From Hate To Love With Time

It’s amazing how history can distort people’s opinions. People who were hated, despised, or feared by their contemporaries are idolized hundreds of years later. These are Artists, Activists, Kings, and Revolutionaries who just so happened to be unpopular during their time.

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1. Galileo Galilei

Galileo sparked controversy with the Catholic Church when he said that the Earth revolved around the sun. He ended up under house arrest for the last years of his life as a result. Today he is regarded as the father of modern science.

Justus Sustermans on Wikimedia

2. Joan of Arc

15th-century France was not too kind to teenage girls leading armies. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake as a result of her “insanity.” Today she is a hero of France.

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3. Vincent van Gogh

Van Gogh sold only one painting during his lifetime. Many viewed him as madness and a difficult man. His paintings are worth millions today and his emotions are praised.

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4. Socrates

Socrates was sentenced to be executed by the government of Athens. They felt he was asking too many questions and wanted him to stop. Today he is known as one of the fathers of philosophy.

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5. Martin Luther

When Luther nailed his list of concerns to the church door he was surely annoyed. He found himself ostracized by his peers and the Catholic Church. Many today praise him for his courage to stand up to the church.

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6. Oscar Wilde

Victorian society found Oscar Wilde’s humor rude and offensive, sentencing him to prison for “gross indecency.” His enemies made sure no one would hire him when he got out. Today he is praised for his wit, daring personality, and literary masterpieces.

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7. Rosa Parks

The story of Rosa Parks is one that gets retold wrong in some instances. She was looked at as a rebel who did not want to give up her seat to a white person, when in reality, she had every right to sit on that bus after a long and tiring day of work. Today, she is an icon for rights for people of all colors.

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8. Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson spent most of her life at home, unseen by the world. People in her time viewed her poems as bizarre when they did read them. Dickinson is now celebrated as one of America’s best poets ever.

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9. Nikola Tesla

Whenever Tesla came up with a bright idea, people laughed at him. He lived much of his life in poverty while Edison stole his ideas. He is now credited as one of the visionaries of the modern world.

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10. Harriet Tubman

Escaping slaves were usually met with justice in the south. Because she helped so many escape, Harriet Tubman was considered dangerous and rebellious. Today she is recognized as a hero who helped free so many people.

Horatio Seymour Squyer on Wikimedia

11. Charles Darwin

Evolution was not accepted readily in Charles Darwin’s time. Many viewed him as trying to take God out of the classroom. Many modern schools begin their studies with his theory of evolution.

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12. Frida Kahlo

Mexican culture was shocked by Frida Kahlo’s unusual behavior in the early 1900s. They viewed her lifestyle and art as outrageously feminist. Feminists around the world today praise her as one of their own.

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13. Marie Curie

When Marie Curie was researching radiation, her fellow scientists were not very supportive. Many of her colleagues believed women should not be in the sciences. Today she is praised as one of the greatest scientists to have ever lived.

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14. Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln wasn’t always popular, especially not in his time. Many viewed him as a northern punk who wanted to abolish slavery. Today he is cherished as one of America’s best leaders.

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15. Walt Whitman

When Walt Whitman began writing about intimacy, it was kind of a big deal. No one had been openly writing about such things as the human body. Today he is praised for being so accepting of human desire.

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16. Susan B. Anthony

Anthony was received as a rebel when she began campaigning for women’s right to vote. They viewed women’s right to vote as unnatural, even for Anthony. Many people today praise her as one of the leaders of women’s rights.

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17. Ludwig van Beethoven

Music lovers in Beethoven’s time liked their music to follow the rules. Beethoven was criticized for playing with convention and having a quick temper. Many today view him as one of the greatest musicians of all time.

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18. Malcolm X

Many African Americans were upset with Malcolm X’s inflammatory speeches. White America found his idea of black empowerment threatening. Today he is praised as one of the great fighters for equal rights.

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19. Claude Monet

When impressionist art first began, critics ridiculed Monet. They thought impressionist painting was sloppy and uncompleted art. Today his paintings are loved the world over and started a revolution.

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20. Anne Frank

Anne Frank didn’t exactly make a difference in the world when she was hiding from the Nazis. That was because she got silenced by the tragedy that was happening around her. It took years after her life ended for people to see how important her diary was.

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