Pantheon, a project developed by the Macro Connections group at the MIT University Media Lab that collected and analyzed data on historical

Pantheon, a project developed by the Macro Connections group at the MIT University Media Lab that collected and analyzed data on historical and cultural popularity, tried to give answers to these questions, or at least attempted to. A multiethnic team of decorated designers, engineers, and scientists working collaboratively to quantify, analyze and measure global culture delivered the most academic and enduring list of the most popular and influential human beings in history.

See the list of the most important people in human civilization at http://pantheon.media.mit.edu/rankings/people/all/all/-4000/2010/H15