Here are some of the Most Inspirational People in the world
They are each individuals who have made the list for their own reasons. They have done something heroic for themselves, for others, or for mankind as a whole. It is our hope that their stories will get the younger readers to be inspired to “be all that they can be,” to quote an old slogan used in the advertisements by the U.S. Army.
1. Barack Obama
During his tenure in office, he got the sagging economy he had inherited from George W. Bush back on its feet. He tried to reform the health care system. He lowered the U.S. deficit, and he put many back to work. He introduced the Obama phone, a free phone for those who otherwise could not afford a phone. And he ran an administration that, by and large, with one notable exception–was without any scandal or reproach.
The above people represent a short list of America’s best and brightest. They have all contributed something–not only to American history, or culture–but to the world as a whole, indeed. Whether it’s Adele, Barack or Michelle Obama, they all deserve to be recognized on this list because their contributions are, indeed, significant towards making our world a better place in which to live.
2. Michelle Obama
It has been said that behind every strong man is a good woman. The President of the United States even needs such a woman. Indeed, President Barack Obama is blessed with such a woman in First Lady Michelle Obama. For not only has she served side by side with him, she has become quite the celebrity in her own right, encouraging children to eat more healthily.
She is cool, calm and collected, and she is very stylish without being “snooty.” She seems like someone to whom the average Jane can relate: She is married with two children, and trying to keep as normal a life for them as possible, lest they become stuck-up, thinking that they are better than everyone else because they happen to be daughters of the President.
In addition, she is arguably the most stylish First Lady since Jackie Kennedy in the early 60s. Yet her clothing choices have a relaxed air about them. She is not trying to “one-up” anyone: She is just who she is.
3. Tim Cook
He is the current chief executive officer of Apple, Incorporated, the computer company. He inherited this position from his late friend and boss, Mr. Steve Jobs, who lost a very difficult fight against cancer in the fall of 2011.
He was born in Mobile, Alabama. According to Wikipedia, he was baptized in a Baptist church, and grew up in nearby Robertsdale, from which high school he graduated. He got his BS from Auburn University, and his MBA from Duke.
Jobs asked him to join Apple in 1998.
And join he did. He is one of the most inspiring people because of his financial know-how. He saved Apple a considerable amount of money by cutting back on things that he saw didn’t work anymore. He likened Apple to a dairy. When things begin to go bad, you throw it out.
So with that business philosophy in mind, he closed several factories and warehouses that he saw as no longer viable.
He has considerable stock in the company. So in March 2015 he decided to donate his entire stock–totaling about 385 million dollars–to charity.
4. Dr. Ben Carson
In 2015 he announced his candidacy for President of the United States, perhaps buoyed by the responses he got at a speech he gave at a prayer breakfast where he articulated his conservative views two years earlier.
The candidacy proved to be a no-go for Carson, however. His numbers continued to sag, after doing well at first. It was becoming clear at the time that Donald Trump was going to win the Republican candidacy, and therefore, he decided that he could help in other ways. He almost instantly endorsed Trump, and as a reward for that, the President-elect has offered him a position in his cabinet.
5. Leonardo DiCaprio
He may be well-known as an actor and a director, but the reason he’s on this list is his concern for the environment. There is plenty of controversy about the environment, and one’s opinion of whether global warming exists seems to go down party lines. If one is Republican, one is likely to believe that it’s a figment of one’s imagination. If one is Democrat, one is likely to believe the phenomenon to be very real. He is of the latter group, and he of course backs the candidate he feels is likely to do something about it. He has supported Barack Obama’s presidential elections. In 2008, he gave him $2,300, and $5,000 in 2012.
Moreover, not only is he political about it. He has placed his money–or his nonprofit time, in this case–where his mouth is. He has formed the DiCaprio foundation in 1998, to raise awareness of the environment. He wants people to know that global warming is real and is potentially harmful to everyday people like you and me.
