The 20th century, that lasted from 1901 to 2000, witnessed a phenomenal jump in the lifestyle of people as a result of the social, ideological, political, and most importantly, technological transformations. With the inclusion of expressions like world war, nuclear war, and beliefs in daily usage, a number of people turned out to be an influence on the lives of commoners. While the 19th century effectively laid the foundation of progression of global communication and motorization, the 20th century expanded horizons of the same in an all new manner with the help of a huge number of important people in history. Here, we will talk in brief about the influential people that the 20th century saw, people who were responsible for not only transforming the world into what it is today, but also bringing in peace and harmony among world masses. The Time 100 list of the most influential people mentions names of a number of leaders, revolutionaries, builders, scientists, heroes, and icons. Following is a brief description of the top 10 most influential people that the 20th century saw:

1. Albert Einstein: The most influential scientist of the decade, Einstein is known as the Father of Modern Physics. He received a Nobel Prize for his contribution to the field of Theoretical Physics in the year 1921.
2. Mahatma Gandhi: Indians call him the Father of the Nation as he is one of the world's greatest leaders, and the father-figure of Indian Independence Movement. Known for his beliefs like total nonviolence and civil disobedience, it was because of him that India got independence in 1947.
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt: Whether or not he was a 'good' president, he made a special place in the list of presidents of USA who were democratic and most revolutionary. This is because he won wars on two fronts, and helped America get out of the economic depression by the progressive norms and policies. He also created a Social Security system that helped senior citizens, thus, prodding the Golden Age of novelty and production in America.
4. Winston Churchill: He was a successful leader, Prime Minister, writer who won a Nobel Prize in literature, and a sound statesmen. He was elected halfway through the Second World War, and was the biggest strength for Britishers and Allies all around the world.
5. Adolf Hitler: Adolf Hitler was the most debated personality of the century and a great German leader. He started the biggest war the world saw, and changed the entire borders by leading Germany throughout World War II. However, he committed suicide on April 30th, 1945. Often criticized for being one of the most evil people in world history, he also instigated the Holocaust.
6. The Wright Brothers: The Wright Brothers were responsible for one of the most significant inventions of the 20th century: the airplane. From a mere bicycle repair shop to experiments and research in the field of airplane development, their mania for airplanes led to the creation of the first heavier-than-air airplane.
7. Mao Tse-tung: By bringing China under unified standards, Mao Tse-tung is considered as one of the most important personalities to have lived in the 20th century, and a legend of a leader in the Chinese Communist Party. He effectively led both the Chinese revolution and the Communist Party.
8. Henry Ford: He was neither a leader, nor a politician. However, he invented a car that transformed the face of the automobile world. In 1999, from a survey conducted among Americans, Henry Ford made his place among the Gallup's List of Widely Admired People of the 20th Century. He was also the innovator of welfare capitalism.
9. John Fitzgerald Kennedy: Another president of USA, John F. Kennedy was a phenomenal and liberal leader of the 20th century. He was often criticized for dealing with the Cuban Missile Crisis, and was killed in dubious situations which are still far-fetched.
10. Nelson Mandela: A former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela has received more than 100 awards and honors. However, the most notable achievement of Mandela was the Nobel Peace Prize he received in 1993.

Apart from the people listed above, there are many others who were equally impactful, but not as prominent. The following is a compilation of 100 influential individuals of the 20th century who molded the era with their phenomenal achievements and beliefs.

