re: In your opinion, who was the greatest leader in history?

It's really hard to argue against the Founding Fathers, and pick Washington out of them if you need just one, IMO.

When you look at how long the odds of America surviving the first 50 years of its existence were, and then recognize that we've become the most powerful and prosperous, and one of the most free, states in world history, in large part due to the leadership they exhibited during America's creation and infancy, it's a clear answer IMO.

I don't really agree with the religious leaders presented in here either, a lot of people worship them centuries after their lives but how much of that is their direct work? When Jesus died his following was maybe a hundred people strong. Constantine, several popes and medieval leaders, and several colonial rulers brought more people to Christianity than Jesus himself did.

I think the proliferation of Christianity speaks to Jesus's resume as a great philosopher, and if this thread were asking for that I could see Jesus being picked. But leader... not so sure. The power Jesus still holds today isn't in his leadership when he was alive, but the ideas that outlived him.