Based on historical impact (measured by long-term influence on nations, global affairs, or human progress) and book reputation (critical acclaim, depth, readability), here’s a ranked Top 20 Biographies list:
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📖 Ranked Top 20 Biographies (Influence + Quality of Reading)
1–10: Political & Global Leadership
1. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln – Doris Kearns Goodwin
2. Churchill: Walking with Destiny – Andrew Roberts
3. Napoleon: A Life – Andrew Roberts
4. Alexander Hamilton – Ron Chernow
5. Long Walk to Freedom – Nelson Mandela
6. Gandhi: An Autobiography – The Story of My Experiments with Truth – Mahatma Gandhi
7. Peter the Great: His Life and World – Robert K. Massie
8. Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman – Robert K. Massie
9. Golda Meir: Lioness of Judah – Francine Klagsbrun
10. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt – Edmund Morris
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11–17: Industrial & Tech Innovators
11. Ford: The Men and the Machine – Robert Lacey (Henry Ford)
12. Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. – Ron Chernow
13. Elon Musk – Walter Isaacson
14. Steve Jobs – Walter Isaacson
15. Andrew Carnegie – David Nasaw
16. Thomas Edison: A Life of Invention – Paul Israel
17. The Wright Brothers – David McCullough
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18–20: Science & Polymaths
18. Einstein: His Life and Universe – Walter Isaacson
19. Leonardo da Vinci – Walter Isaacson
20. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life – Walter Isaacson
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✅ Ranking Criteria Used
• Global Impact: How much the person changed nations, industries, or human thought.
• Historical Legacy: Influence lasting over decades or centuries.
• Book Quality: Well-researched, critically acclaimed, widely recommended.
• Balance: Political, industrial, and scientific innovators all represented.
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