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100 People Who Made History
Meet the people who helped shape the world we know today. '100 People Who Made History' is no ordinary history book. Inventors and explorers rub shoulders with political leaders, sports stars, and entertainers. From Marco Polo to Mark Zuckerberg via Marie Curie, this top 100 comes from all over the world, taking in all types of people.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
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98 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 27, 2019
DK do this kind of book so well, and this one is no exception. All types of people, from all eras, and from all around the world meet in this book. The great inventors of the past made the way open for modern inventors, so all have a vital role to play - even if people today may be more familiar with the name of Steve Jobs than that of Johannes Gutenberg. The book includes discoverers, inventors, thinkers, leaders and creators - an intriguing mix and hopefully the interestingly presented information will encourage further research. The 'They couldn't have done it without...' boxes give due acknowledgement to other great names. Packed with photos, diagrams, illustrations and lots of quirky facts, this is a lovely book to dip into and keep to hand.
February 5, 2022
I would not buy this book for your child.
This book is aimed at older children (6-13-year olds) presumably to educate them about the past in hopes to inspire their futures. When the book has less than 20% of the people as women and less than 18% of them as people of colour, it is hard to inspire every child.
Bearing in mind, the author is a journalist and the book was released in 2012 (less than a year after the London riots which was instigated by police brutality) that is an appalling statistic. When half the world's population is women, it is atrocious that the book is not proportional to that.
This book is written from a white man to a white boy.
It doesn't specify whether the people made a positive or negative impact on the world, only that they "made history". However, it is implied that the people made a positive contribution to society by the lack of dictators from the 20th century. This means that the children are aspiring to be like mass murderers, racists and misogynists.
By including people like Christopher Columbus, Augustus Caesar, and Alexander the Great, we are glorifying the past. Their image of greatness is furthered and erases the fact that they wiped out entire civilisations and destroyed more lives than are countable.
We shouldn’t be endorsing them. We need to give children the entire truth.
There are many instances of this, especially in the last section of the book “let’s applaud”. These are people who are being honoured for killing thousands and thousands of people because it makes Britain seem more palatable to the general public. It ignores how Sir Walter Raleigh colonised parts of America for wealth and murdered indigenous people in the name of the British empire. Instead the author focuses on the minor detail that he imported potatoes.
There is a general theme of sexism and racism in this book whether it was intentional or not.
The representation for black and brown girls is so awful you can count them on your hands. Two of them are squished onto a page with 3 other white women and that is supposed to be my representation? There is a double page spread for Charlemagne, Saladin, and Genghis Khan. What makes them better leaders than Cleopatra and Hatshepsut? Why don’t they deserve an entire spread?
I will also point out that the portrait of Cleopatra is white. She was an Egyptian queen meaning she would have been black or at least had black features. Why are we still continuing to whitewash our history?
The pages of ‘Cool queens’ are also pink when the rest of the book is prominently blue with odd pages of warmer tones, furthering the notion the book is made for boys. Even though the book isn’t explicitly gendered in the title, it is heavily demonstrated that it isn’t for girls. The fact that there is an entire page dedicated to just women highlights the fact there isn’t nearly enough representation.
I find it almost humorous that Ole Kirk Kristiansen, the man who invented legos, is awarded an entire page. Whereas, Elizabeth the First, the woman who united the entire nation after years of religious turmoil in a sexist environment is given less than a paragraph. Similarly, Pablo Picasso is deemed worthy of a place in the book, a man who called women “machines for suffering” and is known for abusing women but Augusta Savage is not.
That is blatant misogyny.
The erasure of LGBTQ + history has not missed me. The author has deliberately chosen to include Steven Jobs and Steven Wozniak in the book but not Alan Turing. He was a major part of stopping world war two by cracking the enigma code which led the creation of the first computer. Arguably he was more important in society because without him, the two Steves couldn't attempt their creation. Why was he missed out? Did he not fit the ideal person to aspire to?
But including JK Rowling and Walt Disney, the book is made exclusive only to straight people. Once again proving this book isn’t for all children.
