Roger Federer - The Greatest Tennis Player Of All Time

Roger Federer - The Greatest Tennis Player Of All Time

 Roger Federer (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player. As of January 18, 2010, he is ranked world number 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), having previously held the number one position for a record 237 consecutive weeks. Many sports analysts, tennis critics, former and current players consider Federer to be the greatest tennis player of all time.

Federer has won 15 Grand Slam singles titles, more than any other male player. He is one of six male players to have captured the career Grand Slam, one of only three (with Laver and Agassi) since the beginning of the Open Era and one of only two male players (the other being Agassi) in history to have won all four Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces (clay, grass and hard courts). Federer has appeared in an unprecedented 21 career Grand Slam finals, and as of September 2009, has reached the semi-finals or better of the last 22 Grand Slam tournaments, a record streak that spans over five years. Federer also holds the record of reaching 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals and has appeared in 17 of the last 18. Federer has won 4 ATP World Tour Finals and 16 ATP Masters Series tournaments, one less than all time winner Andre Agassi. He also won the Olympic Gold Medal in doubles with his compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. As a result of his successes in tennis, Federer was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for four consecutive years (2005–2008).

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Top Ten Greatest Warriors

As long as there have been civilizations, there have been unending wars for power and land. These wars have produced some of the fiercest warriors the world has ever seen. Men who are not only exceptional at hand to hand combat but who were also great leaders and brilliant strategists. There were so many brave individuals who could fit on this list but I think these represent warrior states from around the world and throughout the ages.

10. Richard I (Lionheart)

Richard I was given the nickname Lionheart (or Coeur de Leon) for his exceptional fighting ability and courage. The duke of Normandy and the Count of Anjou, he ascended to the throne of England in 1198 after defeating his father Henry II with the help of his powerful mother Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard took the cross in 1188 when he heard of Saladin’s successful conquest of Jerusalem. He raised funds by selling official titles, rights and lands to the highest noble bidder. He left for the Holy Land in 1190 along with French King Philip II and most of the military forces of Christendom. After being waylaid first in Sicily and then in Cyprus, Richard and Philip arrived in the Holy Land in June 1191. The joint forces first took Acre and then moved onto Arsuf before fortifying Ascalon. Arguments between who was to become King of Jerusalem escalated and Philip quit the Crusade and returned to France. Richard pressed on but when he realized he had no way of securing Jerusalem even if he had managed to capture it, he signed a peace treaty with Saladin and returned to Europe. He spent his final five years reclaiming his throne from his brother John and fighting against Philip’s advances into Normandy.

9. Spartacus

Born in Thrace in 109 BC, Spartacus is most widely known as the gladiator who led the revolt against Rome during the Gladiatorial War. It is not known for sure how Spartacus became a gladiator but the leading theory is that he once fought for the Roman army but deserted and became a thief. He was arrested and sold as a gladiator due to his strength. In 73 BC he and seventy followers escaped from a gladiator school near Capua and fled to Mount Vesuvius where they were joined by local slaves. His army continued to grow until it was 90, 000 men strong and they began wreaking havoc in southern Italy, defeating two Roman armies and plundering any city they came across. From there they marched north into Gaul where he tried to free his men but they refused to leave and they marched again into Italy for more plunder. Spartacus was killed in a battle at Lucania in 71 BC and his men were crucified. He has been remembered as a legendary commander not only for his successes in battle but for his own courage strength and compassion.

8. Saladin

Known to the western world as the antihero of the Third Crusade, he is revered in the Middle East as the hero who returned Jerusalem into Muslim hands. The Kurdish Sultan was born in 1138 in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) and grew up during the First Crusade. He was trained as a soldier by his uncle Asad al-Din Shirkuh and early in his military career he worked on uniting Arab forces under his control first in Egypt then in Syria and Palestine. He then set his sights on Jerusalem and conquered King Guy de Lusignan at the Battle of Hattin. The battle was a tremendous success for Saladin as his army almost wiped out the Crusaders in the Holy Land. The city of Jerusalem fell into his hands when he came to terms with Balian of Ibelin who defended the city after the capture of Guy. His capture of Jerusalem influenced King Richard of England to join forces with King Philip of France and set out for the Third Crusade to the Holy Land. The Christian forces made their way to Ascalon when Richard fell ill and signed a peace treaty with Saladin that left Jerusalem in Muslim hands as long as Christians would be able to safely make their pilgrimage. His reign of Jerusalem was short lived however as he died of a fever on March 4, 1193. Saladin is most often recognized as much for his generosity and chivalry as he is for his impressive military accomplishments.

