has drawn attention from across the world. Betty Williams has received recognition and appreciations for advocating and establishing a society where in children are not subjected to terror and violence and where people of all community live in harmony. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976 in the light of her work for children and women.
10. Yasser Arafat (24 August 1929 - 11 November 2004)
Yasser Arafat was a leader of the state of Palestine and 1st President of the Palestinian National Authority. The leader is also known as the Chairman of the Palestine liberation Organization who founded the secular political party Fatah in 1959, stepping in as its leader. Mainly known for his anti-Israeli stance, Arafat pushed the country in to a long war with Israel in the name of self-determination. While he is portrayed as a martyr in his own country Palestine, Arafat is also condemned for his attacks on Israeli civilians.
The tension between these countries finally began subsiding with the acceptation of UN Security Council resolution 242 in 1988, and he eventually succeeded in managing the uneasy balance between militancy and diplomacy in the Middle East. Arafat made the mistake of supporting Saddam Hussein during the Kuwait crisis of 1990 and paid the price of political isolation in the Gulf. In 1994, Yasser Arafat was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin.
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