Most unsung heros in history

[Delsocfan]

Name someone who has made a significant contribution to history but almost no one has heard of.

I'll start off with a relatively recent example:

Stanislav Petrov, the Soviet officer who in 1983 disobeyed orders and refused to launch a nuclear attack against the US, even though his computers indicated we had already launced an attack against them.

You can read the rest of the details here:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislav_Petrov

If he had just followed orders many or most of us would be dead.

[Michael K.]

Stanislav Petrov, the Soviet officer who in 1983 disobeyed orders and refused to launch a nuclear attack against the US, even though his computers indicated we had already launced an attack against them.


Good call. Here's more on ol' Stan.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/198173.stm

[Mefisto]

Georg ferdinand Duckwitz- german diplomat in denmark during the second world war- warned the danish government about the Nazi plan to deport all jews- Made it possible to rescue almost danish jews

[Toon³]

The Indian Army. Who do not get enough credit for their actions in WW2

[Dr. Wankler]

If he had just followed orders many or most of us would be dead.

Well, at least we would've had a plausible excuse for the failure of professional soccer in the US.

Good thread idea. My first reaction is that most of the real unsung heroes are literally unsung, and thus anonymous, but there are obviously some who snuck into the historical record.

[IntheNet]

Name someone who has made a significant contribution to history but almost no one has heard of...

There are many in history that fit this criteria; general officers who served under the leaders of great military campaigns leap to the front in my mind. Among these, one of the best would be CSA Major General James Longstreet, second in command of the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) under General Robert E. Lee. Longstreet's career is both colorful and dignified, a West Point graduate, serving in two wars, managing the successful prosecution of the war from 1860 through to 1865, serving in several capacities in the Confederacy and directly under several leaders (Beauregard, Johnston, Lee, and Bragg), and second in command upon the ANV's surrender at Appomatox. Wounded several times, Longstreet returned to Lee's side time and time again, serving as his old warhorse, Old Pete, was, in many ways, the Confederacy's greatest military tactician. Longstreet's comment upon Lee's consultation for surrender just prior to Appomatox, at Sailor's Creek, "...not yet," rings of his military committment and his loyalty as a subordinate officer. After the war, James Longstreet served in various capacities as a Georgian politican, a Turkish minister, and operator of a famous Georgia hotel. Longstreet lost favor among "lost cause" proponents due to his very public criticism of Lee's action at Gettysburg in 1863; indeed, if General Longstreet's plan of encircling the Union right at Cemetary Hill and Big Round Top was pursued, the ANV would more than likely have bottled up the Union at Gettysburg on the 3rd day and forced Lincoln to surrender Washington, rather than sacrificing themselves on Lee's ill-fated charge against the Union center. In recent years, however, students of the Civil War have reevaluated General Longstreet's tactical contribution to the war and to the ANV's early sucess. The General Longstreet Recognition Project (GLRP) is one such effort (http://www.agribusinesscouncil.org/longstreet.htm)
to recognize this largely unsung hero to the South and to students of military campaigns.

[Coach_McGuirk]

There are many in history that fit this criteria; general officers who served under the leaders of great military campaigns leap to the front in my mind. Among these, one of the best would be CSA Major General James Longstreet, second in command of the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) under General Robert E. Lee. Longstreet's career is both colorful and dignified, a West Point graduate, serving in two wars, managing the successful prosecution of the war from 1860 through to 1865, serving in several capacities in the Confederacy and directly under several leaders (Beauregard, Johnston, Lee, and Bragg), and second in command upon the ANV's surrender at Appomatox. Wounded several times, Longstreet returned to Lee's side time and time again, serving as his old warhorse, Old Pete, was, in many ways, the Confederacy's greatest military tactician. Longstreet's comment upon Lee's consultation for surrender just prior to Appomatox, at Sailor's Creek, "...not yet," rings of his military committment and his loyalty as a subordinate officer. After the war, James Longstreet served in various capacities as a Georgian politican, a Turkish minister, and operator of a famous Georgia hotel. Longstreet lost favor among "lost cause" proponents due to his very public criticism of Lee's action at Gettysburg in 1863; indeed, if General Longstreet's plan of encircling the Union right at Cemetary Hill and Big Round Top was pursued, the ANV would more than likely have bottled up the Union at Gettysburg on the 3rd day and forced Lincoln to surrender Washington, rather than sacrificing themselves on Lee's ill-fated charge against the Union center. In recent years, however, students of the Civil War have reevaluated General Longstreet's tactical contribution to the war and to the ANV's early sucess. The General Longstreet Recognition Project (GLRP) is one such effort (http://www.agribusinesscouncil.org/longstreet.htm)
to recognize this largely unsung hero to the South and to students of military campaigns.
Nobody’s heard of Longstreet?? Are you kidding???