7. Lieutenant Audie Murphy

Born the son of a poor Texas sharecropper in 1924, Audie went on to become the most decorated American soldier of World War II. In an attempt to free himself of his hardships, he joined the army as a private in 1942. After his basic training he was shipped to Casablanca, Morocco where he continued with his training. He saw action in North Africa, Sicily, France and Germany and was distinguished by his quick thinking and bravery. He not only destroyed several of the enemy’s machine guns in minutes but also jumped onto a burning tank destroyer and turned its machine gun on the enemy as well as cutting off a German counterattack of six tanks and 250 Infantry practically by himself. For these acts of courage he has received countless decorations including the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, and three Purple Hearts; as well as the French Legion of Honor and two Croix de Guerre. He returned to America as a hero and turned his wartime fame into a successful film career. With help from his friends, Audie penned an autobiography entitled To Hell and Back, which was later made into a movie in which he played himself. While on a business trip he died in a plane crash on May 28, 1971 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with military honors.

6. Miyamoto Musashi

The greatest sword fighter of his time, Miyamoto Musashi, also known as the Sword Saint, is one of the best-known samurai in Japanese history. Born in 1584 in Harima Province, Musashi was raised by his uncle in Shoreian temple. By the time he was 13 he had already won his first duel against Arima Kigei, a student of the Shinto Ryu school of military arts. For the next 16 years he made a name for himself, fighting in more than 60 duels (including against the Yoshioka School and his most famous duel against Sasaki Kojiro) in which he was undefeated. During this time he also enlisted in Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s army and although he was on the losing side, he escaped, crawling among corpses and drinking from muddy puddles to survive. After the war, he turned his attention to teaching swordsmanship and he is credited with creating the nitoryu technique in which you fight with two swords. Later in his life, he became a master painter and writer. His most famous written work is The Book of Five Rings, which covers the sum of his experience as a sword fighter including strategy, tactics and philosophy. At the age of 62, Musashi died of thoracic cancer in Reigando Cave (the same cave where he lived as a hermit while writing The Book of Five Rings).

5. Gaius Julius Caesar

The greatest general in Rome’s history, Caesar came to power first as a quaestor and praetor before being elected as consul and proconsul in 59 BC and organizing the First Triumvirate with Pompey and Crassus. He distinguished himself by leading campaigns in Gaul, Britain and Germany but his growing power scared the senate and he was asked to disband his forces. Not only did he refuse this request, he marched on Rome. He started an outbreak of civil war that lasted until December 49 BC when he held a dictatorship in Rome for eleven days while he was elected as consul. He then chased Pompey to Egypt where he remained living with Cleopatra for several years. On his return to Rome he improved the living conditions of his people and drew up elaborate plans for consolidation of the empire. In 44 BC he became dictator for life, a title that was short lived because on the Ides of March (March 15th) 44 BC, he was stabbed to death by a group of his friends and protégés including Cimber, Casca, Cassius and Brutus.

4. Hannibal Barca

A Carthaginian General, Hannibal was a master strategist who developed outflanking tactics. Dubbed the father of strategy by military historian Theodore Ayrault Dodge, he grew up with a fierce hatred of the Romans. After the death of his brother-in-law Hasdrubal, he took command of the Gaulo-Cathaginian army and set his sights on Rome. He set out in the spring of 218 BC and fought his way through the Pyrenees and the Alps with a force of 46,000 soldiers and 37 war elephants. When he was in Roman territory, he ravaged hundreds of towns leaving complete destruction in his wake. Some of his greatest victories were at Trebia, Lake Trasimenus and Cannae, even turning some Roman cities against his enemies. Scipio eventually defeated him in his homeland at the Battle of Zama, after which he signed a peace treaty in 201 BC. After several years as a suffete, he was accused by his political enemies of conspiring with King Antiochus of Syria. At the threat of a Roman investigation, Hannibal fled to the court of King Prusias of Bithynia where he poisoned himself before the Romans could force him to surrender.

3. Sun Tzu

A Chinese General, Sun Tzu was the author of the first and most sophisticated book on military theory ever written, The Art of War. While not much is known about the man, it is generally accepted that he was an accomplished General who served the King of Wu in the period of the Warring States in the 4th century BC. It was at this time that he wrote The Art of War, which covers logistics, espionage, strategy and tactics with a deep reliance on philosophy. The main points it stresses are the high cost of war, the unpredictability of battle, the correlation between political and military policies and the ineffectiveness of setting hard and fast rules. Not only has it influenced Asian military thinking for centuries, but it has also formed the base of the military strategies of Napoleon, Mao Zedong, General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. and Henry Kissinger. In more recent times, The Art of War has been adopted by business students in Tokyo, New York and London as a text on business strategy.

