In my junior year of high school, the other five girls in AP U.S. History and I went through our textbook to decide who the hottest guys in American history were.
Apparently unaware that this picture existed and blissfully ignorant about his stance on slavery, we chose John C. Calhoun based on the strength of this picture. There was also a photo of a guy in Vietnam slogging through a swamp with a gun who was rather attractive but we didn’t know his name, which took him out of the running.
I had forgotten about this pre-feminism, pre-grad school incident until Jezebel, feminist gossip website extraordinaire, announced the launching or existence of a blog called “Bangable Dudes in History.”
The site lists hot men from history and the reasons why they are so attractive. Dmitri Shostakovich, for example, escaped the siege of Leningrad and wrote a funeral march for the victims of the Bolshevik murders.
The site is obviously a tongue-in-check, as evidenced by its title and probably isn’t appropriate for those easily offended, but I think it’s amazing in its own way.
George Custer, tops.
What a fun idea for a blog! Thanks for sharing the link. When I was in graduate school in art history, some fellow (female) grad students would swoon over bust portraits of Caracalla (like this one from the Metropolitan Museum of Art). They thought his stubble was especially attractive. As far as personality, though, Caracalla is definitely not attractive. I’d try to emphasize this to my fellow grad students: any guy who kills his brother (in front of their mother) is not on my “hot list.” Looks aren’t everything!
Haaaaaa. Amazing.
What do you mean by “amazing”?
@Angie, mostly that Amanda found an online version of her high school dreamboating. And the website itself, although a little racy for my taste, is funny because they have obviously spent quite a lot of time creating pie charts on a relatively silly and unquantifiable subject.
I wish Wilkie Collins was hotter.
I thought this was going to be a post about the JI guys
Dialogue subscription = renewed!
Epic.
I can’t believe you remember that Calhoon pic years later. I guess it’s true what they say, you never forget your first love. EPIC contrast with that other pic though. Dang.
I have to say, despite the May-December age thing, I could totally get into Orson Pratt from Ardis’ beard contest. Hellooo sexy version of Santa.
Hilarious post! I fell in love with a picture of Rupert Brooke, (a poet who died in WWI) in 10th grade English. I think I’ll send him in to the Jezebel blog, because clearly he’s the most beautiful of all the dead guys.
Isaac Newton in his 20s/30s. Long nose, intense, a womanly expression, unusual handsome, closet gay, antisocial, moody and magical. Probably a misogynist and prone to wayward mental anger, that is what, tragically, am compelled to in a man. Give him short floppy grey hair, and my ideal non ideal boyfriend. A womanly body too! A pioneer in fervent determination and original thinking in many fields of science and calculus.