And it was his blunder that (partly) doomed Pickett’s Charge. Had he planned for an ATTACK on the Union left (what Lee wanted, to coordinate with Pickett) instead of a movement to turn the Union left, the Charge would have had a much better chance of succeeding. Of course, had Custer not been able to fight Stuart’s 6,000 strong cavalry offensive towards the right rear, then Longstreet’s blunder would not have been nearly so costly. Meade would have been forced to deal with Stuart, Ewell could have resumed his infantry attack, and the Union would not have been able to concentrate on repelling the Charge at their center (remember, Pickett’s Charge actually broke the Union lines but Lee could not commit a second wave to be slaughtered with the Union able to concentrate on that one point.).

While I have nothing against Longstreet, it’s obvious he was engaged in some serious “CYA” politics following the war.

[IntheNet]

Had he planned for an ATTACK on the Union left (what Lee wanted, to coordinate with Pickett) instead of a movement to turn the Union left, the Charge would have had a much better chance of succeeding...

Coach... I urge you to dig a little deeper here... Longstreet could have planned that 3rd day attack for six months; the result would have been the same regardless! There was no way to punch through the Union Center at Gettysburg... Its center was a bastion of heavily fortified infantry (two whole fresh divisions) with enfilade artillery fire... As a tactical master at defense Longstreet knew that! That is why he disagreed with it, urged against it, and frankly, gave Hill and Pickett a weak committment to proceed. The fault of the attack was Lee's own; his own pride, rather than normal tactics that had previously served the ANV well, but doomed this attack! Further, folks like yourself are want to blame Longstreet for hesitating, but they normally say nothing at all about Ewell, whose effort to take Culps Hill/Cemetary Hill from the rear were half-hearted at best, disobeyance of direct orders at worst! Baldy should have been removed from command then and there! Stuart too, with weak and fagged cavalry, deserves great condemnation for his role; had JEB's cavalry charged the entire rear of the Union's line as ordered, better results would have been achieved...Stuart's ill-timed and weak mounted effort were easily rebuffed by young Custer's wolverines: the 6th Michigan. Rather, had Lee listened to Longstreet's call to move around the right and encompass the Union on Cemetary Hill, cut off the Union retreat, the war would have ended at Gettysburg with the ANV dictating terms... there were no significant Union re-supply troops to guard Washington if the more than four Union divisions were bottled at Gettysburg! Lee would have succeeded then and there... but for the first time, Lee countermanded Longstreet. Sorry Coach... I disagree strongly!

But alas... this is not the thread to refight the war is it?

[dreamer]

Zhou Enlai, Premiere of China (doubled as foreign minister too for several years) for 3 decades. Not many people know him in America. But he was the king maker behind both Mao and Deng. Arguably, without him, China could very well be still in a state of chaos.

He died a few months before Mao, when China was still in the midst of the horror known as the Cultural Revolution. But his low profiled but steadfast maneuverings allowed him to put Deng Xiaoping and Ye Jianying in the right positions to clean up the mess after Mao's death. Zhou had been Deng's mentor since day 1 of the revolution. Deng's Open Door policies that have been responsible for much of China's success in the last 30 years are an adapted version of Zhou's Four Modernizations policies.

Zhou Enlai, one of the best national leaders, if not the best, China has seen in at least 400 hundred years.

[striker]

Zhou Enlai is hardly unsung. All Chinese know of him and I would guess that most non-Chinese who have a passing interest in modern China know of him too. I don't know much about his policy or thinking, but he strikes me as the most statesman-like in appearance amongst the Chinese politicians from the last 50 years or so.

[JBigjake]

Good call. Here's more on ol' Stan.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/198173.stm
"I understood that I was taking a big risk." When the computer error was reported, the army began a massive internal inquiry. But instead of being commended for his courage and quick thinking, Petrov was blamed. Once a promising, twice-decorated young officer, Petrov took early retirement from the army and later suffered a nervous breakdown."
I always thought that the USA should have done something for him, even if it was just a green card & medicare.