2. Leonidas I

Best known for his heroic last stand at the Battle of Thermopylae, Leonidas’ early years have barely been documented although legend has it that he was the descendant of Heracles. His reign began somewhere around 490 BC and he shared control with Leotychides, as was Spartan custom of the time. The Persian army, led by King Darius, had been conquering Greece for close to ten years when Leonidas became King. When Darius died in 481 BC his son Xerxes continued his father’s expansion into the Greek mainland. In an attempt to stop the advancing army in their tracks, Leonidas (despite warnings by the Oracle of Delphi that told of his death) went to meet Xerxes with 7000 troops including the famed 300 Spartans, at the Pass of Thermopylae (aptly nicknamed the Hot Gates). Xerxes sent in wave after wave of troops including his Immortals who were in turn slaughtered by the Greeks. After a few days of fighting a Greek traitor told Xerxes of a mountain trail which he could use to outflank his enemy. Leonidas learned of the betrayal and sent away most of his men keeping only the 300 Spartans that made up his personal guard. Leonidas’ 300 valiantly fought off the advancing Persians down to their last man. Leonidas was killed and his body was beheaded and crucified which only served to anger his fellow Spartans who expelled the Persians from Greece a few months later at the Battle of Plataea.

1. Alexander the Great

Arguably one of the greatest generals of antiquity, Alexander’s conquests extended the Macedonian kingdom from Greece to India, almost the entire known world at the time. Born in 356 BC his early years were spent under the tutelage of the philosopher Aristotle. His early military career was spent releasing Greece from the grasp of the Persians. From there he moved through Syria, Egypt (where he founded the city of Alexandria and visited the oracle of Ammon and claimed his divinity), and Asia Minor before his final conquest into India. He then returned to the west and began making preparations to invade Arabia but before he could achieve this conquest, he fell ill and died in June 323 BC. Throughout his reign, the casualties of his troops compared to those of his enemies were considerably less, mostly due to his quick tactical thinking and his love for the men who fought under him.

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The 12 Greatest Apocalyptic Novels Of All Time

fter scouring book reviews and Wikipedia, a list of the Top 12 Best Apocalyptic Novels was born. The books on this list take you down the darkest paths in uncivilized worlds, from cannibalistic gangs to vampire infected corpses. If this list doesn't get you thinking on the quickest way stock your basement full of water, canned goods and rifles, I don't know what will! Enjoy!

World War Z

Documenting the war on zombies, "World War Z" takes you through horific times with some of the most vivid writing this genre has ever seen. The book is told from a narative perspective of several different characters, sharing their versions of the Zombie war. The outbreak, which started somewhere in China, spread throught the world, causing distruction and chaos. While the zombies are never completely irradicated, some symblance of life does appear to go on, after an eventual move of the US Capital, several barriers against the undead, and millions of lives lost.

"World War Z" paints such a realistic picture of a world after Zombies that even skeptics would find themselves engrossed in the novel!

Blindness

Forget world wide pandemics of flesh eating bacteria or a zombie illness! Portugese author Jose Saramago took one of the most common afflictions, loss of sight, and turned it into my worst nightmare! in "Blindness", a mass epidemic of sight-loss sweeps an unidentified city, causing a break down in society, civilization, and everyday function. The books main characters band together, forming a family unit, comprised of a doctor and his wife and his patients. The wife has somehow been spared from the epidemic and helps the unit function. They are placed in an asylum where the infected are being contained, which eventually detiriorates to filth, due to everyone's lack of sight.

The family unit escapes and attempts to build a new life in the outside world, just as sight is returned, just as quickly as it was taken away.

I don't know who I felt worse for reading this book. The people who lost their sight, who began living in their own filth and scrounging for food, or the doctor's wife who had to take care of them all and see everything that was happening around her. 

The Road

If you are a parent, or a person who doesn't wish harm upon children, you might find this book slightly disturbing. 'The Road' focuses on the journey of a father and son, after an unnamed apocalyptic event wipes out a majority of the earth's population, as well as the ability to grow plants. The father and son, only identified as the "Man" and the "Boy", are attempting to make it to the coast, to an undetermined hope. The pair encounter several disturbing sights along the way, including a cannibalistic "army", a baby roasting on a split, and humans who are being kept locked away and used for limb-harvesting (for food obviously).

There are some high points in the book, but overall, it paints a pretty grim picture. Towards the end of the novel, the father gets ill and dies, leaving the boy to be taken in by a couple who has been observing the pair for some time. It isn't a happy ending, but it does keep you from wanting to kill yourself! 

The Postman

This post-apocalyptic novel is about a drifter who finds himself taking shelter in an abandoned postal van. Gordan Krantz, the protagonist, takes the uniform of a postman only to keep him warm, but when he begins carrying mail on his journey, he begins to restore hope to survivors. Eventually, Krantz encounters a small community led by Cyclops, an artificial intelligence created at Oregon State University that managed to survive. Krantz learns however that the machine was destroyed and that it's appearance is being maintained by a group of scientists who are trying to "keep hope, order, and knowledge alive". Krantz eventually pairs up with the Cyclops scientists in their war against the hyper-survivalists, who have begun and extreme version of life.