There are so many more people that children should aspire to. Instead of learning about 75 more white men and their contributions, you should teach your children about Angela Davis, Ada Lovelace, and Malcolm X.
I have barely touched upon how many people in this book are problematic. Don’t buy the book and instead teach your children about the entire past rather than the whitewashed history we are given.
This book is aimed at older children (6-13-year olds) presumably to educate them about the past in hopes to inspire their futures. When the book has less than 20% of the people as women and less than 18% of them as people of colour, it is hard to inspire every child.
Bearing in mind, the author is a journalist and the book was released in 2012 (less than a year after the London riots which was instigated by police brutality) that is an appalling statistic. When half the world's population is women, it is atrocious that the book is not proportional to that.
This book is written from a white man to a white boy.
It doesn't specify whether the people made a positive or negative impact on the world, only that they "made history". However, it is implied that the people made a positive contribution to society by the lack of dictators from the 20th century. This means that the children are aspiring to be like mass murderers, racists and misogynists.
By including people like Christopher Columbus, Augustus Caesar, and Alexander the Great, we are glorifying the past. Their image of greatness is furthered and erases the fact that they wiped out entire civilisations and destroyed more lives than are countable.
We shouldn’t be endorsing them. We need to give children the entire truth.
There are many instances of this, especially in the last section of the book “let’s applaud”. These are people who are being honoured for killing thousands and thousands of people because it makes Britain seem more palatable to the general public. It ignores how Sir Walter Raleigh colonised parts of America for wealth and murdered indigenous people in the name of the British empire. Instead the author focuses on the minor detail that he imported potatoes.
There is a general theme of sexism and racism in this book whether it was intentional or not.
The representation for black and brown girls is so awful you can count them on your hands. Two of them are squished onto a page with 3 other white women and that is supposed to be my representation? There is a double page spread for Charlemagne, Saladin, and Genghis Khan. What makes them better leaders than Cleopatra and Hatshepsut? Why don’t they deserve an entire spread?
I will also point out that the portrait of Cleopatra is white. She was an Egyptian queen meaning she would have been black or at least had black features. Why are we still continuing to whitewash our history?
The pages of ‘Cool queens’ are also pink when the rest of the book is prominently blue with odd pages of warmer tones, furthering the notion the book is made for boys. Even though the book isn’t explicitly gendered in the title, it is heavily demonstrated that it isn’t for girls. The fact that there is an entire page dedicated to just women highlights the fact there isn’t nearly enough representation.
I find it almost humorous that Ole Kirk Kristiansen, the man who invented legos, is awarded an entire page. Whereas, Elizabeth the First, the woman who united the entire nation after years of religious turmoil in a sexist environment is given less than a paragraph. Similarly, Pablo Picasso is deemed worthy of a place in the book, a man who called women “machines for suffering” and is known for abusing women but Augusta Savage is not.
That is blatant misogyny.
The erasure of LGBTQ + history has not missed me. The author has deliberately chosen to include Steven Jobs and Steven Wozniak in the book but not Alan Turing. He was a major part of stopping world war two by cracking the enigma code which led the creation of the first computer. Arguably he was more important in society because without him, the two Steves couldn't attempt their creation. Why was he missed out? Did he not fit the ideal person to aspire to?
But including JK Rowling and Walt Disney, the book is made exclusive only to straight people. Once again proving this book isn’t for all children.
There are so many more people that children should aspire to. Instead of learning about 75 more white men and their contributions, you should teach your children about Angela Davis, Ada Lovelace, and Malcolm X.
I have barely touched upon how many people in this book are problematic. Don’t buy the book and instead teach your children about the entire past rather than the whitewashed history we are given.
December 2, 2012
An American heavy set of biographies of celebrities who did indeed change the world. Not always in positive or overly important ways.
A good starting point for students researching heroes, so long as it is made clear to them that not all are people to emulate.
A good starting point for students researching heroes, so long as it is made clear to them that not all are people to emulate.
February 7, 2024
This book introduces a total of 100 events and people that have had an impact on world history.
There are many images and illustrations, and the book is designed to be easy for children to understand.