[Sine Pari]

The Son Tay raiders

[minorthreat]

Zhou Enlai, Premiere of China (doubled as foreign minister too for several years) for 3 decades. Not many people know him in America. But he was the king maker behind both Mao and Deng. Arguably, without him, China could very well be still in a state of chaos.

He died a few months before Mao, when China was still in the midst of the horror known as the Cultural Revolution. But his low profiled but steadfast maneuverings allowed him to put Deng Xiaoping and Ye Jianying in the right positions to clean up the mess after Mao's death. Zhou had been Deng's mentor since day 1 of the revolution. Deng's Open Door policies that have been responsible for much of China's success in the last 30 years are an adapted version of Zhou's Four Modernizations policies.

Zhou Enlai, one of the best national leaders, if not the best, China has seen in at least 400 hundred years.3 decades? I thought it was shorter than that - wasn't Liu Shaoqi originally Premier under Mao?

Speaking of Ye Jianying, though, now there's an unsung hero.

[yasik19]

Name someone who has made a significant contribution to history but almost no one has heard of.

I'll start off with a relatively recent example:

Stanislav Petrov, the Soviet officer who in 1983 disobeyed orders and refused to launch a nuclear attack against the US, even though his computers indicated we had already launced an attack against them.

You can read the rest of the details here:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislav_Petrov

If he had just followed orders many or most of us would be dead.

Wow, never heard of him and i was born there. No surprise that it was kept under the rug though.

[JBigjake]

Wow, never heard of him and i was born there. No surprise that it was kept under the rug though.
Sad, because if he had pushed some different buttons, that really could have been it. I hope he's ok today. The world definitely owes this guy big time.

[pething101]

How about civil rights leader Bob Moses?

He has fascinated me since I took a grad level class on the Civil Rights Movement at Fayetteville State. He gets some mention in most books on the Civil Rights movement but I have never felt he has gotten the credit he deserved.

IIRC, he still works in Mississippi as a math teacher.

[Una Grande Libre]

i wouldn't say hero, but he is never mentioned unless you are in Spain. He has been overshadowed by Magellan. Juan Sebastian Elcano was the man who went around the world first. After Magellan and the rest died, he commanded the remaining men. right now i cant remember where he was born, but I think its around Guipuzcoa or something like that in northern Spain.

the current training ship of the Spanish navy is named after him.

[argentine soccer fan]

I have an unsung hero from Argentine history, probably unknown outside Argentina.

Jackes (Santiago) de Liniers.

In 1806 a British force under the leadership of Viscount William Beresford captured the city of Buenos Aires. The autority, Viceroy Sobremonte, cowardly fled the city. Frenchman Liniers (believe it or not he was a brave Frenchman :D) organized a militia and led it to recapture the the city and defeat the British invaders.

A year later, the British tried again, led by John Whitelocke. Sobremonte fled again, and Liniers once more took over the defense of the city. When the Creole army was defeated, he organized a resistance inside the city which eventually caused the British to withdraw. With Sobremonte discredited, Liniers became interim Viceroy until replaced a year later by the Spanish crown.

His organizing of the militias of Buenos Aires is credited with helping the Creoles develop the confidence which led them, three years later, to revolt against the last Spanish Viceroy, Baltazar Cisneros.

Sadly, after the revolution of 1810, Liniers remained loyal to Spain, organizing counterrevolutionary activities. The man who should have been a hero was eventually captured and executed by the revolutionary leaders of the city he had twice helped saved from invasion.

It is possible that without the actions of Frenchman Jackes Liniers, Argentina might have become an English colony.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/l/liniers.asp

[JBigjake]

It is possible that without the actions of Frenchman Jacques Liniers, Argentina might have become an English colony.
Maybe you would have some decent soccer clubs then!
P.S. Please notice the smiley!

[argentine soccer fan]

Maybe you would have some decent soccer clubs then!
P.S. Please notice the smiley!

Hehe. Perhaps. Some cynical Argentines argue that we should have let the British take over, and we'd have been better off, but at least when it comes to soccer I doubt it. :D

I should add that there is a neighborhood of Buenos Aires named in honor of Santiago de Liniers. The soccer club Velez Sarsfield, which has won the intercontinental cup, hails from Liniers.