By the end of the novel, the impression is given that the three groups rally together to help revive civilization.

Oryx and Crake

This novel begins after yet another collapse of civilization, with the protagonist, Snowman, living as a hermit. He lives near by a community of what he calls "Crakers", which appear to be strange human like creatures. It is revealed in the story that the crakers, as well as beasts like wolvogs, piggons, and rakunks, are the products of genetic engineering.

Through flashbacks, the reader learns that Snowman grew up as Jimmy in the mid-21st century. His parents were both scientists who lived in privileged compounds that separated them from commoners, or pleeblands. When Jimmy's family moves to a compound, he meets Glenn, or Crake as he is referred to through out the story. The boys play games, smoke weed, as well as other slightly disturbing activities such as watching live executions and child pornography.

Jimmy and Crake eventually become obsessed with a young asian girl they see in a child porn video. Jimmy seeks the girl out and eventually meets Oryx, who could be the same girl, but it is never clarified. Orxy becomes highly involved in the lives of both young men. As time goes on, Crake becomes a bio engineer while Jimmy focuses on the arts and literature.

Crake soon embarks on an endeavor to create peaceful human-like creatures which he calls Crakers. Crakers are leaf-eating herbivores who only have sex during a mating period, therefore eliminating several "human" disputes. Eventually, Crake releases a world wide virus, which wipes out a huge percentage of the population, except Jimmy, who was unknowingly vaccinated. Crake is soon painted as a "Mad Scientist", and eventually kills Oryx.

The reader is transported through out an incredible series of events and begins to feel sympathy towards all characters, including the "villain", Crake. The book ends leaving the reader wondering whether Snowman will return to life with humans, or continue to look after the Crakers, as he promised Oryx before she died. 

A Canticle for Leibowitz

"A Canticle for Leibowitz" spans thousands of years set in a Roman Catholic monastery. After a devastating nuclear war, the novel follows along while civilization makes attempts at rebuilding itself. The monks of the Albertian Order of Leibowitz take on the mission of preserving and protecting the pieces of human's scientific knowledge until the world is ready for that kind of information again.

The apocalyptic event in this story is a backlash against advanced technology and knowledge. During a time that is referred to in the book as "simplification", any one who had any learning, and eventually anyone who could even read, was killed by angry mobs, with books being destroyed and illiteracy taking over the world.

Isaac Leibowitz had been a Jewish engineer working for the US Military, but converts to Catholicism and begins the Albertian Order. Their mission becomes to protect,memorize, and preserve any books, from before the Simplification. The novel is separated into three different parts, "Fiat Homo (Let There Be Man)", "Fiat Lux (Let There Be Light)", and "Fiat Voluntas Tua (Let Thy Will Be Done)".

The novel is an interesting look into what our world would become if communication, science, technological advances, and knowledge were suddenly cut off from every day people. 

Alas, Babylon

Published in 1959, "Alas, Babylon" was one of the first post-apocalyptic novels of the nuclear age. The story focuses on the small town of Fort Repose, Florida and the effects that a nuclear war had on it. The protagonist, Randy Bragg, is a former Korean War vet who becomes a hero after the Soviet Union starts a nuclear war with the US. Several towns in Florida, including Jacksonville, Tampa and Miami are reported as being destroyed, leaving the citizens of Fort Repose to their own measures. Communication is limited, and the city is quickly emptied of money and supplies. People in the town quickly learn how to survive, with Bragg leading the way. In the end, the Air Force offers to move the remaining families of Fort Repose out of their survivalist world, however, non accept.

Alas, Babylon shows how quickly the world could deteriorate if a Nuclear war started. Don't be alarmed if after you read it, you feel the need to go to Costco for bottled water and dry goods! 

Lucifer's Hammer

If you're one to quickly oppose scientists, then Lucifer's Hammer might be just the post-apocalyptic book for you! Even after several reassurances by astronomer Tim Hamner that a new comet won't be crashing into the earth, people still begin hoarding and collecting food. Scientists realize that they have mis-tracked the trajectory of the comet, which eventually breaks into several smaller pieces and devastates the earth with its collision. The strike causes volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and endless weeks of rain, which cause food and other survival necessities to be lost.

After the "Hammerfall", Hamner steps up from a quiet astronomer to a "determined survivor". He fights to keep he and his new wife, Eileen safe, in such a tumultuous world.

This book particularly got me thinking, just because we rely so much on what scientists tell us. What if they really did get it wrong? 

