1. Albert Einstein
Born: 14 March 1879, Ulm, Germany
Died: 18 April 1955
Albert Einstein is recognised as one of the greatest physicist to date. His theories on relativity continue to shape our undersanding of the universe. He is best known for his theory; E = mc2.
Some of his most famous quotes are:
"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
His famous facial hair is his moustache, which was as wild as his hair. Maybe he should've applied a little moustache wax to keep it tidy!
2. Marcus Aurelius
Born: 26 April 121 AD, Rome, Italy
Died: 17 March 180 AD
Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor, ruling from 161 - 180 AD. Many would argue that he was Rome's greatest emperor, seeing to the fact that he was as much of a philosopher as he was a ruler. Some of his most famous quotes can be seen below:
"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth."
"You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."
"Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking."
His thoughts and philosophies can be read today; his most famous work being his book, Meditations.
He is played by the late and great Richard Harris in 2000's Gladiator.
Although there are no photos of him (duh) there are many busts that were commissioned during his reign, all of which depict him with a glorious beard that reflect the greatness of the man himself. I wonder if he ever used beard oil...
3. Henry VIII
Born: 28 June 1491, Palace of Placentia
Died: 28 January 1547
Henry Tudor was arguably the most famous of all the English kings. He is best known for his 6 wives, his love of food and the separation of the Church of England from the papal authority.
He emanates the stereotype of the bearded king with his regal mane. We wonder if he shampooed his beard after he feasted...?
4. Father Christmas
Born: ?
Died: ?
A.K.A - Santa Claus, St. Nicholas etc. Okay so this one may be somewhat fictional (or maybe not!) but for the sake of his beard, we cannot leave him out of this list.
Santa Claus was first seen in England midway through the 17th century, after the English Civil War. He was intended, as he is today, to be a symbol of all things Christmas-y. Originally he was connected with feasting and merry making, it wasn't until the Victorian era that the connection with bringing gifts began.
With such a long and full beard, we would recommend that Mr. Claus ensures he runs a comb through that beard!
5. Charles Darwin
Born: 12 February 1809, The Mount, Shrewsbury
Died: 19 April 1882
Charles Darwin; Geologist, biologist and naturalist. Most famous for his theory of evolution, which has become an extremely popular explanation ( and accepted as fact by many) for how life came to be as it is today. He devised his theory during his voyage round the world, collecting fossils and examaning many different life forms. Some of his popular quotes are:
"A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life."
"In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed."
He may not have ended up with much hair on top, but he had a memorable beard.
6. Colonel Sanders
Born: 9 September 1890, Henryville, Indiana, United States
Died: 16 December 1980
Born Colonel Harland David Sanders, this man has made it on to this list for slightly different reasons. He was the man to bring KFC to the world, which has gone on to become an extremely popular food.
KFC was first started back in 1952 and the famous blend of 11 herbs and spices was made available to the public.
The Colonel favoured a style of goatee that is easily recognisable as being synonymous with the man himself.