20th Century's 100 Most Influential People
Leaders and Politicians
Sr. No.	Name	Occupation/Influence
1.	Ayatullah R. Khomeini	Leader of Iran's Revolution
2.	Bill Clinton	Former U.S. President
3.	David Ben-Gurion	Israel's 1st Prime Minister
4.	Eleanor Roosevelt	Former U.S. First Lady
5.	Fidel Castro	Dictator of Cuba
6.	Harry Truman	Former U.S. President
7.	Ho Chi Minh	First President of North Vietnam
8.	Joseph Stalin	Soviet Politician
9.	Lech Walesa	Polish Union Organizer
10.	Mao Zedong	Leader of Communist China
11.	Margaret Sanger	Birth Control Crusader
12.	Margaret Thatcher	British Prime Minister
13.	Martin Luther King Jr.	Civil Rights Leader
14.	Mikhail Gorbachev	Soviet Reformer
15.	Pope John Paul II	Religious Leader
16.	Ronald Reagan	Former U.S. President
17.	Theodore Roosevelt	Former U.S. President and Environmentalist
18.	Tony Blair	Former U.K. Prime Minister
19.	Unknown Rebel	Photographer of Tiananmen Square protests
20.	Vladimir Ilyich Lenin	Founder of Soviet Union
Scientists and Thinkers
Sr. No.	Name	Occupation/Influence
1.	Alan Turing	Computer Scientist
2.	Alexander Fleming	Bacteriologist
3.	Edwin Hubble	Astronomer
4.	Enrico Fermi	Atomic Physicist
5.	James Watson and Francis Crick	Molecular Biologists
6.	Jean Piaget	Child Psychologist
7.	John Maynard Keynes	Economist
8.	Onas Salk	Virologist
9.	Kurt Godel	Mathematician
10.	Leo Baekeland	Plastics Pioneer
11.	Ludwig Wittgenstein	Philosopher
12.	Marie Curie	Scientist and Discoverer of Radium
13.	Niels Bohr	Physicist
14.	Philo Farnsworth	Inventor of Electronic Television
15.	Rachel Carson	Environmentalist
16.	Robert Goddard	Rocket Scientist
17.	Sigmund Freud	Psychoanalyst
18.	The Leakey Family	Anthropologists
19.	Tim Berners-Lee	Internet Designer
20.	William Shockley	Solid-state Physicist
Artists and Entertainers
Sr. No.	Name	Occupation/Influence
1.	Aretha Franklin	Soul Musician
2.	Bart Simpson	Cartoon Character
3.	Bob Dylan	Folk Musician
4.	Charlie Chaplin	Comic Genius
5.	Coco Chanel	Designer
6.	Frank Sinatra	Singer
7.	Igor Stravinsky	Classical Musician
8.	James Joyce	Novelist
9.	Jim Henson	Puppeteer and Creator of TV's Muppets
10.	Le Corbusier	Architect
11.	Louis Armstrong	Jazz Musician
12.	Lucille Ball	TV Star
13.	Marlon Brando	Actor
14.	Martha Graham	Dancer and Choreographer
15.	Oprah Winfrey	TV Talk-show Host
16.	Pablo Picasso	Artist
17.	Rogers and Hammerstein	Broadway Showmen
18.	Steven Spielberg	Movie Maker
19.	The Beatles	Rock Musicians
20.	T.S. Eliot	Poet
Builders and Titans
Sr. No.	Name	Occupation/Influence
1.	A.P. Giannini	Architect of Nationwide Banking
2.	Akio Morito	Co-founder of Sony
3.	Bill Gates	Co-founder of Microsoft
4.	Charles Merill	Advocate of Small Investor
5.	David Sarnoff	Father of Broadcasting
6.	Estee Lauder	Cosmetics Tycoon
7.	Joseph Blatter	President of Fifa
8.	Juan Trippe	Aviation Entrepreneur
9.	Leo Burnett	Advertising Genius
10.	Louis B. Mayer	Hollywood Mogul
11.	Lucky Luciano	Criminal Mastermind
12.	Pete Rozelle	Football-league Commissioner
13.	Ray Kroc	Hamburger Meister
14.	Sam Walton	Wal-Mart Dynamo
15.	Stephen Bechtel	Construction Magnate
16.	Thomas Watson Jr.	IBM President
17.	Walt Disney	Creator of Animation and Multimedia
18.	Walter Reuther	Labor Reader
19.	William Levitt	Creator of Suburbia
20.	Willis Carrier	Maker of Air-conditioning systems
Icons and Heroes
Sr. No.	Name	Occupation/Influence
1.	Andrei Sakharov	Soviet Dissident
2.	Anne Frank	Diarist and Holocaust Victim
3.	Bill Wilson	Founder of Alcoholics Anonymous
4.	Billy Graham	Evangelist
5.	Bruce Lee	Actor and Martial-arts Star
6.	Charles Lindbergh	Transatlantic Aviator
7.	Che Guevara	Guerrilla Leader
8.	Diana	Princess of Wales
9.	Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay	Conquerors of Mount Everest
10.	Emmeline Pankhurst	Suffragist
11.	Harvey Milk	Gay-rights Leader
12.	Helen Keller	Champion of the Disabled
13.	Jackie Robinson	Baseball Player
14.	Marilyn Monroe	Actress
15.	Mother Teresa	Missionary Nun
16.	Muhammad Ali	Heavyweight Boxing Champion
17.	Pele	Soccer Champion
18.	Rosa Parks	Civil Rights Torchbearer
19.	The American G.I.	Soldier for Freedom
20.	The Kennedys	Dynasty

It was amongst these wars, conflicts, and revolutions that the aforementioned individuals proved to be the effective contributors to the world. It was because of their efforts and participation that the life we are living now could be thought of. Good or bad, these people have and will always influence our lives from time to time.