6. Hillary Rodham Clinton
Even though she didn’t win the Presidency–it instead went to billionaire Donald Trump–Hillary Rodham Clinton is inspiring because the act by this 68-year-old woman has inspired young girls around the world to say, “Maybe I can run for president one day, and be successful at it.”
Hillary Rodham Clinton was once in the White House, as the wife of embattled President Bill Clinton. Neither person has been without their degree of controversy. Bill Clinton was almost removed from office for his extracurricular activities on White House time, and Hillary Clinton has come under fire for her deeds as Secretary of State regarding Ben Ghazi.
7. Mark Zuckerberg
He’s well-known as the founder and CEO of one of the main ways that we communicate today, Facebook. His story is inspiring because Facebook, when it first started out, looked like an idea that was not going to go very far, or if it did, it was to be a fad. Did you know that Facebook started in 2004 in a dorm room? Look where it is today! He is literally one of the founders of the Social Media craze.But the Facebook founder has also, in recent years, become known for his heart for people. He has donated 100 million dollars to help the Newark Public Schools out. He has donated 25 million to combat the ebola virus.
These are examples of things that the Zuckerbergs are doing to give back. And that is, in and of itself, inspiring.
8. Adele
She is the blue eyed soul singer, the best thing to happen to the British Isles since the late Dusty Springfield. She has a husky voice, and that voice has become well-known throughout the 2010s as she has had quite a few hits. In 2011, her string of hits commenced with “Rolling in the Deep,” a song that went to #1. This song was followed up that fall with “Someone Like You. ” “Set Fire to the Rain” came in early 2012, and zoomed to the top of the chart, as well.
A smaller hit followed that fall with a song that was a James Bond theme, “Skyfall.”
Her career resumed in 2015 with the release of her next album. “Hello”–a Number one single– ended up in the fall of 2015 being the biggest hit off that album. It features her singing and playing the drums. It is about her encounter with an old lover–a subject about which Adele has a lot of experience.
The main reason Adele is inspirational is that her success tells young girls that even though you may not be the nice size you want to be, you can still be a success in life. If your favorite thing to do is sing, then do it and be so good that people want to pay you for your ability, not paying so much attention to what you look like.
9. Pope Francis
He took over the papacy in 2014, when Pope Benedict the 16th decided to give up the papacy due to advancing age and ill health. He is the first Pope from the Spanish speaking world, hailing from Argentina.
He was born in Argentina–the first Pope from the Spanish speaking world. His birthdate is December 17, 1936, making him 80 as of this writing.
He became a Jesuit in 1960, and was one for 32 years until doctrinal issues caused a split. This was a significant part of his life, however, for this was when he felt called to become a priest. On Saturday, December 13, 1969, he was ordained as a priest. Took his final vow to always obey the Pope on Easter Sunday, April 22, 1973.
People in the church asked Francis to allow married men to the priesthood, yet still keeping them out of the bishopric. He has responded by saying that Francis believes that celibacy is not a matter of faith, but rather of personal discipline. So far, he has not yet changed the church’s official stance on that issue as of this writing.
It was rumored that he has softened the stance on homosexuality. He has still said that it is a sin against God, nevertheless, those who are trapped in that lifestyle should be treated with common human decency.
He preaches world peace, and that we should run our economy in a way that is inclusive of everyone, not just the ones who can stand to take advantage of it first.
10. Marilynne Robinson
She is an Irish-American novelist and author of four novels. She was born November 26, 1943. She is known for novels such as “Housekeeping”(1980), “Gilead” (2004), “Home” (2008), and “Lila” (2014). Her birthplace is Sandpoint, Idaho, in the United States. She has taught a writer’s workshop, and has retired, at 73, as of this year, according to Wikipedia.She has been a writer in residence or visiting professor at many universities, including Kent and Amherst. She has been a guest lecturer on many occasions. She is a Dwight H. Terry lecturer at Yale. She was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In May 2011, she delivered Oxford University’s annual Esmond Harmsworth Lecture in American Arts and Letters at the University’s Rothermere American Institute.
She holds a doctorate from the University of Washington, a degree she has held since 1977.
