The German ZDF TV network conducted a viewer survey to come up with "Our Best" -- the greatest Germans in history. Die Top Zehn were:
1. Konrad Adenauer
2. Martin Luther
3. Karl Marx
4. Hans and Sophie Scholl (resistance activists executed by the Nazis)
5. Willy Brandt
6. Johann Sebastian Bach
7. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
8. Johannes Gutenberg
9. Otto von Bismarck
10. Albert Einstein
Fair enough, but Karl Marx?
Claudia Schiffer, on the other hand, only placed 198.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at November 29, 2003 05:13 PMWilly Brandt also became in the end a naive appeaser of Communism.
Posted by: Joel on November 29, 2003 07:20 PMThe Budweiser family members occupy the top ten spots on my list.
Posted by: StarBanker on November 30, 2003 06:18 PMWhere's David Hassleback?
Posted by: Gary Bezowsky on December 1, 2003 11:44 AMNena (38) places higher than the Graf von Stauffenberg (49) or Marlene Dietrich (50)? That Joschka Fischer and Gerhard Schroder are even on the list is pretty indicative of the weight to be put to this list. Sheesh.
Posted by: Tony on December 1, 2003 12:58 PMI am a little surprised not to see Hitler on that list. Give 'em a few more years to shed that "guilt" and he will be way above Einstein.
Say Germans, why is it that Einstein didn't live out his days in Germany?
BTW Gary, its David Hasselhoff.
Posted by: J. Lichty on December 1, 2003 05:30 PMNot a big fan of what seems to be going on in Germany these days, but it's actually quite reassuring to see Adenauer rated so highly. It sure would be nice to have a Kanzler like that right now. OTOH, Karl Marx at #3 and Willy Brandt at #5 ... eewwww. I hope that was mostly due to the votes of old commies from the east.
Posted by: CJ on December 3, 2003 02:58 PM