I submitted this ages ago because the thoughts fascinated me. It went over like a ton of bricks. Only one person answered. I still think it's interesting.

The question is: If you could choose two people to have for dinner, who would they be?

The rules are that the persons must be deceased and more obvious answers like Jesus, family members, etc. are exempt. And the people have to have had some sort of fame.

I have at least 15 people I'd like to include; I working on
narrowing it down to 2.

Is this dumb? If so just tell me. I won't be upset or angry. I will, however, be vindictive and sullen.

Oh, it's almost impossible to narrow it down to two people, but if I had to choose, I'd pick William Shakespeare and Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens.) Oscar Wilde would be a very close third. Pretty obvious choices for an English teacher, but you go with your interests.

Really hard to narrow down the choices, and my first choice is still living, so I'll go with Aboriginal writer and activist Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker)and Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls, formerly Governor of South Australia. Sir Doug was the first Aboriginal person to be knighted, he was an all round athlete and worked with our troubled young people - what a role model !

Any of the less well-known signers of the Declaration of Independence, and Rosa Parks.

Some, like John Adams and Martin Luther King, Jr., are born to be protestors ... rebelling against parents and teachers, since before they could talk. Others protest when they've gotten to that 'last straw' ... sweet, docile people, who were pushed one time too many.

It's the latter that interest me. What gave them the courage, what made them finally say, "Enough!"?

No actual names but a doctor/surgeon from a hundred years ago and a current highly ranked doctor/surgeon just to listen to them discussing then and now.

Can you imagine the look on the face of the old doctor when he was told that now they can cut open a human heart, mend it then start it up again? Then to be able to listen to the difficulties faced way back when.

Very hard to narrow it down, but I'd have a hard time NOT picking John Lennon and Kurt Cobain.

I would have Banjo Paterson who is an Australian bush poet and Don Bradman, cricketer.

Very hard to pick just two.

I think John Kennedy and Elvis Presley would be my top two.

Great answers! I'd pick George Frideric Handel and Marie Antoinette.

Handel because, in my opinion, he was and is the greatest Baroque composer. His compositions are so varied; from lovely, quiet and contemplative works to rousing choruses. Mozart is right up there too, but he was born a genius, Handel worked to become one. He remains popular 270 years after his death.


Marie Antoinette has been so slandered by history. She never said, "Let them eat cake."
She was a dedicated, brave and dignified woman who was sent at age 13 to the vicious court at Versailles by her mother, Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa, to settle A political plot against William of Prussia. In order to do this she needed the backing of Louis XV of France.
Austria and France had been at war for 200 years and France lost; Louis wanted William obliterated too, so a pact was signed. Archduchess Maria Antonia was the pawn; her mother promised her to Louis Auguste, the Dauphin of France. The French were horrified that a former enemy and victor would eventually become their Queen; she was hated before she arrived. L'Autrichein is French for a citizen from Austria' Chienne is French for 'bitch'. he was called '"Autrichienne before she arrived. I find this next bit of history amazing, sad and disgustng, Marie Antoinette was hated becuse she was Austrian, a Queen when monarchies were losing power and was accused of the most scandalous liasons with court males. When Napoleon divorced Josephine because she did not produce chiidren....who does he choose as his second wife? Marie Louise, Marie Antoinette's niece, an Austrian Archduchsss. He elevated her status and power from Queen to Empress. And she was no saint. She dd what the revolutionaries accused their former Queen of - sexual promiscuity. Empress Marie Louise bore several dildren by several men while marrid to Napoleon.

GO FIGURE.

I think I'm going to Copago's for dinner that night !

Charlemagne and Nikola Tesla

When asked this years ago, I remember only one of my choices and I still will choose him: Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain).

As for my other choice, I think I'd like to pick Moses. (You said not Jesus, so Moses is my next choice.)

Winston Churchill and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Pretty tough question... I'd go for Sir Donald Bradman (legendary Australian cricketer) and J.R.R. Tolkien (I'm a big fan of his work). George Harrison would come 3rd.

Dickens and Shakespeare, no contest.

Excellent choice. I'm tempted to gatecrash. I can never make a choice but if I'm allowed to gatecrash yours I'll bring Kenneth Williams with me.

As an aside, I was watching an old Parkinson interview last night and how I wish there were interview shows like that these days. He had 3 guests on and they just sparked and chatted away covering both frivolous and serious topics.

Kenneth Williams, Maggie Smith and John Betjeman. Good mix. If anyone can use the BBC iPlayer it will be on that.

Spike Milligan and Helen of Troy.

Should be some rather strange and interesting conversations.

You'd be most welcome
I wouldn't even want conversation from Banjo, although I'm sure he'd have interesting tales to tell, but he could just recite ballads for me and I'd be happy.

I don't think I could eat a whole person for dinner, much less two. But I do know I wouldn't pick any who have been dead for over 12 hours.

______________________

"When life gives you people, get a bigger blender." -- me

This is a very very tough question. I will put down two here right now, but I may change them after further thought.

So, the two people I would like to meet for dinner....Ste. Jeanne d'Arc and Leonardo da Vinci.

Bobby Sands and JFK.

Bobby Sands would be interesting .. actually I would take any Norther Irishman just for the accent ... or Sean Connery for the same reason.

Alan Turing and Marilyn Monroe

Phil Ochs and Harry Chapin.
I'd make them sing for their supper, and the music would sound good.

Interesting conversation might be had between Hippocrates and Dr Josef Mengele?

Really tough… My first choice is Helen Keller, but the second? Let’s just say this is interesting: I’d not have picked either of these guys had it not been for books I read. So tied for my second choice would be James Garfield and (most interesting of all, and don’t take this out of context—call me curious, nothing more): Khruschev (truth versus all the stuff being parroted around—that’s the only reason I would choose him. History’s vilified the man in more ways than one, but is it really fair?)
.

There are a number of authors I’d love to talk to, as well as one former first lady (Eleanor Roosevelt) and a few fighters for civil rights.

Looking down the list of posts… have to agree about Sean Connery (I could listen to that accent for hours).

Hippocrates I would agree with… Mengele I would throw out because (I try not to do this, but that’s the way it goes) I’m biased by what I’ve heard (I wouldn’t even give him a chance to tell his side of the story—no way).

Well I would chose Napoleon and The Duke of Wellington over for dinner. I am sure that it would be an interesting tete a tete. There are many choices really. My mother in law and Margaret Thatcher, for instance.