Top 10 Richest Men in the World [2011]

No matter what the economic situation is, the rich is getting richer and poor is getting poorer and a recent study by Jeffery Thompson and Elias Leight shows that rich getting richer makes poor poorer. Same has happened with the wealth of these richest men in the world, nine out of ten richest men in the world have gained their wealth compared to last year. The only person who saw a decrease is Indian business tycoon Mukesh Ambani. Here are the ten richest men of the world in 2011.

1) Carlos Slim Helu

Net Worth: $74 Billion

The richest person in the world is Mexico based Carlos Slim Helu with as estimated wealth of $74 Billion. Carlos Slim is CEO and Chairman of América Móvil which account most of his wealth, around $49 Billion. He is also the chairman and CEO of Group Carso, the conglomerate having many companies. He was born in Mexico to Julian Slim (Yusef Salim), a Lebanese Christian in 1940. Slim holds an engineering degree from National Autonomous University of Mexico, interestingly he also taught algebra and linear programming at the same university. wall street in one of their article have mentioned that an average Mexican can’t help but have to deal with a business owned by this 71-year tycoon as his businesses range from telecommunications, banking, hotels, mining, construction and railways, bicycles, airlines to cigarettes, soft-drinks. He is a widower with six children.

2) Bill Gates

Net Worth: $56 Billion

Bill Gates, the former Chairman of Microsoft is the second richest man in the world with an estimated wealth of $56 Billion. He held different positions at Microsoft including Chairman, CEO, chief software architect and is also the largest individual shareholder in Microsoft with more than 8% of the common stock. He remained the richest person in the world for 13 years in a row from 1995 to 2007 and then for another year in 2009. The self-made billionaire is known as Harvard’s most successful dropout. Mr.Gates who will turn 56 next month is now busy working for the Gates foundation, the largest private foundation in the world. He is married with Melinda Gates and has three children.

3) Warren Buffet

Net Worth: $50 Billion

With an estimated wealth of $50 Billion, the 81-year old Warren Buffet who is an American business tycoon, investor and philanthropist is the third richest man in the world. Warren Buffet is the Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, the American conglomerate holding company which is the eighth largest public company in the world and owns many big companies including investments in American Express Company, BYD, The Coca-Cola Company and Kraft Foods. He holds a Master of Science degree in Economics from Columbia Business School and is a self-made billionaire. He has been married twice and has three children.

4) Bernard Arnault

Net Worth: $41 Billion

The fourth richest man in the world is the French businessman Bernard Arnault with an estimated wealth of $41 Billion. He is the CEO and Chairman of LVMH, the French multinational luxury goods conglomerate that owns more than 60 famous brands and subsidiaries including Louis Vuitton, Moët et Chandon , Sephora, TAG Heuer and Fendi. He is also the Chairman of Christian Dior. Bernerd Arnault who holds a degree in engineering is currently the richest person in Europe. The 62-year old has been married twice and has five children.

5) Larry Ellison

Net Worth: $39.5 Billion

Larry Ellison, the 66-year old CEO and Co-founder fo Oracle Corporation has an estimated wealth of $39.5 Billion making him the fifth richest man in the world. Oracle is a computer technology corporation that is famous for developing enterprise software products, database management systems in particular. Ellison did not take the final exams and left University of Illinois during second year after the death of his adoptive mother. He also attended University of Chicago for a term where encountered with the computer design for the first time. Ellison who is a self made billionaire has been married and divorced four times.

6) Lakshmi Mittaldfd

Net Worth: $31.1 Billion

Lakshmi Mittal, the steel tycoon from India based in United Kingdom is the sixth richest man in the world with an estimated wealth of $31.1 Billion. He is the chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal, the largest steel producing company in the world headquartered in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Mr. Mittal who also serves as Director at Goldman Sachs was named Person of the Year by Financial Times in 2007. He started the business as international division of his family business but later branched out of it and started working independently. The 60-year old is a graduate of St.Xavier’s College, Calcutta and is married with two children.

7) Amancio Ortega

Net Worth: $31 Billion

The seventh richest man in the world with an estimated wealth of $31 Billion is Spain based Amancio Ortega. He is co-founder, chairman and holds 59.29% shares of the Inditex Group, a company that owns brands like Zara, Massimo Dutti, Stradivarius, Pull and Bear, Bershka and more. Amancio Ortega is a self-made billionaire who is known for keeping a very low profile. He currently lives with his second wife and has three children. Mr.Ortega who did not have any formal higher education takes a very active part in the production and designing process of his company.

8) Eike Batista

Net Worth: $30 Billion

Eike Batista, the CEO of EBX Group has an estimated wealth of $30 Billion which makes him the eighth richest man in the world. EBX Group is a holding company in Brazil which operates many subsidiary companies in different business sectors, mainly in mining and oil. He is son of Eliezer Batista da Silva who remained head of a mining company Vale for a very long time. Eike Batista who is a self-made Billionaire is a dropout from RWTH Aachen University. He remained married with the famous Brazilian actress Luma de Oliveira for about thirteen years before getting divorce in 2004. The 54-year old has expressed his desire of becoming the richest person in different media interactions.

9) Mukesh Ambani

Net Worth: $27 Billion

Mukesh Ambani, the famous 53-year old Indian business tycoon is the ninth richest man in the world. Mukesh Amabni who is Managing Director and Chairman of Reliance Industries, the largest private sector enterprise in India has an estimated personal wealth of $27 Billion. He dropped out of Stanford (MBA) to help his father Dhirubhai Ambani, the late founder of Reliance Industries in 1981. Mukesh Ambani became the richest person in the world in 2007 in result of a strong rally of Indian Stock Markets. He is currently the second richest person in Asia.

10) Li Ka-shing

Net Worth: $26 Billion

The tenth richest man in the world is Hong Kong based Li Ka-shing with an estimated wealth of $26 Billion. The 83-year old is a self-made businessman and is the chairman of Cheung Kong Holdings, Hutchison Whampoa and Li Ka Shing Foundation. Mr.Li who is a high school dropout was named Asia’s Most Powerful Man in 2001 by Asiaweek. He is also known for his philanthropy and has donated $1.41 Billion till date.

Top 10 Legendary Small People

Just because they’re lesser in height, it doesn’t mean they’re lesser known. From minuscule movie stars to petite pop stars, here’s a list of famous short people through history.

10. Edward Carl Gaedel

Standing at 3”7, Eddie was the world’s shortest pro-baseball player – albeit briefly. Born in Chicago in 1925, “Eddie” aspired to be a sportsman, and managed to secure his debut with the St. Louis Browns in the summer of 1951. Despite being a publicity stunt, his appearance on the plate lead to 18,369 fans giving him a standing ovation. Unfortunately, Gaedel became a heavy drinker and died of a heart attack after being mugged in 1961.

9. Bridget the Midget

Twenty-eight-year old Bridget – born Cheryl Marie Murphy – claims her fame in a slightly more risque industry to our other legendary small people. Idaho-born Bridget is an erotic film actress with a difference – she’s just 3”9. She’s now retired from “adult” acting after appearing in over 100 films, and these days favors more traditional acting roles, including a bit part in 8mm.

8. Danny Woodburn

This 44-year old actor from Philadelphia stands at a mini four foot. However, his height never held back his acting career, and he’s managed to avoid getting pigeonholed in typical “little people” roles either. The star has had parts in Seinfeld, One Tree Hill and CSI, and features in the forthcoming film, Watchmen.

7. Gary Coleman

Gary is most famous for his role as Arnold Jackson in Diff’rent Strokes. The 4”8 actor has since had a few cameos and bit parts on TV series and in films, but is predominantly more famous for his eventful personal life. Such dramas include his televised appearance in a divorce court, a car accident, an assault, and ongoing financial problems.

6. Dolly Parton

Diminutive Dolly may have a big – er – heart, but her height is just five foot. The 62-year old (yes, 62!) became famous for such country ditties as “Jolene” and “I will Always Love You”, and is still singing and song-writing to this day. She is also recognized as a philanthropist, is an accomplished player of the autoharp, banjo, drums, guitar, harmonica and piano, and lest we forget, has her own theme park, Dollywood.

5. General Tom Thumb

The original famous small person – Charles Sherwood Stratton, adopted the stage name of General Tom Thumb after the fabled English legend, who was no bigger than his father’s thumb. The real life version was born in Connecticut, weighing 9 pounds 2 ounces, but only grew to 2”9. He was snapped up by the traveling circus showman P. T. Barnum, and toured the world, becoming stinking rich and meeting his wife – another small person – on the way. He died of a stroke aged 45 in 1883, and over 10,000 friends, fans and family attended his funeral.

4. Wee Man

This Jackass star, whose real name is Jason Bryant Acuña, is just over four foot tall. He was born in Pisa, Italy, to Italian parents, but grew up in Torrance, California. He worked as a subscription manager for a skateboarding magazine after graduating, which saw him become involved with the stunt-crazed Jackass gang. Acuña now does occasional presenting gigs and has appeared on the reality shows Armed and Dangerous and Celebrity Circus.

3. Prince

Prince Rogers Nelson, aka His Purple Majesty, aka The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, or sometimes, just a symbol, is only 5”2. The womanizing extrovert, who has had hits with ‘Purple Rain’, ‘When Doves Cry’ and ‘Beautiful Girl’, is now back in the studio recording his next long-awaited album.

2. Danny Devito

This huge movie star stands at just 4”11 tall. He was born in Neptune, New Jersey, to a middle class family, and decided to go into acting at an early age. After getting his big break in Taxi, Devito went on to star in blockbusters such as Other People’s Money, LA Confidential, Batman and Heist. He continues to act, but also branched into producing, with films such as Pulp Fiction and Erin Brockovich under his belt.

1. Verne Troyer

This 40-year old actor, famous for playing Mini-Me in Austin Powers, is now just as famous for his private antics as his professional. The self-confessed sex addict was the latest celebrity to fall foul of a sex tape scandal, after private moments between him and his former girlfriend, Ranae Shrider, were leaked. He is no stranger to reality TV however, and is currently doing a stint on Celebrity Big Brother UK, where he has been seen getting sozzled on Champagne, flirting with the ladies, and causing havoc on his mobility scooter.

Top 10 Lost Cities In World

10. Pavlopetri Greece

Whenever ‘lost cities’ are discussed Atlantis springs to mind. While there is no strong evidence that Atlantis existed outside of an allegorical tale by Plato many cities have suffered the supposed fate of Atlantis – being swallowed by the sea. Pavlopetri was a town of pre-Classical Greece that was settled in the Stone Age and persisted until ~1000 BC. That the site was submerged has given archaeologists a unique insight into life at the time. Other sites have been built over, or plundered for building material, or ploughed over by farmers, but Pavlopetri is uncontaminated. The town was likely submerged by rising sea levels and subsidence of the ground caused by earthquakes. Since sea levels have fluctuated widely over the course of human existence it is entirely likely that other such sites exist in the world’s oceans awaiting discovery.

9. Cliff palace Colorado

The Pueblo people, the Native Americans of the US southwest, are named for the villages (Pueblos) they construct. While there are still vibrant pueblo communities today, the Anasazi, an ancient pueblo society, flourished between 900 and 1200 AD. ‘Cliff Palace’ was constructed in this Golden age of the Anasazi; dendrochronology dates most of the buildings at the site to ~1200 AD. Occupation of the site was short lived and it was abandoned by 1300 AD. It remained undiscovered in the desert until 1888. While out looking for stray cattle Richard Wetherill, Charles Mason, and an Ute tribesman called Acowitz found the site nestled under a cliff wall. Their accidental discovery turned out to be the largest cliff dwelling in North America. ‘Cliff Palace’ is actually a misnomer as the site is more like a village than what we would understand as a palace. While the reason for the site’s abandonment is not certain the widely accepted theory is that the first of the great droughts, that has been linked to the collapse of the Anasazi golden age, disrupted farming throughout the region.

8. Akrotiri Santorini

The Minoan civilization of Crete is named for the mythical king Minos, builder of the labyrinth. There is scant written material left from the Minoans so we do not know what they called themselves. The entire civilization was largely forgotten until the turn of the 20th century. With the discovery of the great palace at Knossos the glories of the Minoans were rediscovered. Instead of the well known Knossos I have included a Minoan outpost, Akrotiri on the island of Santorini. Santorini, or Thera, is the home of the Thera volcano. It is now thought that the explosion of Thera around 1600 BC, one of the largest eruptions in recorded history, brought about the collapse of the Minoan empire. The discovery of Akrotiri in 1967 brought to light exceptionally well preserved frescos, homes up to three stories high, and a complex planned settlement. The water supply system suggests the people of Akrotiri had access to running hot and cold water, with the hot water provided by the very volcano which would destroy them.

7. Tikal Guatemala

The Mayan city of Tikal was once the capital city of a Mayan kingdom and a major city of the New World. The site was occupied from ~200-900 AD. Thanks to the almost perfect preservation of the city much is known about the grandeur of Tikal at its height as well as the powerful kings who ruled there. While the site is sometimes like other New World ruins listed as ‘mysteriously’ abandoned, research is showing that the land could not support the large number of people congregating in the city. Abandonment occurred over a number of years and the city was left for the jungles to grow over. It seems however, that some locals knew of its existence during those years for rumors of a lost city in the area persisted. The first organized expedition found the city in 1848. What they found was one of the largest surviving New World archaeological sites. There are pyramids up to 70m high, royal palaces, monumental stele and a playing arena for the Mayan ball game.

6. Timgad Algeria

Timgad, or Colonia Marciana Ulpia Traiana Thamugadi to Latinists, is the archetypal lost city from adventure stories. Once a vibrant city founded in the desert on the orders of the emperor Trajan it survived the upheavals of the empire and grew to a large trading city. After being sacked in the 5th century it was reborn as a center of Christian life. A second major sacking in the 7th century by Vandals led to the complete abandonment of the city. That is when the sands of the Sahara covered the site and preserved the city until its rediscovery in 1881. Now the ruins of the city give a brilliant insight into Roman cities of the African provinces. The streets follow a perfect grid, as you would expect from a city built to order. Today at the site you can see the arch of Trajan, the baths and the temple of Jupiter. The temple is as large as that of the pantheon in Rome, showing the importance of the city. A graffito in the forum reads “To hunt, bathe, play games and laugh. This is life.

5. Machu Picchu Peru

No list of lost cities is complete without Machu Picchu. This old Inca city sits on a peak in the Andes. It was only inhabited for a short period of time, likely 1450-1572 AD, before being abandoned as a result of the Spanish conquest of South America. Since Spaniards never found the city, and locals did not reveal its location, Machu Picchu only came to the attention of the West in the early 20th century. Debate still exists as to whether Machu Picchu was a regular settlement, a Royal retreat, or a religious sanctuary. To reach the site itself is now incredibly easy, with regular buses and trains. This has led to worries about the sustainability of large numbers of visitors there. However, given the wonderful views and the ruins themselves it is easy to see why people flock to Machu Picchu.

4. Mohenjo-daro Pakistan

Along with the Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations the Indus Valley civilization is considered one of the world’s earliest. The Indus Valley civilization reached its peak approximately 2000 BC, though was considerably older. Science, writing, trade, crafts, religion, and agriculture all progressed remarkably. The advanced nature of this civilization can be seen at Mohenjo-daro with its ordered streets and drainage system. Unlike other sites on this list there is no obvious palace or temple complex. This has led some to consider the Indus Valley civilization as egalitarian, however we know very little of the people who lived at Mohenjo-daro so such a statement is bold. Flooding of the Indus appears to have destroyed the city at least six times and new cities were built directly on top of the ruins of the previous ones. What caused the final abandonment is not clear but occurred around ~1800 BC and Mohenjo-dar was only rediscovered in 1922.

3. Petra Jordan

The inclusion of Petra may prove controversial as one can question whether it was really lost. It was certainly abandoned, but may have been very well known to locals. At any rate it was lost from Western knowledge for at least a thousand years. The ancient precursor of Listverse, Pliny the Elder, mentions Petra and it was taken into Roman rule in 103 AD. The city in the desert flourished until an earthquake destroyed the vital water system. With other cities available it seems it was easier to just abandon the site than rebuild. From then the site was left to the desert, attracting only curious travelers and grave robbers. Now it is one of the great archaeological sites in the Middle East. The city is half built and half carved from the red rocks of the hills it inhabits. The architecture is a fusion of Roman, Greek and native Nabataean. Really, no small text here can do credit to the remains of this city.

2. Troy Turkey

Sing, O Muse, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus…” So begins the Iliad of Homer, the foundational text of western literature. For all the importance placed in the Iliad it was for a long time thought that Troy was as mythical as Atlantis. Then in 1871 a self-taught classicist, Heinrich Schliemann, funded a dig at a mound in Hissarlik. There – where in ancient time a city called Ilium (named for the Iliad) had stood – they found huge defensive walls of the type described by Homer. As well as the walls of Troy, Schliemann discovered golden jewelry which he displayed as the jewels of Helen. This treasure was once thought lost after the Second World War but was in fact looted by the Soviets and can be found in the Pushkin museum. Modern excavations of the site have revealed the city to be large – large enough to be the basis of the ancient legend. They have also discovered the city was founded in around 3000 BC and destroyed multiple times. Each new city was built on the ruins of the last. There is a lively debate as to which of these layers might relate to the city besieged by the Greeks. Interestingly the mighty walls of the city would have far outstripped any siege weaponry available to the attackers at the time and therefore any siege would be protracted. This is just what the Iliad describes and explains the need for the trickery of the Trojan Horse.

1. Pompeii and Herculaneum Italy

There were some so afraid of death that they prayed to die.” So write Pliny the Younger of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. His uncle, the great elder Pliny, had taken the Roman fleet across the bay of Naples to rescue those people trapped at the foot of the volcano. The expedition would cost the elder Pliny his life as the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum were smothered in ash. The ash, which destroyed so many lives, perfectly preserved the two towns for 1700 years. While we often think of the ancient Romans as inhabiting a flawless world of white marble Pompeii reveals a real town with many features we would recognize today. Political slogans are daubed on walls; “Vote for Lucius Popidius Sabinus!” There is also fruitier graffiti on toilet walls. A mural shows a riot that occurred around the cities amphitheater. The city has been a gold mine for archeologists and is a major tourist site. Unlike the other cities here you can still see some of the inhabitants. Dotted throughout the ruins are the ghostly, and in many cases ghastly, plaster casts of the dead whose bodies left hollows in the ash.

Top 10 Women of the 20th Century

10

Eleanor Roosevelt

Social reformer

Born into wealth, the niece of Teddy Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt might have lived the quiet life of many upper-class women of her day. She married her cousin, Franklin Roosevelt, in 1905, and soon became involved in his political life. This union would shape American politics for a generation. Eleanor was an instrumental part of her husband’s campaigning, especially after his attack of polio. This activity was widely mocked in the press when she continued to speak out on social matters as first lady, a position previously involving only being hostess at the White House. It is tempting to think she learned the concept of being ‘a bully pulpit’ from her uncle Teddy. Eleanor followed her own political agenda as well as supporting her husband. She was a strong and outspoken supporter of African-American rights. She objected to the interring of Japanese-Americans once the US entered World War 2. After FDR’s death, Eleanor served on the UN Commission for Human Rights. She continued to serve the causes she believed in, until her death in 1962. While she held no elected office, she was a wide reaching social reformer who is still quoted often.

9

Ayn Rand

Author/Philosopher

There is no better way to start a quarrel on the internet these days than to mention Ayn Rand. Or, as her detractors call her, ‘Ein reich, win volk, Ayn Rand’, which is at least a good guide to how to pronounce her name, if not reflective of her politics. Why is she here if she is so controversial? No one will deny her influence. Born in Russia and witness to the Soviet revolution she developed a hatred for communism, or any form of government which denied an individual their rights. In the United States she turned her hand to writing, and her novels The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and Anthem developed, in fiction, her philosophy of Objectivism. Objectivism is based on a scientific world view of objective reality, the use of reason in all things, and the absolute right of an individual to govern himself. None of these things seems inherently controversial, but, somehow, the Objectivist philosophy, and Rand herself, are praised and hated with no seeming middle-ground. Her work has influenced economists, business and politicians, and so Ayn Rand is one of the women of the century.

8

Dorothy Hodgkin

Scientist

Dorothy Hodgkin is not a well-known name outside the world of science. While her name may not be familiar, her work has revolutionized biology. X-ray crystallography allows the structures of molecules to be resolved by the diffraction of X-rays. When first given a crystal of pure insulin, X-ray crystallography was still too primitive to allow for the structure to be solved. Through decades of work on other biological molecules the technique was refined until proteins, huge molecules, could have their structures probed. For her work on resolving the structures of biological molecules, Professor Hodgkin was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry, in 1964. Today there are over 75,000 published protein structures and they are used in the aiding of drug design. Protein biochemistry is unthinkable today without the insights of X-ray crystallography.

7

Simone de Beauvoir

Author/Philosopher

I was tempted to give this place to Virginia Woolf but I have, instead, opted for Simone de Beauvoir. I believe her philosophical writings merit the place she has earned in academic circles. Beauvoir was once known as little more than a lover of Sartre – now she is considered an influential existential philosopher whose writings are far more readable than those of her idol. Beauvoir used existential ethical arguments to call for a liberation of women. Beauvoir argues against the notion that without a god to judge us that everything is permitted; instead, she says, without a god to blame for our actions, we are entirely responsible for all our acts. This should lead to a more ethical treatment of our fellow humans. The essay ‘Pyrrhus et Cinéas’ asks questions we each must answer about how we live our lives.

6

Emmeline Pankhurst

Suffragette

“What a pity she wasn’t born a lad.” These were words Emmaline overheard her father say when she was young. From a young age, Emmeline was politically aware and understood that she was treated differently from her brothers. She married Richard Pankhurst, a lawyer who advocated freedom of speech, education reform and women’s suffrage. Their home became a center for radical politics and Emmeline founded the Women’s Franchise League. The WFL disbanded after a year, and Emmeline focused on supporting her husband’s political ambitions. After Richard’s death, in 1897, Emmeline founded the Women’s Social and Political Union. The WSPU focused on direct action to advance the cause of votes for women. As well as speeches and letter writing – tactics which had previously failed – the WSPU took part in demonstrations, graffiti writing, window smashing and members chained themselves to railings. Many members were arrested, including Pankhurst and her daughters, leading many to decry the conditions in prisons. At the breakout of WW1, the WSPU halted all activities to support the war effort. This clever tactic gave them widespread support. In 1918, votes for women over 30 were granted, and Emmeline Pankhurst survived to see the age of suffrage equalized for men and women.

5

Rachel Carson

Environmentalist

Rachel Carson is credited with advancing the cause of environmentalism with her books, particularly ‘Silent Spring’. That book documented her studies on the effects of uncontrolled pesticide use. The food web being what it is, pesticides will tend to concentrate up the food chain to possibly dangerous levels in apex predators. ‘Silent Spring’ is usually cited as instrumental in the banning of DDT, a common insecticide. DDT was used in the clearing of mosquitoes from swamps in an attempt to eradicate malaria. Recent attacks on Carson’s legacy have focused on accusing her of causing needless death from malaria because of the DDT ban. She is also credited with saving several predatory birds from extinction. The evidence seems to be on Carson’s side, but it is indicative of the environmental debates we must decide. Her chief achievement was in bringing environmental issues to the fore of public debate through her books and speeches.

4

Rosa Parks

Civil rights activist

One night, in December, 1955, in Alabama, a black seamstress was trying to get home after a long day of work. When white people boarded the bus she was instructed to vacate her seat and move to the back of the bus. When she refused, the police were called and she was arrested. Later, she would always deny that she refused to give up her seat because she was physically tired. “The only tired I was,” she said, “was tired of giving in.” Rosa Parks’ arrest was not the first such one, but it was used as a rallying cry for civil rights activists. A one-day boycott was called of the bus system in Montgomery on the day of her trial. The boycott would eventually last over a year, and would only end when segregation on the buses did. While never one of the great leaders of the civil rights movement, she did become an icon and continued to speak for the end of segregation. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 1996.

3

Indira Gandhi

Politician

Politicians will always be contentious, however no list of women of the 20th century is complete without Indira Gandhi. She ruled over the world’s most populous democracy for fifteen years. Born the daughter to Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, Indira became a Gandhi by marriage to Feroze Gandhi. After serving in the government as Minister for Information, Indira Gandhi was chosen by the congress party to replace the then Prime Minister after his sudden death. This made her the world’s second female Prime Minister; Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka beat her to the first spot. The first major crisis she faced was the Indo-Pakistan war which created millions of refugees. India beat Pakistan, forcing a surrender of East Pakistan, which led to the formation of Bangladesh. She also led a charge to modernize India, particularly in agriculture as famine was a constant threat. No political career is entirely a triumph, and Indira Gandhi was removed from office by charges of corruption. She was returned to office in 1979, and ruled until assassinated by her own bodyguard.

2

Margaret Sanger

Birth control activist

Sanger may seem an odd choice, but her efforts to popularize birth control have probably materially changed more women’s lives than almost anyone else on this list. Sanger sought to give women control of reproduction for the first time. As a nurse, Sanger saw the effects of self-performed abortions and common deaths during childbirth. She started writing a column; “What every girl should know.” Later, she began to publish the Birth Control Review. This was seen as obscene, and charges were brought against her. Fleeing to Europe, she met and inspired Mary Stopes to start her own contraceptive campaign. The campaigns on both sides of the Atlantic grew and the laws banning the dissemination of information on birth control were overturned. Sanger founded family planning clinics and in old age was a firm proponent of the birth control pill. She remains a controversial figure partly because of her stance on birth control, but also because she was a supporter of eugenics.

1

Marie Curie

Scientist

Marie Curie’s biography is inspiring. Discoverer – with her husband Pierre – of Radium and Polonium, first woman to win a Nobel Prize, only person to win Nobel Prizes in two science fields, first female Professor at the Sorbonne, and refiner of X-ray imaging. What have you done with your day? All of this is the more remarkable when you consider the prejudice that a woman in science would then face. After graduating from the Sorbonne, Curie was unable to find work in her native Poland. In 1895, she married Pierre, and one of the most successful scientific collaborations was formed. Together, they toiled on research in the new field of radioactivity (a word they coined). When Pierre died, run over by a carriage, she continued their work and took over his teaching post. After the awarding of her Nobel Prizes she became a famous face of science, and used her influence to get funding for research into radioactivity. When the First World War came she purified the radium needed for X-ray machines and drove the trucks to the front lines herself. Unfortunately, her long years of work with radioactive elements, before the dangers of ionizing radiation were discovered, weakened her health and caused her death, in 1934. Her daughter, Irène, continued to work on radioactivity, and was, herself, awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry (alongside her own husband), in 1935.

Top 10 Mobile Phones in India

1) HTC Desire
HTC Desire is the best phone in the market so it got the Rank 1. It got everything you could ask for Multitouch, A big screen, reasonably good backup and a dam good typing keyboard. even though it's virtual and on-screen but it type as correct as physical one.

2) Samsung Galaxy S
Samsung Galaxy S is the Just one rank behind the top phone in the market.

Samsung galaxy S has 4 inch 480x800 pixel Super AMOLED wide-screen , capacitive touch-screen display, a good 5 mega-pixel camera with video Recording and a front facing VGA camera.

Yet the best thing about this phone is it's graphics. It's Super AMOLED screen uses 30% less batter and deliver 80% sharp images. It's screen gives absolutely clear view in the Sun.It's gr...
3) Sony Xperia X10
Sony Xperia X10 is comfortably placed at No 3.

Sony Xperia X10 got a 8.1 MP camera and a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU. It's back side camera is the one of the best in class. In fact this the the highest resolution camera on any android phone in the market

It's an android based phone and supports DVD wide-screen resolution. The possible connection speeds in this set is up to HSDPA (3G+).
4) iPhone 3GS
IPhone 3GS is Ranked at no 4.

Even though the new model of this phone has arrived in the USA and some other European markets but in India it's still a class phone and catches every eye.

The look and feel of this phones remains the best sticky feature for it's buyers....
5) HTC Legend
An Android Phone from HTC is at Rank 5. It 126 grams in weight and run by Android 2.1 Eclair OS with with HTC Sense technology.

This one is fixed with mega-pixel colour camera with auto focus and flash It do widescreen photo capture and geotagging. The built in memory of this phone is 512 MB with 384 MB in RAM. It also supports 32 GM microsSD card like HTC wildifre.

This phone have Facebook integration by default other then this it got ...
6) Samsung Wave
Samsung Wave is doing good at Rank 6 majority attributed to it's beautiful Super AMOLED screen and the Android OS....
7) Nokia N8
Nokia N8 is the latest and top end phone from Nokia. And we have placed it at the Rank 7.

This phone is based on Symbian ^3 OS for Nokia. It got large 12 MP sensor and Carl Zeiss optics lens with Xenon flash. It also got HDMI connection port, so that means you will be able to plug-in your high quality images and the video from your phone directly into your TV, Laptop and monitor etc.

The screen size of this phone is 3.5" which shows 640x36...
8) HTC HD2
And the the best windows mobile based phone in the market and it again comes from the HTC. It is powered

by 1GHz Snapdragon processor with 512 MB internal memory and 448 MB RAM....
9) HTC Wildfire
HTC wildfire is an Android based smart phone. It runs on Android 2.1 (Eclair) with HTC Sense and it's CPU

processor speed is 528 MHz.

This phone got 512 mb of ROM and 384 mb RAM. It got one microSD card slot and it's capacity is up to 32GB.

It got 5 MP back side camera with auto focus and flash with geo-tagging. It's battery is reasonably good with 1300

mAh capacity. It also got all other basic connectivity features like GPRS, EDGE, Wi-F...
10) Nokia E71
At No 10 is the e71 from Nokia and they have sold a lot of these devices in India. It got 3.1 Mega-pixels backside

camera camera and a very nice metallic body with equally good buttons. It got microSD card slot with support up

to 8GB. It got all the regular connectivity option ranging from Bluetooth to 3G.

It runs on ARM 11 369 MHz processor with 128 MB RAM and 110 MB storage.

Overall this is a very nice looking phone with reasonably good ...