However, this “Top 100 in History'' series is difficult to remember the events because the chronology is random.
For example, in the case of this book, the story takes place in ancient Rome after the Arab Spring, and then moves back to modern times, which makes it difficult to read.
There are many images and illustrations, and the book is designed to be easy for children to understand.
However, this “Top 100 in History'' series is difficult to remember the events because the chronology is random.
For example, in the case of this book, the story takes place in ancient Rome after the Arab Spring, and then moves back to modern times, which makes it difficult to read.
April 9, 2023
This book is about famous people who invented something useful for our lives. Visual illustration is good. However, the information about every person is presented randomly, a lot of information in a single page and some information was irrelevant.
December 21, 2016
I liked this very much! Interesting information about people I knew and didn't know as well. Good classroom resource.
October 3, 2017
Slowly but surely read this with my kiddos.
Inspirational and motivating.
Also interesting to see who made the list.
Inspirational and motivating.
Also interesting to see who made the list.
January 26, 2018
awww-some *0*
February 21, 2018
100 people !! who made history.
This was a great book for people's biography who help changed the world. All kind of famous people and their jobs.
This was a great book for people's biography who help changed the world. All kind of famous people and their jobs.
February 26, 2018
Engaging and interesting snippets of important people in history with references to why their stories are relevant today. Visually entertaining layout suggests fun browsing and learning.
January 14, 2019
Really easy to understand, eventho is more prone for kids than adults, but still good for a quick review on history.
June 13, 2018
Nice general book of wide array of important world figures.
April 15, 2021
A nice book 👍 but I expected it to be more interesting
February 4, 2024
Extremely Informative and interesting. Its made like children book full of colorful pictures.
June 23, 2012
Name: Brandi Plumlee, LME 508
Dorling Kindersley Publishing Staff. (2012). 100 people who made history: Meet the people who shaped the modern world. New York, NY: Dorling Kindersley.
Cost: $14.52 (Barnes and Noble)
Dewey Call Number: (Not available from Library of Congress)
Reading Level: 7-12 years
Category: Elementary level Non-fiction Reference-Biography
Review Citation: (Could not find)
Description: The book covers 100 famous people throughout history. It tells what the person is famous for and some background knowledge over the person as well. The people in the book are famous for many different things. Some are known for sports, science, politics, and many other things.
Relevance and Relationship: This book covers famous people from all over the world. A lot of the books in the reference section in the library I visited were books over the 50 presidents and individual biographies over people throughout history. I choose this book because it covered a wide variety of people and subjects. It is also a book that would appeal to the young reader. The information is simple and straight to the point and the book is very colorful.
Purpose: The book teaches younger people about famous people throughout the history of the world. It offers fun facts and about the people as well as a short biography about the person as well.
Validity: The book was published by DK Publishers which publish a lot of similar books on topics and people. This books was published in 2012 so the information inside should be up to date and accurate.
Format: Print Reference- Biography
Arrangement and Presentation: The book has 128 colorful pages. It has an index that goes by author. The book is illustrated in a way that draws the reader’s attention and makes the book stand out.
Diversity: The book covers famous people throughout history from all over the world. The book will be a great tool to have in a reference collection and/or a social studies classroom. The book provides visuals for those readers who need to see pictures to help them understand the person they are learning about.
Dorling Kindersley Publishing Staff. (2012). 100 people who made history: Meet the people who shaped the modern world. New York, NY: Dorling Kindersley.
Cost: $14.52 (Barnes and Noble)
Dewey Call Number: (Not available from Library of Congress)
Reading Level: 7-12 years
Category: Elementary level Non-fiction Reference-Biography
Review Citation: (Could not find)
Description: The book covers 100 famous people throughout history. It tells what the person is famous for and some background knowledge over the person as well. The people in the book are famous for many different things. Some are known for sports, science, politics, and many other things.
Relevance and Relationship: This book covers famous people from all over the world. A lot of the books in the reference section in the library I visited were books over the 50 presidents and individual biographies over people throughout history. I choose this book because it covered a wide variety of people and subjects. It is also a book that would appeal to the young reader. The information is simple and straight to the point and the book is very colorful.
