Friedrich Nietzsche
1844–1900 · German · Late 19th Century
Known for: Proclaimed 'God is dead,' developed the Übermensch, and went insane hugging a horse—then his Nazi sister ruined his legacy
A classical philology prodigy, professor at 24. He suffered chronic migraines and near-blindness, resigned his professorship, and spent a decade wandering Europe alone, writing in cheap boarding houses.
He collapsed in Turin in 1889, possibly from syphilis, spending his last 11 years in mental darkness. His sister Elisabeth manipulated his works to support Nazism—a grotesque distortion.
Browse all 1,000 figures by category
Enable JavaScript to view the full "if they lived today" Q&A and personality profile.