Swan Song

Swan Song doesn't start out on a particularly happy note. The world is in turmoil, with the U.S. and USSR fighting all around the world. When all of the bombs are launched, the world is covered in mushroom shaped clouds. The novel follows several main characters, including a NYC bag lady called Sister Creep, Josh, aka Black Frankestein, a 7 foot tall wrestler with a heart the size of Texas, and Roland Croninger, an incredibly smart kid. Of course good vs. evil is prominent through out the novel. The bad lies within "The Man With the Scarlet Eye", who is a shape shifter, always up to no good. The very refreshing good however is a blonde girl named Swan, who possesses the ability to replenish the earth.

The book is pretty big (950 pages!), and if you can get through it, its probably the most terrifying post apocalyptic novel out there!

On the Beach

"On the Beach" doesn't only qualify as one of the best Post-Apocalyptic novels, it qualifies as one of the most depressing. If you're looking for sunshine and rainbows, this isn't one you'll want to check out! The novel starts in the mid-sixties, after the air in the Northern Hemisphere has been polluted with nuclear fallout, killing all animal life, including humans. Air currents are slowly carrying the fallout to the southern hemisphere, where the only humans live, slowly succumbing to radiation poisoning. The Australian government makes arrangements for its citizens, providing free suicide pills and injections, allowing the people to avoid the slow and painful death of radiation poisoning. A submarine crew is dispatched to Seattle to respond to a signal, only to discover that the wind was blowing a coke bottle onto a telegraph machine.

The crew then realizes that the results of the nuclear war aren't dissipating, and that the people living in the south will die shortly. The characters in the novel then try to happily live out their final days, some returning to their hometowns, others taking classes and staying busy. In the end, the characters don't continue to run, but accept their death once the radiation reaches them. Probably the most depressing point in the book is when one Australian officer must explain to his wife how to euthanize their baby daughter and then kill herself, should the radiation reach them.

Like I said, not all sunshine and rainbows. 

Z for Zachariah

"Z for Zachariah" starts by introducing the reader to Ann Burden, the protagonist, who has been living alone in a valley for over a year after a nuclear war, which has rendered all other places inhabitable. One day, Ann sees a stranger in a protective suit entering the valley, which changes her life forever. When he determines that the valley is safe, he takes off his suit and swims, but unfortunately, the water is contaminated by water being brought in from the outside. Once he is sick, Ann decides to try to help him.

Once he is better, he introduces himself as John R. Loomis, a scientist who was helping to design the protective suits underground when the war began. The sickness soon takes over his body completely, sending him into a coma, during which Ann continues to look after him.

He begins to recover and becomes highly possessive of Ann. One night, he attempts to rape her, and Ann decides she must leave the comfort of her home. She attempts to coexist in the valley with Loomis, but he makes it difficult, cutting her off from food and supplies, and even shooting her in the leg.

Eventually, Ann tells him she is taking the suit and the cart and leaving. She tells him that if he kills her, then he'll truly be alone. Ann sets of in the direction of birds, hoping to continue her life.

This novel is popular among young adults, because the main character is a strong willed young person. There are obviously sad portions, but there are also light, almost comical moments that keep you turning the page. 

I Am Legend

If the only opinions you have of 'I am Legend' come from the horrible movie adaptation starring Will Smith, erase them all. Probably one of the greatest pieces of fiction ever written, much less in the "post-apocalyptic" category, "I am Legend" deals with the idea of becoming obsolete, which plagues so many people.

After a bacterial pandemic wipes out the entire human race, Robert Neville, the novel's main character, is the only human left in a world of vampires. Neville attempts to study and cure the disease, to which he became immune after a bite from a bat that was infected. Neville eventually discovers that the strain of bacteria is able to infect both the deceased and the living, leaving the living slightly human, although exhibiting signs of vampirism.

Robert comes across a woman who appears to be uninfected and captures her. He becomes suspicious of her after her reluctance to kill the vampires. She finally agrees to a blod test and just when Neville realizes she is infected, she knocks him out. She leaves him a note, sharying the adaptations that the infected have made towards sunlight and how they have even developed pills that keep their desires at bay. She tells him that they are attempting to rebuild society. Eventually the vampires come for him, and he is wounded and captured. When he knows death is near, Ruth comes to visit and gives him some pills that will make his death easier. He asks Ruth not to let society get heartless and after a kiss, she leaves. Neville finally realizes that he is the only survivor and is therefore feared by this new race. As he realizes that life with infection could be normal again one day, he chuckles before he dies, thinking "[I am] a new superstition entering the unassailable fortress of forever. I am legend."

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The 15 Greatest Athletes Of All Time

What makes an athlete great? Is it their natural born ability? Their grit determination?  Their heart and drive to be the greatest? Their love of the game? How about all of the above plus one extra “it” factor—that indefinable attribute that elevates talented athletes to once-in-a-lifetime legend status. And though we can’t definite exactly what that special trait is, we know one thing for sure—every one of the athletes we included in our list of the greatest athletes of all time has it.

