The Secret Lives of the Giants
Dark sides of some famous historical figures
This article probably comes out as an unpleasant one since we’re discussing the shady sides of a few hand-selected historical figures whom we all have heard of and even studied about.
Well, no disrespect to them, but when history is all about praising them and their doings, there should also be discussions on their flaws, or to some, their dark sides. And just like every other human being they too have their cons which we don’t discuss in the mainstream, but should, because then only we’ll be able to look at them as whole human beings.
I still remember during my school days, most of the motivational talks given to us by the teachers or guest faculties include the story of Thomas Alva Edison and how he failed a thousand times before inventing the light bulb. Hence if you ask anyone the question ‘Who invented the light bulb’, the credit will always go to Edison.
Little did I know then that Edison did not actually invent the light bulb and that people had been making wires incandesce since 1761. By the time Thomas Edison produced the long-burning incandescent light bulb, he was already well-known, but because he was frequently photographed with bulbs, people began to connect the light bulbs as his creation.
Edison’s gift was not so much inventing, but finding ways to make things better, affordable, and simpler. Fun fact, Edison filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Joseph Swan, the original lightbulb patent holder, when Swan adopted Edison’s concept.
At that time his main opponent was Nikola Tesla and by 1884, Tesla had started his own company and was already working on AC but Edison still believed DC was the best. Hence to prove Tesla wrong, Edison even electrocuted stray cats and dogs along with occasional horses and cattle to undercut the alternating current technology.
Many historians and Tesla followers blame Edison for ruining the life of Nikola Tesla. Edison as an influential figure at that time has done things against Tesla which made his life miserable. But since we’re not only talking about Edison in this article we’ll skip that part to the next prominent historical figure.
Nelson Mandela is a worldwide known figure for his efforts toward a peaceful world. He was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country’s first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. I even had notebooks with his face on the cover, and a small motivational quote from Mandela, followed by a fact from his life on the back page.
But not everyone knows that back in the day, Mandela was the leader of the terrorist group Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation). Many innocent people, including women and children, were killed by Nelson Mandela’s MK terrorists. Mandela’s group was so bad that Amnesty International even turned him down for a defense before he arrived at Robben Island.
Even though he had a dark past, I really respect him for admitting his shortcomings. In his books and speeches, he goes to great lengths to admit his errors and that deserves a clap since not everyone can pull it off.
Our third historical figure is the father of my nation (I’m an Indian btw), Mk Gandhi. It is commonly known that Mahatma Gandhi was a pacifist who believed in non-violent resistance. What is less well known is his steadfastness in keeping his celibacy vow and the lengths he would take to prove it. Gandhi spend a night with his underage grandnieces naked, whether or not he performed sexual actions with them is unknown.
Gandhi justified the action by replying “If I don’t let Manu sleep with me, though I regard it as essential that she should, wouldn’t that be a sign of weakness in me?”. By the end of August 1947, he was sleeping with both Manu and Abha (wife of Gandhi’s grandnephew Kanu Gandhi) at the same time. When he was assassinated in January 1948, it was with Manu and Abha by his side.
The article “Thrill of the chaste: The truth about Gandhi’s sex life.” published in The Independent on April 7, 2010, quotes,
“Gandhi was challenging that abstinence in his own way. He set up ashrams in which he began his first “experiments” with sex; boys and girls were to bathe and sleep together, chastely, but were punished for any sexual talk.”
“Sushila Nayar, the attractive sister of Gandhi’s secretary, also his personal physician, attended Gandhi from girlhood. She used to sleep and bathe with Gandhi. When challenged, he explained how he ensured decency was not offended. “While she is bathing I keep my eyes tightly shut,” he said, “I do not know … whether she bathes naked or with her underwear on. I can tell from the sound that she uses soap.”
Well, I can imagine what the reader is thinking at the moment and I without a doubt concur with you… It is weird. But hey, anything to strengthen his celibacy vow. Also in his autobiography, Gandhi spoke about hitting his wife when he was younger. He even refused to let the physicians give his wife penicillin, which caused her to die, but he agreed to take quinine to save his own life.
The next one on our list is Pablo Picasso, and I’ve also heard motivational stories about him. One story goes like this:
‘Picasso was at a Paris market when an admirer approached and asked if he could do a quick sketch on a paper napkin for her. He politely agreed, promptly created a drawing, and handed back the napkin — but not before asking for a million Francs. The lady was shocked: “How can you ask for so much? It took you five minutes to draw this!”, “No”, Picasso replied, “It took me 40 years to draw this in five minutes.”’
Well, ain’t that motivational! and I have to admit, I actually liked this story whether it’s real or not. But Pablo Picasso, the well-known painter, didn’t quite have this million Francs reputation in his private life. He had two marriages but was unable to remain faithful to either of them or to any of his countless lovers. Olga (first wife) experienced a mental collapse and deep depression after learning of his liaison with a 17-year-old girl. She broke up with him and even requested a divorce, but Picasso refused since he didn’t want to divide his possessions.
The famous painter once told Gilot (lover) “Women are machines for suffering” and “For me, there are only two kinds of women, goddesses and doormats.”
Not so motivational now right? Maybe, maybe not, but both sides of a person give us an idea of what that individual truly presents. (apologies for sticking to a binary point of view while judging, which is ‘good’ and ‘bad’. The author understands the complexities of human behaviour, yet for the simplicity of the article we’ll stick with the binary pov)
Seems like the article is getting too long. So in order to conclude this quicker, we’ll quickly mention our last but not least person, that is none other than the legend, Albert Einstein. Einstein was not really on good terms with his wife Mileva. Mileva and Einstein tried to hold their relationship together as it broke down just for the sake of their kids. And Einstein being a nerd, wrote down a list of conditions that should be followed by his wife as long as they stay in the same house.
Some points in the condition are given below -
CONDITIONS
A. You will make sure:
1. that my clothes and laundry are kept in good order;
2. that I will receive my three meals regularly in my room;
3. that my bedroom and study are kept neat, and especially that my desk is left for my use only.
B. You will renounce all personal relations with me insofar as they are not completely necessary for social reasons. Specifically, You will forego:
1. my sitting at home with you;
2. my going out or travelling with you.
C. You will obey the following points in your relations with me:
1. you will not expect any intimacy from me, nor will you reproach me in any way;
2. you will stop talking to me if I request it;
3. you will leave my bedroom or study immediately without protest if I request it.
D. You will undertake not to belittle me in front of our children, either through words or behaviour.
Well that marks the end of our article, and trust me I had a lot more giants on my list but to make it not boring and long, we’ll wind it up here. In my final words, I’ll just say, what we do for our society doesn’t represent what we are and our work doesn’t define our character, both are two different entities. And as a person, I love their works, but I also despise the hurt they’ve caused others.
Until next time…
[The above-written article is just the personal opinion of the author based on the available data and can be wrong in many areas still, as I’ve tried to make it maximum error-free. Do use your conscience while reading and keep on questioning. Thank you for reading.]