Purpose: The book teaches younger people about famous people throughout the history of the world. It offers fun facts and about the people as well as a short biography about the person as well.
Validity: The book was published by DK Publishers which publish a lot of similar books on topics and people. This books was published in 2012 so the information inside should be up to date and accurate.
Format: Print Reference- Biography
Arrangement and Presentation: The book has 128 colorful pages. It has an index that goes by author. The book is illustrated in a way that draws the reader’s attention and makes the book stand out.
Diversity: The book covers famous people throughout history from all over the world. The book will be a great tool to have in a reference collection and/or a social studies classroom. The book provides visuals for those readers who need to see pictures to help them understand the person they are learning about.
January 12, 2016
Good Reads by Omar Alami
100 people who made History by Ben Gulliland
100 people who made history is an exciting book written by Ben Gillard. This book is mainly about the people such things T.V and many modern things available. It begins with its first chapter Daring Discoverers. The first person to feature in this book was Marco Polo “The man whose journey of a lifetime brought the Far East to Europe” (Ben pg.8). Of course there are other excellent scientist and many famous people in the book. There is even a little section called up the revolution which I found very interesting showing all the famous who fought against another empire, city etc. for their independence. My favorite photograph of the book is the cover, which shows 15 famous people who changed the world. I like because just in the start you can see that is not a plain old boring book. You can see that it is a book for kids so the can be taught and at the same time entertained. One of my favorite rulers on the cover was Nelson Mandela. The most interesting part of the book for me is the section Clued-Up Creatives. It features one of most amazing people in the world such as Walt Disney creator of Disney, Elvis Presley a famous American singer and actor and of course Ole Kirk Kristiansen creator of the all time famous Lego group that artificial building toys. I think that many of my friends would like this book since it is almost like Guinness World Records expect there are famous people instead of random people that signed for it. I know this book is nonfiction because there are facts and real people that existed on it. My favorite moment is when I came across the person who made nuggets and it made me crack up. The most disappointing moment is when I realized they didn’t have Steve Jobs or Bill Gates.
100 People Who Made History by Ben Gulliland, Dorling Kindersley (DK), ©2012. ISBN 9780756690038 (Hardcover), 128p.
100 people who made History by Ben Gulliland
100 people who made history is an exciting book written by Ben Gillard. This book is mainly about the people such things T.V and many modern things available. It begins with its first chapter Daring Discoverers. The first person to feature in this book was Marco Polo “The man whose journey of a lifetime brought the Far East to Europe” (Ben pg.8). Of course there are other excellent scientist and many famous people in the book. There is even a little section called up the revolution which I found very interesting showing all the famous who fought against another empire, city etc. for their independence. My favorite photograph of the book is the cover, which shows 15 famous people who changed the world. I like because just in the start you can see that is not a plain old boring book. You can see that it is a book for kids so the can be taught and at the same time entertained. One of my favorite rulers on the cover was Nelson Mandela. The most interesting part of the book for me is the section Clued-Up Creatives. It features one of most amazing people in the world such as Walt Disney creator of Disney, Elvis Presley a famous American singer and actor and of course Ole Kirk Kristiansen creator of the all time famous Lego group that artificial building toys. I think that many of my friends would like this book since it is almost like Guinness World Records expect there are famous people instead of random people that signed for it. I know this book is nonfiction because there are facts and real people that existed on it. My favorite moment is when I came across the person who made nuggets and it made me crack up. The most disappointing moment is when I realized they didn’t have Steve Jobs or Bill Gates.
100 People Who Made History by Ben Gulliland, Dorling Kindersley (DK), ©2012. ISBN 9780756690038 (Hardcover), 128p.
July 24, 2013
I noticed this book on my flatmate's bookshelf and since I am interested in history and biographies, I decided to pick it up. Turns out this is actually a children's book, however grown-ups shouldn't turn their nose up in this either. It is an excellent and easy to read set of short biographies of some of the most famous people from history and from all walks of life, accompanied by fun illustrations.