1. Lance Armstrong (Cycling)

With a heart almost thirty percent larger than the average man, an aerobic capacity almost twice as high as the average person and unusually low lactate levels, it’s no surprise many people question, “Is Lance Armstrong mortal?” And though his superhuman physical abilities are undoubtedly impressive, what’s more remarkable is this Texan’s dogged determination. After being diagnosed with testicular cancer and a germ cell tumor that spread to his brain and lungs, Armstrong’s doctors gave him a 50 percent chance to live. And while most people would wallow in their sorrows, Armstrong fought back—and hard. A mere three years after his diagnosis he won a record-breaking seven straight Tour de France titles and earned, among many awards, Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year, the Associated Press’ Male Athlete of the Year, ESPN’s Espy Award for Best Male Athlete and BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

2. Muhammad Ali (Boxing)

It takes a truly remarkable human being to bring grace and beauty to a sport that’s all about knocking people around. And Muhammad Ali was that man. Known for his self-proclaimed “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” fighting style, Muhammad Ali was more than just a bombastic boxer—he was an icon who helped bring the sport of boxing to the forefront in the early 1960s. Though the public initially disapproved of Ali’s controversial quips, unabashed proclamations of greatness and verbosity, no one could deny his raw talent. Ali became one of the most decorated fighters of his time, winning memorable fights against Joe Frazier and George Foreman. And while Ali may no longer be able to entertain us with his mesmerizing skills in the ring and his amusing antics out of the ring, he remains embedded in our minds, once and for all, as the “world’s greatest.” 

3. Michael Phelps (Swimming)

When someone likes to or is skilled at swimming, we usually say he or she “swims like a fish.” But U.S. Olympic champion Michael Phelps truly brings life to this statement. It seems as if his body was made for the water—sporting a six feet seven inch arm span, size 14 feet with hypermobile ankles, a long, thin torso and relatively short legs in proportion to his six feet four inch body. Combine these physical attributes with Phelps’ sixteen year swimming background and you’ve got the makings of once-in-a-lifetime athlete. Since winning an unprecedented eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (of his 14 career gold medals), Phelps has become America’s Golden Boy, earning the Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year award and lending his face to countless ad campaigns. With plans to compete in the 2012 London Olympics, America is anxiously awaiting what this 23 year-old phenom will accomplish next.

4. Carl Lewis (Track and Field)

Running and jumping—two seemingly simple actions anybody can do, right? But how about running 100 meters in 9.86 seconds and jumping 29 feet and two and three-fourths of an inch? Carl Lewis, one of America’s greatest track and field athletes, accomplished just that during his brilliant track and field career that spanned 12 years. During that time, Lewis accumulated nine gold medals, making him not only one of two Olympic athletes to win nine gold medals, but also one of only two to win the same individual event four times. Though never fully embraced by his sport or by the American people because of his lack of humility and his cold, calculating and aloof personality, no one can deny Lewis’ raw talent. And it seems neither can the International Olympic Committee or Sports Illustrated, who named him “Sportsman of the Century” and “Olympian of the Century,” respectively.

5. Michael Jordan (Basketball)

This is a man who surely needs no introduction. His name has become synonymous with professional basketball since his introduction into the sport more than 20 years ago. After a standout collegiate career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Jordan joined the Chicago Bulls in what was the start of the most winning career in sports history. Sporting his signature exposed tongue, Jordan leaped to great heights, earning him not only the nickname “Air Jordan,” but a host of regular season and playoff MVP awards. But what makes Jordan unique is not his physical abilities, but the way he managed to transcend his sport and become a pop icon in and of himself. After all, this is a man who Boston Celtics opponent Larry Bird once described as “God disguised as Michael Jordan.” We couldn’t agree more.

6. Pele (Soccer)

When his coach brought 11 year-old Pele to Sao Paulo to try out for a professional soccer team in Santos, he declared, “This boy will be the greatest soccer play in the world.” Turns out, he was right. In his native Brazil, Pele is hailed as a national hero, and with good reason. This “futbol” star played in four World Cups with Brazil’s national team, scoring a staggering six goals in the 1958 World Cup at the tender age of 17. He went on to have one of the most successful soccer careers of all time—scoring 1,280 goals in 1,360 games—an average of a goal in every international game he played; the equivalent of a baseball player hitting a home run in every World Series game during the span of 15 years. Though considered by his country to be a “national treasure,” we think Pele deserves the title “international treasure.”

7. Steffi Graf (Tennis)

When tennis greats Billie Jean King and Chris Evert both call you “the greatest women’s tennis player of all time,” you know you’re good. Known as “Fraulein Forehand” because of her powerful forehand drive, Graff was the most dominant female tennis player of the 90s. Not only was she ranked World No. 1 for 186 consecutive weeks (the current record), but she also won 22 Grand Slam titles, second only to Margaret Court’s 24. Her breakout year came in 1988 when she won the Olympic gold medal and all four Grand Slam singles titles—becoming the first and only player to win the “Golden Slam.” And did we mention she is married to the equally talented tennis star Andre Agassi? This woman lives and breathes tennis.

