It was only a matter of time before the tech world tried to rewrite history.
Stony Brook University computer science professor Steven Skiena and Google software engineer Charles B. Ward take on this ambitious task in a book published this fall: "Who's Bigger: Where Historical Figures Really Rank."
Just as Google ranks web pages, the researchers created an algorithm that ranks historical figures by Wikipedia PageRank, article length, and readership, as well as achievement and celebrity.
Their conclusions have not come without controversy. The top 100 significant figures are overwhelming white and male. For example, Nelson Mandela, who helped end Apartheid in South Africa, ranked only 356. And just three women broke the top 100.
Cass Sunstein of "The New Republic"wrote a sprawling analysis of their findings. She questions not only if we can measure historical significance, but whether we should and certainly why the authors relied solely on the English-language version of Wikipedia. On that note, perhaps we could call these the most important figures in Western history.
Here's the top 100:
1. Jesus: central figure of Christianity (7 B.C. - A.D. 30)
2. Napoleon: Emperor of France, involved in the Battle of Waterloo (1769 - 1821)
3. Muhammad: prophet and founder of Islam (570 - 632)
4. William Shakespeare: English playwright, wrote "Hamlet" (1564 - 1616)
5. Abraham Lincoln: 16th U.S. president, involved in the Civil War (1809 - 1865)
6. George Washington: 1st U.S. president, involved in the American Revolution (1732 - 1799)
7. Adolf Hitler: Fuehrer of Nazi Germany, involved in World War II (1889 - 1945)
8. Aristotle: Greek philosopher and polymath (384 - 322 B.C.)
9. Alexander the Great: Greek king and conqueror of the known world (356 - 323 B.C.)
10. Thomas Jefferson: 3rd U.S. president, co-wrote the Declaration of Independence (1743 - 1826)
11. Henry VIII: King of England, had six wives (1491 - 1547)
12. Charles Darwin: scientist, created the Theory of Evolution (1809 - 1882)
13. Elizabeth I: Queen of England, known as "The Virgin Queen" (1533 - 1603)
14. Karl Marx: philosopher, wrote the "Communist Manifesto" (1818 - 1883)
15. Julius Caesar: Roman general and statesmen, said "Et tu, Brute?" (100 - 44 B.C.)
16. Queen Victoria: Queen of Britain, Victorian Era (1819 - 1901)
17. Martin Luther: Protestant Reformation, wrote the "95 Theses" (1483 - 1546)
18. Joseph Stalin: Premier of USSR, involved in World War II (1878 - 1953)
19. Albert Einstein: theoretical physicist, created the Theory of Relativity (1879 - 1955)
20. Christopher Columbus: explorer, discoverer of the New World (1451 - 1506)
21. Isaac Newton: scientist, created the Theory of Gravity (1643 - 1727)
22. Charlemagne: first Holy Roman Emporer, considered the "Father of Europe" (742 - 814)
23. Theodore Roosevelt: 26th U.S. president, Progressive Movement (1858 - 1919)
24. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Austrian composer, wrote "Don Giovanni" (1756 - 1791)
25. Plato: Greek philosopher, wrote "The Republic" (427 - 347 B.C.)
26. Louis XIV: King of France, known as The Sun King (1638 - 1715)
27. Ludwig Von Beethoven: German composer, wrote "Ode to Joy" (1770 - 1827)
28. Ulysses S. Grant: 18th U.S. president and Civil War general (1822 - 1885)
29. Leonardo da Vinci: Italian artist and polymath, painted the "Mona Lisa" (1452 - 1519)
30. Augustus: First Emporer of Rome, Pax Romana (63 B.C. - A.D. 14)
31. Carl Linnaeus: Swedish biologist, father of Taxonomy (1707 - 1778)
32. Ronald Reagan: 40th U.S. president, Conservative Revolution (1911 - 2004)
33. Charles Dickens: English novelist, wrote "David Copperfield" (1812 - 1870
34. Paul the Apostle: Christian apostle and missionary (A.D. 5 - A.D. 67)
35. Benjamin Franklin: Founding father, scientist, captured lightning (1706 - 1790)
36. George W. Bush: 43rd U.S. president during the Iraq War (1946 - )
37. Winston Churchill: Prime Minister of Britain, involved in World War II (1874 - 1965)
38. Genghis Khan: Founder of the Mongol Empire (1162 - 1227)
39. Charles I: King of England, involved in the English Civil War (1600 - 1649)
40. Thomas Edison: Inventor of the light bulb and phonograph (1847 - 1931)
41. James I: King of England, responsible for the King James Bible (1566 - 1625)
42. Friedrich Nietzsche: German philosopher, "God is dead" (1844 - 1900)
43. Franklin D. Roosevelt: 32nd U.S. President, responsible for the New Deal (1882 - 1945)
44. Sigmund Freud: neurologist and creator of psychoanalysis (1856 - 1939)
45. Alexander Hamilton: U.S. Founding Father, National Bank (1755 - 1804)
46. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: Indian nationalist leader, instrumental in non-violence (1869 - 1948)
