LOL: A blast from the past. If you could meet any historical figure who would it be? Why?

“I would probably meet Mary Wollstonecraft because she seemed so ahead of her time and her view on women’s rights is inspiring.” Meghan Brennan, 10

“If I had to meet any historical figure, it would probably be Theodore Roosevelt. Why? Because I really want to ride on the back of his horse, through the Smithsonian, so I could feel like I was in the night of the museum movie.” Ryan Howe, 11

“Oohh! I would meet Queen Liliuokalani, the last queen of Hawaii, because I’d want to know the native Hawaiian side of the story.” Alex Ahooja, 12

“I’d want to meet Pocahontas because there’s very little known about her, yet she changed a lot of perspectives on racial barriers. She was the first foreign convert to Christianity and was half of the world’s first interracial marriage, but historians can’t even agree on what her actual name was.” Elise Unger, 10

“I would want to meet Charles Chaplin, because his acting and performing skills are an inspiration to me.” Ryan Wehmueller, 10

“Edgar Allen Poe. I find him very interesting and would like to discuss his struggles with him.” Alex Brown, 9

“I’d say Cleopatra because most of the world’s perspective of her was based off of men who hated her. Even though she was Greek, she understood Egypt so well that she met the people at their level and led them back to prosperity. A lot of her accomplishments weren’t recorded because men like Caesar were mad that she was an empowered woman.” Jacqueline DeSantis, 12

“I would want to meet Charles Darwin, because I would want to know of his travels, how he came to his conclusions and what it was like living in a world that was unknown to most people at the time.” Emma Wood, 12

“I would like to meet Walt Disney. He had a great influence in society, and I think it’d be interesting to know what his motivations were and how he turned his ideas into reality.” Michelle She, 11

“Wow, this sounds really nerdy, but I’d want to meet Jonas Salk, the discoverer of the polio vaccine. He wanted only to help people and refused to patent it — so people would be able to afford it — since he didn’t want to make a profit.” Samiksha Ramesh, 11

“I would meet George Washington as he was our first president and had a major influence on our way to govern as a nation and set the standards and bars for achievement. Overall, he was a very important figure in history.” Samantha Ryder, 9

“I think Benjamin Franklin because he had so many ideas about so many things, and I think he would be really interesting to talk to.” Avery Isaacs, 12

“I think I’d go with Harriet Tubman; she risked her lives to save others. She not only escaped from slavery but continually made trips back to save other people. She’s the type of person that others should look up too.” Cheryl Carter, 10

“Franklin D. Roosevelt. I could ask him all about being a strong leader and repairing an economy.” Grant Kirkpatrick,12

“Hmm… I think Jackie Kennedy because she is a style icon, the epitome of grace. I would have so many questions to ask her about being married to JFK, and I would ask to borrow her pink two piece skirt set.” Clara Stojnic, 11

“I would say William Wallace just because I really aspire to bring about change like he did, except just not through violence, but change nonetheless!” Quintin Johnston, 10

“Let’s go with… Plato. I feel like he’s one of those people who would blow your mind every time he spoke.” Dominck Sullivan, 10

“First and foremost, I have to say I’d want to meet someone rather unorthodox. I’d want to meet King Louis XVI. I know what you’re thinking — ‘that’s really weird’ — but he pretty much helped propel the French Revolution. I would love to be able to talk to him about his views and ideas at the time and contrast them with the ideas about him in the modern era. There were a lot of influences that he had, as well as a lot of assumptions about his character and personal life. I believe that talking to King Louis XVI would be an amazing, awesome experience because I could find out many things about his personal character that may have led to foreshadow insight into the psyche of the King and some of the things that helped drive the French Revolution.” Liam Bryant, 10

“I’d love to meet John Dryden in the past. He made a new rule in 1672, and we haven’t been able to end a sentence with a preposition since. I would just go back in 1671, and follow him around. The plan would be to use any force necessary to assure he could not ruin the English Language for humanity in the times beyond.” Alex DeTaboada, 10

“I’d meet Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress, because she was a politician before it was legal for all women to vote, meaning she probably has some amazing stories to tell.” Elyse O’Neill, 12

“I think J.R.R. Tolkien, because his influence arises from imagination and beauty; he (over other figures) has most personally influenced me.” Jackson Brians, 12

“Audrey Hepburn has always been an icon of mine. She received very little support in her life, but she was also a very independent.” Kaitlyn Joe, 12.

“I would meet Nelson Mandela because he was a human rights activist who inspired millions across the world to create peace with one another.” Sarah Morgan, 9

“Rosa Parks. She was such an influential woman. As an African American woman, she overcame so many stereotypes and the discrimination to better the world.” Veronica Bray, 11

“Marilyn Monroe, and I think that doesn’t need an explanation. But I would probably want to meet Vlad the Impaler; Dracula is based off of his life story. If I could secure my safety, I would definitely want to meet him — or Sun Tzu, the author of Art of War. Sun Tzu is considered the smartest general of all time. Who wouldn’t wanna meet him? Learn his tactics and etc.” Sam Nejad, 11

“I’d like to meet Jesus because I have a feeling he knows a lot of stuff about everything, or Sun Tzu because I really liked his book.” Michael Apostol, 11