THE PREMISE
One table. Twenty seats.
If I could sit down for a drink and a real conversation with twenty people from history,
these are the people I would invite. The reasons are all over the map: leadership,
politics, science, aviation, philosophy, art, war, faith, invention and plain old curiosity.
An important distinction
This is not a ranking of greatness, morality or admiration. It is a list of people
I would want the chance to question, listen to, challenge or hear tell their own story.
01
Abraham Lincoln
The Civil War, preserving the Union, leadership, politics and his famously dry sense of humor. I suspect this conversation could last all night.
02
George Washington
What did the first president really think about the country he helped create — and what would he make of the country it became?
03
Adolf Hitler
Not admiration. I would want to confront one of history’s most destructive figures and understand how he rationalized his ideology, decisions and crimes.
04
John F. Kennedy
The Cold War, Cuba, the space race, the presidency and the questions that still surround one of America’s most analyzed political eras.
05
Ronald Reagan
Hollywood, the presidency, the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the stories. Reagan seems like someone who could keep a table entertained for hours.
06
Richard Nixon
Watergate would obviously come up, but so would China, Vietnam, foreign policy and the complicated personality behind a fascinating presidency.
07
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The Great Depression, the New Deal, World War II and what it was like leading the country through two enormous crises.
08
Benjamin Franklin
Scientist, inventor, diplomat, writer, politician and professional troublemaker. This might be one of the livelier drinks on the list.
09
Thomas Edison
Invention, entrepreneurship, competition, electricity and the difference between the Edison of the history books and the actual man.
10
William Shakespeare
First question: how much did you actually write? After that, literature, theater and several centuries of people analyzing every damn word.
11
Pope John Paul II
Poland, communism, faith, world travel, the Cold War and his influence during one of the most consequential periods of the twentieth century.
12
Ulysses S. Grant
The Civil War, Lee, Reconstruction, the presidency and what history has gotten right — and wrong — about him. We may monitor the bar tab.
13
Winston Churchill
World War II, Britain, Roosevelt, politics, leadership and enough wit to make this one of the more entertaining evenings on the list.
14
Walt Disney
Animation, creativity, risk, business, theme parks and one obvious question: what would Walt think of the company carrying his name today?
15
Neil Armstrong
Apollo 11 alone earns him a seat. I would want to hear what walking on another world actually felt like from the man who took the first step.
16
Amelia Earhart
Aviation, exploration, breaking barriers and — yes — eventually I would have to ask exactly what happened on that final flight.
17
Aristotle
Philosophy, ethics, government, science, education and human behavior. It would be fascinating to introduce an ancient thinker to the modern world.
18
Albert Einstein
Relativity would only be the beginning: science, nuclear weapons, war, politics, religion and how one of history’s great minds viewed humanity.
19
Marie Curie
A pioneering scientist, two Nobel Prizes, radioactivity, perseverance and succeeding in a scientific world hardly designed to welcome women.
20
Leonardo da Vinci
Artist, engineer, inventor and anatomist — a mind that seemed centuries ahead of everyone else. There might not be enough hours in the evening.
FIRST ALTERNATE
Mark Twain
Probably the funniest evening on the list. If anybody above cancels, Twain gets the chair immediately.
