Who will we remember 400 years from now?

[End on a Hinote]

After doing some research on Shakespeare years ago I learned that he was, while popular, not nearly as famous as he is today nor could anyone have predicted in his time that he would ever be so.

It makes me wonder, who in the modern entertainment world do you think will be recognized (if anyone at all) four or five centuries from now? Will we be learning about the great works of Steven Spielberg like we do with W.S. today? What about Stephen King? John Lennon?

It's not so much about who will be remembered or forgotten, but who's legacy will skyrocket past their current reputation?

Click to read more...

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Off the top of my head...Wyld Stallyns!

 

[The Shadow]

Maybe Bill Gates - but that is a long time from now - mainly the individual behind having everyone with computers in their homes which was the start of the information age much like Henry Ford is to manufacturing

Who do we remember from 400 years ago?

 

[b1e9a8r5s]

I would recommend the book, What if We Were Wrong, by Chuck Klosterman. It doesn't definitively answer your question but it does discuss the idea of how things are remembered versus how things happen. A very good read.

Here's a link to an exert from the book to give you an idea of what it's about...
http://lithub.com/we-were-wrong-about-gravity-what-do-we-have-wrong-today/

 

[Bjorn Le]

It's hard to compare anything like fame from previous eras. We live in a world now where almost everything is meticulously recorded. Unless there is some sort of apocalypse, people in 2417 should have a pretty good idea of what was popular and important during the 20th and 21st centuries. There won't be many examples of people that are celebrated that were essentially unknowns today, because if you have a public persona it is impossible to be unknown.

 

[b1e9a8r5s]

It's hard to compare anything like fame from previous eras. We live in a world now where almost everything is meticulously recorded. Unless there is some sort of apocalypse, people in 2417 should have a pretty good idea of what was popular and important during the 20th and 21st centuries. There won't be many examples of people that are celebrated that were essentially unknowns today, because if you have a public persona it is impossible to be unknown.

While this is true, there will be documented criticism and appreciation in real time, I think what can change is what people appreciate or there perception of things. The Klosterman book talks about this a lot. We view history through the times we live in and what we value today. But what society values in 400 years could be significantly different and therefore they might retroactively value some people/discovery/event/etc differently than it was in the present.

 

[Bee Sheriff]

Henry Ford and Steve Jobs

Maybe Elon Musk if he manages to get any of his boring and Mars stuff done.

 

[John Price]

Pvris

 

[End on a Hinote]

I would recommend the book, What if We Were Wrong, by Chuck Klosterman. It doesn't definitively answer your question but it does discuss the idea of how things are remembered versus how things happen. A very good read.

Here's a link to an exert from the book to give you an idea of what it's about...
http://lithub.com/we-were-wrong-about-gravity-what-do-we-have-wrong-today/

Thanks for the suggestion! Will for sure check it out

 

[Fantomas]

Tim Allen, for sure.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

O.J. Simpson

 

[Jumptheshark]

drumpf

 

[themightyquinn]

Too hard to predict since the genre changes too frequently for "popular" music.

But that being said, I honestly think Lennon & McCartney have a chance to be remembered and appreciated in the same way Beethoven and Mozart are today.

 

[Eisen]

Too hard to predict since the genre changes too frequently for "popular" music.

But that being said, I honestly think Lennon & McCartney have a chance to be remembered and appreciated in the same way Beethoven and Mozart are today.

The music is far less complex, though. I don't see it.

 

[Bubba Thudd]

Hitler

 

[2CHAINZ]

Mia Khalifa

 

[Lshap]

While this is true, there will be documented criticism and appreciation in real time, I think what can change is what people appreciate or there perception of things. The Klosterman book talks about this a lot. We view history through the times we live in and what we value today. But what society values in 400 years could be significantly different and therefore they might retroactively value some people/discovery/event/etc differently than it was in the present.

Excellent point. For example, if climate change science is right, our descendants 400 years from now will be venerating those who were at the forefront of recognizing the problem. Who knows -- Al Gore might be seen as this generation's visionary.

Bill Gates will always be a known figure, but populating the planet with operating systems won't have as much cachet centuries from now when software and hardware will have evolved exponentially. The internet itself, however, will be viewed historically as the second Big-Bang, and anyone associated with its initial social explosion will be up there with our greatest inventors. Zuckerman's social media trumps Gates/Jobs platforms.

 

[kihei]

Donald Trump, unfortunately. I think he will be a big deal for historians of the future (not to mention sociologists, psychiatrists, political and cultural theorists, and educators) as his baffling level on irresponsibility, ineptitude and boorishness sets himself apart from other politicians virtually anywhere and will invariably make him fun to research. Who knows, by the time he is through, he could also be remembered for marking the starting point of a second Civil War in the States or for using nuclear weapons out of pique. There will be a lot of meat on those orange bones, I'm afraid.

The Beatles: I think that their status as song writers will eventually be recognized as on a par with that of Schubert.

 

[kmad]

Steven Spielberg
The Beatles
Rolling Stones
Michael Jackson

possibly David Bowie when we get to Mars and find him still alive there, terraforming a bio-dome for everyone

 

[Led Zappa]

Steven Spielberg
The Beatles
Rolling Stones
Michael Jackson

possibly David Bowie when we get to Mars and find him still alive there, terraforming a bio-dome for everyone

If you're gonna go that route, you're missing Elvis.

 

[kmad]

If you're gonna go that route, you're missing Elvis.

I agree with this

 

[Cor]

I probably won't remember anyone

 

[Buckets and Gloves]

Arnold Schwarzenegger

 

[ClassLessCoyote]

Charles Manson
John Wayne
I doubt any of the Youtubers will be remembered.

 

[Trap Jesus]

Jake Paul