47. Woodrow Wilson: 28th U.S. president, involved in World War I (1856 - 1924)
48. Johann Sebastian Bach: Classical composer, wrote the "Well Tempered Clavier" (1685 - 1750)
49. Galileo Galilei: Italian physicist and astronomer (1564 - 1642)
50. Oliver Cromwell: Lord Protector of England, involved in the English Civil War (1599 - 1658)
51. James Madison: 4th U.S. president, involved in the War of 1812 (1751 - 1836)
52. Guatama Buddha: central figure of Buddhism (563 - 483 B.C.)
53. Mark Twain: American author, wrote "Huckleberry Finn" (1835 - 1910)
54. Edgar Allen Poe: American author, wrote "The Raven" (1809 - 1849)
55. Joseph Smith: American religious leader, founded Mormonism (1805 - 1844)
56. Adam Smith: Economist, wrote "The Wealth Of Nations" (1723 - 1790)
57. David: Biblical King of Israel, founded Jerusalem (1040 - 970 B.C.)
58. George III: King of England, involved in the American Revolution (1738 - 1820)
59. Immanuel Kant: German philosopher, wrote "Critique Of Pure Reason" (1724 - 1804)
60. James Cook: Explorer and discoverer of Hawaii and Australia (1728 - 1779)
61. John Adams: Founding Father and 2nd U.S. president (1735 - 1826)
62. Richard Wagner: German composer, wrote "Der Ring Des Nibelungen" (1813 - 1883)
63. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Russian composer, wrote the "1812 Overture" (1840 - 1893)
64. Voltaire: French Enlightenment philosopher, wrote "Candidate" (1694 - 1778)
65. Saint Peter: Early Christian leader (?-?)
66. Andrew Jackson: 7th U.S. president, also known as "Old Hickory" (1767 - 1845)
67. Constantine the Great: Emperor of Rome, first Christian emperor (272-337)
68. Socrates: Greek philosopher and teacher, sentenced to death by hemlock (469 - 399 B.C.)
69. Elvis Presley: The "king of rock and roll" (1935 - 1977)
70. William the Conqueror: King of England, Norman Conquest (1027 - 1087)
71. John F. Kennedy: 35th U.S. president, Cuban Missile Crisis (1917 - 1963)
72. Augustine of Hippo: Early Christian theologian, wrote "The City of God" (354 - 430)
73. Vincent Van Gogh: Post-impressionist painter, painted "Starry Night" (1853 - 1890)
74. Nicolaus Copernicus: Astronomer, theorized a heliocentric cosmology (1473 - 1543)
75. Vladimir Lenin: Soviet revolutionary and Premier of USSR (1870 - 1924)
76. Robert E. Lee: Confederate General during the U.S. Civil War (1807 - 1870)
77. Oscar Wilde: Irish author and poet, wrote "The Picture of Dorian Grey" (1854 - 1900)
78. Charles II: King of England, post-Cromwell (1630 - 1685)
79. Cicero: Roman statesman and orator, wrote "On the Republic" (106 - 43 B.C.)
80. Jean-Jacques Rousseau: philosopher, wrote "On the Social Contract" (1712 - 1778)
81. Francis Bacon: English scientist, created the Scientific Method (1561 - 1626)
82. Richard Nixon: 37th U.S. president, involved in Watergate (1913 - 1994)
83. Louis XVI: King of France, executed in the French Revolution (1754 - 1793)
84. Charles V: Holy Roman Emporer during the Counter-Reformation (1500 - 1558)
85. King Arthur: Mythical 6th-century King of Britain (? - ?)
86. Michelangelo: Italian sculptor and Renaissance man, sculpted "David" (1475 - 1564)
87. Philip II: King of Spain, organized the Spanish Armada (1527 - 1598)
88. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: German writer and polymath, wrote "Faust" (1749 - 1832)
89. Ali: Early Caliph and a central figure of Sufism (598 - 661)
90. Thomas Aquinas: Italian theologian, "Summa theologiae" (1225 - 1274)
91. Pope John Paul II: 20th-century Polish Pope, Solidarity (1920 - 2005)
92. Rene Descartes: French philosopher, coined "I think, therefore I am" (1596 - 1650)
93. Nikola Tesla: Inventor, discovered alternating current (1856 - 1943)
94. Harry S. Truman: 33rd U.S. president, involved in the Korean War (1884 - 1972)
95. Joan of Arc: French military leader and saint (1412 - 1431)
96. Dante Alighieri: Italian poet, wrote the "Divine Comedy" (1265 - 1321)
97. Otto von Bismarck: 1st chancellor and unifier of modern Germany (1815 - 1898)
98. Grover Cleveland: 22nd and 24th U.S. president (1837 - 1908)
99. John Calvin: French Protestant theologian, founded Calvinism (1509 - 1564)
100. John Locke: English Enlightenment philosopher, theorized "tabula rasa" (1632 - 1704)
Read more in "Who's Bigger: Where Historical Figures Really Rank."
SEE ALSO: The 16 Greatest Cities In Human History