8. Tiger Woods (Golf)

Determination? Check. Natural ability? Check. Focus? Check. Discipline? Check. Tiger Woods has it all. A child prodigy when he began playing golf at age two, Woods has gone on to become arguably the most well-known athlete in the world. He has been named Associated Press' Male Athlete of the Year a record-tying four times, and is the only person to be named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year more than once. Aside from his awards off the green, Woods has been even more successful on the green—winning fourteen professional major golf championships and accumulating more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer. What’s more, he’s brought some excitement and glamour to the once-mundane world of professional golf. Can you imagine the world of golf without Tiger Woods? Neither can we.

9. Jim Thorpe

It takes amazing talent to excel at one sport, no doubt. But to earn top honors in multiple sports? Well, that’s an accomplishment very few can claim. But before you go naming the likes of Deion Sanders and John Elway, take a moment to learn about Jim Thorpe. Considered by many to be the most versatile athlete of all time, Thorpe won Olympic gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon and played professional football, baseball and basketball. Future President Dwight Eisenhower, a onetime Thorpe opponent, once described him in the following way: “Here and there, there are some people who are supremely endowed…Jim Thorpe…he could do anything better than any other football player I ever saw.” We agree, Mr. President.

10. Willie Mays (Baseball)

Baseball experts agree it takes five major skills to be a great baseball player—hit, hit with power, run, throw and field. And Willie Mays could do all five better than anyone else. Not only that, but he made it look easy and fun. Beloved by baseball fans for his bright smile and cheery disposition, Mays came to define “love of the game.” Playing with the New York and San Francisco Giants for the majority of his career, Mays cemented his place in baseball history, winning the MVP award two times, appearing in the All-Star Game a record-tying twenty-four times and hitting 660 career home runs. But for Mays, baseball was a simple game, saying “When they throw the ball, I hit it….and when they hit the ball, I catch it.” Ahh, the simplicity of it all!

11. Wayne Gretzky (Hockey)

Dubbed “The Great One” as a kid, a teenager and again during his career in the NHL, it seems as if Wayne Gretzky has always been at the top of his game. Throughout his hockey career, Gretzky has garnered numerous accolades. Among them: all-time scoring leader in the NHL, nine-time league MVP, two-time playoff MVP, five-time Most Sportsmanlike player award, four Stanley Cups and more than 20 All-Star appearances. Best of all? He takes his success in stride—never refusing an autograph and never letting the fame get to his head. Famed Canadian novelist sums up Gretsky perfectly, stating “Gretzky is what athletes are supposed to be, but seldom are—modest to a fault, Macintosh-Apple wholesome, dedicated and an inspirational model for young fans.” Add his admirable humility to his unsurpassed skill and you can see why we’ve included him in our list of the greatest of all-time.

12. Roger Federer (Tennis)

Athletes can be cocky. Yeah, I said it. They can be arrogant, aloof and ungrateful son-of-bitches. But while the majority of famous athletes fall into this trap, there are those rare specimens that are the exact opposite of egomaniacs. Chief among them is Roger Federer—current World No. 1 ranked men’s tennis player with 12 Grand Slam titles, four Masters Cup victories, 25 ATP tour championships and earnings of more than $41 million. And not only does Federer win points for consistent sportsmanlike conduct on the court (he is a humble victor and gracious loser), but according to his opponents, teammates, press, etc. he’s a stand-up guy in all areas of life. He even takes his steady girlfriend along with him when on tour (which is virtually unheard of in the land of professional men’s sports). Alright, now he’s just making everyone else look bad.

13. Annika Sorenstam (Golf)

Hailed as one of, if not the greatest female golfer of all time, Annika Sorenstam seemed like an obvious choice for our list of the greatest. With 90 international tournament wins as a professional, 72 official LPGA tournament wins and earnings of more than $22 million, this Swedish superstar is no stranger to success. Though she officially retired from the sport in 2008, Sorenstam left her mark—making history at the 2003 Bank of America Colonial tournament as the only woman to play in a men’s PGA Tour event since 1945 and holding the record for the female golfer with the most wins to her name. Now you see why she was an obvious choice?

14. Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Track and Field)

Though named after another American great—former First Lady Jackie Kennedy—this Jackie is known not for her political affiliations, but for the amazing feats she accomplished as a track and field star. Inspired to pursue athletics after seeing a documentary on Babe Didrikson Zaharias (another great on our list), Sports Illustrated for Women magazine would later rank Joyner-Kersee above Zaharias as the Greatest Female Athlete of All Time. And we can see why, as Joyner-Kersee had a successful track and field and basketball career at UCLA before going on to win three gold, one silver and two bronze Olympic medals in the women’s heptathlon and long jump. And for those of you who don’t know, the heptathlon consists of seven events. Yes, you read that right, seven!

15. Babe Ruth (Baseball)

Long before steroid scandals and performance enhancing drugs tainted the sport of baseball and its resident sluggers, baseball players got by on their raw talent and brute strength. And one player with perhaps the most of these pure attributes was the one and only Babe Ruth. He was a star at the plate, to be sure, being the first player to hit 60 home runs in one season and boasting a .690 career slugging percentage (a current major league record). But even more important than his prowess at bat, Ruth served as America’s first true sports celebrity—elevating the sport of baseball to its current popularity as “America’s favorite pastime” and serving as the gold standard for the best of the best in every sport. To this day, sports fans, commentators and players refer to great players as the “Babe Ruth of ___.” Now that’s a legacy to leave behind.

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Alexander the Great Alexander of Macedon Biography

King of Macedonia and Conqueror of the Persian Empire 

Alexander III the Great, the King of Macedonia and conqueror of the Persian Empire is considered one of the greatest military geniuses of all times. He was inspiration for later conquerors such as Hannibal the Carthaginian, the Romans Pompey and Caesar, and Napoleon.  Alexander was born in 356 BC in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia. He was son of Philip II, King of Macedonia, and Olympias, the princess of neighboring Epirus. He spent his childhood watching his father transforming Macedonia into a great military power, winning victory after victory on the battlefields throughout the Balkans.  When he was 13, Philip hired

Statue of Alexander in Istanbul Archaeology Museum.

the Greek philosopher Aristotle to be Alexander’s personal tutor.  During the next three years Aristotle gave Alexander a training in rhetoric and literature and stimulated his interest in science, medicine, and philosophy, all of which became of importance in Alexander’s later life.  In 340, when Philip assembled a large Macedonian army and invaded Thrace, he left his 16 years old son with the power to rule Macedonia in his absence as regent, which shows that even at such young age Alexander was recognized as quite capable.  But as the Macedonian army advanced deep into Thrace, the Thracian tribe of Maedi bordering north-eastern Macedonia rebelled and posed a danger to the country.  Alexander assembled an army, led it against the rebels, and with swift action defeated the Maedi, captured their stronghold, and renamed it after himself to Alexandropolis. 

Two years later in 338 BC, Philip gave his son a commanding post among the senior generals as the Macedonian army invaded Greece. At the Battle of Chaeronea the Greeks were defeated and Alexander displayed his bravery by destroying the elite Greek force, the Theban Secret Band. Some ancient historians recorded that the Macedonians won the battle thanks to his bravery. 

The March on India

In the spring of 327 BC, Alexander and his army marched into India invading Punjab. The greatest of Alexander's battles in India was at the river Hydaspes, against king Porus, one of the most powerful Indian rulers. In the summer of 326 BC, Alexander's army crossed the heavily defended river during a violent thunderstorm to meet Porus' forces. The Indians were defeated in a fierce battle, even though they fought with elephants, which the Macedonians had never seen before. Porus was captured and like the other local rulers he had defeated, Alexander allowed him to continue to govern his territory. 

In this battle Alexander's horse Bucephalus was wounded and died. Alexander had ridden Bucephalus into every one of his battles in Europe and Asia, so when it died he was grief-stricken.  He founded a city which he named Buckephalia, in his horse's name.

The army continued advancing as far as the river Hydaspes but at this point the Macedonians refused to go farther as reports were coming of far more larger and dangerous armies ahead equipped with many elephants and chariots. General Coenus spoke on army's behalf to the king.  Reluctantly, Alexander agreed to stop here.  Not too long afterwards Coenus died and the army buried him with the highest honors.

It was agreed that the army travel down south the rivers Hydaspes and Indus so that they might reach the Ocean on the southern edge of the world and from there head westward toward Persia. 1,000 ships were constructed and while the navy sailed the rivers, the army rode down along the rivers banks, stopping to attack and subdue the Indian villages along the way. 

 

One of the villages in which the army stopped belonged to the Malli, who were said to be one of the most warlike of the Indian tribes. Alexander was severally wounded in this attack when an arrow pierced his breastplate and his ribcage.  The Macedonians rescued him in a narrow escape from the village. Still the Malli surrendered as Alexander became to recover from the grave wound.  The travel down the river resumed and the Macedonian army reached the mouth of the Indus in the summer of 325 BC. Then it turned westward to Persia.

But the return was a disaster.  The army was marching through the notorious Gerdosian desert during the middle of the summer. By the time Alexander reached Susa thousands had died of heat and exhaustion.

Roman copy of a statue by Lysippus, Louvre Museum. According to Plutarch, sculptures by Lysippus were the most faithful.

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