The text conveys the most important achievements but also gives some fun facts, which some of the more serious books sometimes fail to mention. Even the history buff will learn a thing or two about the people they thought they knew well enough, plus be introduced to at least a few historical figures they probably know nothing about.
At first I was a bit worried that the illustrations of children's book might be a bit too childish, but they are in fact excellent. The "big heads" sort of style is fun but quite unexpectedly even better than the pictures we see in most history books in one aspect. Namely, since all the "huge" heads in the illustrations are actual photos (or at least headshots from historical paintings), we get to see the face of the person in much better detail than usually. Quite a feat for a children's book to top serious grown-up history books I'd say.
Overall, this is a great book for the 7+ crowd, but also a fun refresher for grown-ups. Highly recommended for children and grown-ups alike.
The text conveys the most important achievements but also gives some fun facts, which some of the more serious books sometimes fail to mention. Even the history buff will learn a thing or two about the people they thought they knew well enough, plus be introduced to at least a few historical figures they probably know nothing about.
At first I was a bit worried that the illustrations of children's book might be a bit too childish, but they are in fact excellent. The "big heads" sort of style is fun but quite unexpectedly even better than the pictures we see in most history books in one aspect. Namely, since all the "huge" heads in the illustrations are actual photos (or at least headshots from historical paintings), we get to see the face of the person in much better detail than usually. Quite a feat for a children's book to top serious grown-up history books I'd say.
Overall, this is a great book for the 7+ crowd, but also a fun refresher for grown-ups. Highly recommended for children and grown-ups alike.
January 10, 2013
'n Uitstekende stukkie samewerking tussen die onvolprese Britse uitgewery Dorling Kindersley en Protea Boekhuis. Die boek stel 'n omvattende reeks belangrike figure aan kinders voor met kort stukke teks (kenmerkend van DK se styl) met prettige illustrasies as ondersteuning. Interessante moderne fokus op die rol van minderhede, soos vroue en armes, asook historiese onreg teenoor mense wat nie die nodige erkenning gekry het vir hul bydrae nie. Die vertaling en taalversorging is soms nie goed nie en enkele feitefoute kom voor. Daar is ook 'n duidelike beklemtoning van Britse figure, iets wat die vertaler uiteraard nie kon regstel nie. Tog is dit mindere besware: die boek se reikwydte en styl prikkel lesers om meer te wil weet omtrent fassinerende mense. 'n Goeie belegging.
An excellent bit of cooperation between the excellent Dorling Kindersley and Protea Boekhuis. In typical DK style, each of the personalities are introduced with short chunks of text, just enough to give a satisfying overview, but little enough to ensure curiosity. Some translation and language errors occur, as well as factual issues, and there is an understandable British emphasis. But these are lesser concerns: it is an excellent introduction to a wide variety of interesting people. Well worth the investment.
An excellent bit of cooperation between the excellent Dorling Kindersley and Protea Boekhuis. In typical DK style, each of the personalities are introduced with short chunks of text, just enough to give a satisfying overview, but little enough to ensure curiosity. Some translation and language errors occur, as well as factual issues, and there is an understandable British emphasis. But these are lesser concerns: it is an excellent introduction to a wide variety of interesting people. Well worth the investment.
January 8, 2017
This is a fun book for older kids (perhaps late-elementary or middle school) and I learned quite a bit myself about a few people in history who were unknown to me before. This book is bright and colorful and full of great photos and drawings and fun, quirky snippets of information. Hopefully, this is the kind of book which would interest a kid and make him/her want to read more about a particular person, to get an in-depth biography. Anyway, it's a fun book, but it certainly leaves out a lot of people whom I consider to be very important, and it includes some rather odd choices. But hey, that's my opinion. Making a book about just 100 people--from Conficius to Mark Zuckerberg--wouldn't be easy.
October 2, 2012
Totally browsable, great source of ideas for reports. Entries toss out hooks to other people and ideas, i.e. "He paved the way for..." "they couldn't have done it without..."
July 20, 2013
It's a really good book. My favorite was Joan of Arc.
November 27, 2013
Fun overview for kids about famous people.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews