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Was He The Most Famous Person On Earth?

Gatesy2006

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I've read numerous times over the years that MJ was the most famous person on earth that wasn't named Jesus, but is there an official award or any announcement on the matter?
 
Gatesy2006 said:
I've read numerous times over the years that MJ was the most famous person on earth that wasn't named Jesus, but is there an official award or any announcement on the matter?
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Well it isn't exactly something you can easily measure so no, there hasn't been any announcement or award of some sort... unless Sony/MJ's people etc used it for something PR related. As for how big he was, Wikipedia sums it up rather well: "Called the King of Pop, his contributions to music and dance, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades."

There is little doubt that Michael Jackson was one of the most famous persons on this earth throughout his lifetime. I would also in all honesty say that he was perhaps the most famous person in the world throughout the 1980s. You can absolutely say he is up there with other big figures of the 20th century such as Princess Diana, Martin Luther King, The Beatles, Elvis, Adolf Hitler, Nelson Mandela etc.

There was a tiny thread a while ago on this matter here.
 
I don't think Jesus should count because nobody knows if he really existed
 
analogue said:
I don't think Jesus should count because nobody knows if he really existed
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I'm not Christian and the last thing I want to have is a religious debate (because that is going to go nowhere), but there is near unanimity among scholars that Jesus existed historically if you read the last paragraph of the intro here. Of course, all the minor details past the point of his existence are constantly debated.

Personally, I would count him.
 
Gatesy2006;4088194 said:
I've read numerous times over the years that MJ was the most famous person on earth that wasn't named Jesus, but is there an official award or any announcement on the matter?
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I doubt if there is an answer for that question because there were also some other famous personalities as well (Shakespeare, Einstein, Piccaso, Hitchcock, Mozart, Beethoven, Columbus, Graham Bell, etc…).
 
Jesus of Nazareth seems impossible to beat, but remember that very large parts of this planet are not populated by christians.
Ask average christians what they know about central figures of other major religions. Often it's not much ~ next to nothing.
But Michael was / is global.
 
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Electro;4088209 said:
Jesus of Nazareth seems impossible to beat, but remember that very large parts of this planet are not populated by christians.
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Non-Christians (Muslims, etc…) know about Jesus.
 
I believe he was (and still is) the most famous contemporary musician/pop star/celebrity on earth.
 
mj_frenzy said:
I think along with Elvis Presley.
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Elvis is not as famous as MJ IMO. Think of Africa for example. But like said earlier in this thread the level of fame is hard to measure or even define. In the age of mass media and globalization I am sure there are a number of celebrities that everyone with a TV or Internet connection has heard of. Popularity is another matter.
 
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respect77 said:
Elvis is not as famous as MJ IMO. Think of Africa for example. But like said earlier in this thread the level of fame is hard to measure.
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He's definitely not as famous as MJ. He might be a competition inside USA but not outside of it.
 
mj_frenzy;4088208 said:
I doubt if there is an answer for that question because there were also some other famous personalities as well (Shakespeare, Einstein, Piccaso, Hitchcock, Mozart, Beethoven, Columbus, Graham Bell, etc…).
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These are mostly famous names, not famous personalities.
 
InvincibleTal said:
He's definitely not as famous as MJ. He might be a competition inside USA but not outside of it.
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If Elvis Presley had the advantage of technology (easier access to his music, movies etc..), he would have been even more famous globally.
 
mj_frenzy said:
If Elvis Presley had the advantage of technology (easier access to his music, movies etc..), he would have been even more famous globally.
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Elvis Presley does enjoy all the advantages of technology. I mean his music is on Spotify, his videos are on YouTube, his image and likeness is used in movies etc. It's not like his work is buried under some rock in this age of technology just because he lived two decades earlier. In fact, technology helps to spread his work as well. And again, Elvis is mainly popular in Western cultures (USA, and Europe to a lesser extent). Those cultures are not the whole world.
 
Since there's absolutely no reliable evidence Jesus actually existed, he might be the most famous fictional character. (until there is, we can argue about it)

Michael is without a doubt the most famous artist of our era and can compete with other artists of different fields who were born before him such as Michelangelo, DA Vinci, Shakespeare, Mozart, Beethoven, etc.

Elvis is only famous in the western culture. Michael is still famous in the 5 continents, even a tribe from the Amazon when they were asked who knew who he was, all of them raised their hand.
 
respect77 said:
Elvis Presley does enjoy all the advantages of technology. I mean his music is on Spotify, his videos are on YouTube, his image and likeness is used in movies etc. It's not like his work is buried under some rock in this age of technology just because he lived two decades earlier. In fact, technology helps to spread his work as well. And again, Elvis is mainly popular in Western cultures (USA, and Europe to a lesser extent). Those cultures are not the whole world.
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Elvis never had a problem of accessibility. He did more movies and has more than 150 records out. That's more than Michael has.
 
well, even in Afghanistan during the war, soldiers said they were surprised that MJ was known there. Don't even compare Elvis to MJ globally. Not everyone speaks English , nor they enjoy western music but who was not mesmerized by MJ's moonwalk?! by his dance moves? the man was and is mesmerizing.
 
I wouldn't discount David Beckham either, especially during the 1990s and early 2000s. I don't think there are a lot of people around the world who don't know who he is or what he does.
 
Snow White luvs Peter Pan;4088229 said:
Michael is still famous in the 5 continents, even a tribe from the Amazon when they were asked who knew who he was, all of them raised their hand.
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I agree that there are rural places around the world where MJ is more famous than Elvis Presley. But, I think it shouldn’t be that the only criterion.

InvincibleTal;4088231 said:
Elvis never had a problem of accessibility. He did more movies and has more than 150 records out. That's more than Michael has.
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That type of accessibility cost people a lot of money.
 
LindavG said:
I wouldn't discount David Beckham either, especially during the 1990s and early 2000s. I don't think there are a lot of people around the world who don't know who he is or what he does.
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What about Michael Jordan?
 
LindavG said:
I wouldn't discount David Beckham either, especially during the 1990s and early 2000s. I don't think there are a lot of people around the world who don't know who he is or what he does.
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This reminds me of the fact that I think out of current celebrities Cristiano Ronaldo has the most followers on Facebook. Never underestimate the power of football. That's one aspect of fame, of course. (And BTW, Michael has a lot more followers than Elvis or even the Beatles - just to point out. Actually, I think it's Bob Marley who has the second most followers among celebrities who are not here any more.)
 
respect77 said:
This reminds me of the fact that I think out of current celebrities Cristiano Ronaldo has the most followers on Facebook. Never underestimate the power of football. That's one aspect of fame, of course. (And BTW, Michael has a lot more followers than Elvis or even the Beatles - just to point out. Actually, I think it's Bob Marley who has the second most followers among celebrities who are not here any more.)
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Yes, Cristiano Ronaldo is also a good candidate but I think David Beckham was even more famous, for reasons that have little to do with his athletic skills.
 
InvincibleTal said:
What does that have to do with anything?
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I am not saying (or implying) that Presley would have been more famous than MJ because of technology. They lived in different periods, so any comparison is, in my opinion, pointless.

But, it goes without saying that modern technology offers indisputably more effective & broader exposure & Elvis Presley missed that opportunity.
 
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