Many important figures in world history were actually huge drunkards. Musicians, writers, artists but also politicians and warlords.
Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521) was the first European explorer to ever reach Asia by sailing only westwards. The Portuguese captain also initiated (he didn’t survive the full journey himself) the first full circle around the globe, with that proving without a doubt that the world was completely round. On this amazing expedition the crew on his…
It seems like almost every brilliant writer in history was a huge drunkard too. From Mark Twain to Ernest Hemingway, they knew their way around the bottle. And Stephen King (1947) was no exception to that rule. The legendary writer, who was most known for his thrillers and horror stories, drank so much he claims he…
Without a doubt Billy Joel (1949) is one of the most successful singer-songwriters from the previous century. Hits like Piano Man and She’s Always a Woman are still played by radio stations all over the world. But the American artist also gained a reputation of a hopeless drunk, who became too lazy to bring out…
If there was ever a functioning drunkard it must have been Mark Twain (1835-1910). In our list of historical drunks there are some examples of troubled minds, but that was absolutely not the case for this American author. Fellow writer and heavy drinker William Faulkner would describe Twain as ‘The Father of American Literature’. His…
Alcohol is a wonderful substance and as you know, we are the last people to ever speak ill of it. However, we must admit that booze seems to be quite risky when combined with narcissist megalomaniacs. These people usually get very paranoid, violent and cruel. From the last 100 years Jozef Stalin comes to mind, but…
André the Giant (1946-1993) is an absolute legend in the world of wrestling. That’s right, that ‘sport’ where tanned steroids users in tight outfits pretend to hurt each other. In the glory days of André, who was 2.24 meters tall and weighed 240 kilos, it certainly wasn’t all show and people actually got seriously hurt…
It’s kind of hard to pick a prominent person from the days of the Roman Empire who wasn’t a fan of drunken orgies. For these bacchanalia were an important part of everyday life. Still there are people like Julius Caesar who were known for their moderation, and there were some who were constantly the talk of…
Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) is one of the most legendary figures in the history of the United States of America. As a general he basically won the American Civil War for the Union against the Confederacy. Later Grant would become the 18th president of the United States. While historians rank him as one of the…
For decades Queen Mother Elizabeth (1900-2002) was without a doubt the most loved part of the British Royal Family. The mother of the United Kingdom’s current queen Elizabeth II became a national icon. She gained sympathy as she ‘made’ her insecure husband George VI a good king, gave people hope in World War II and…
When talking about American culture it’s only a matter of time before the word ‘baseball’ is dropped. Players like Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle (another great drinker) and Babe Ruth became national heroes. That last one (1895-1948) was chosen as the best baseball player of all times by The Sporting News. Quite impressive if you consider that…
Lords of the Drinks 