The first person on Hart's list is the Prophet of Islam Muhammad,[10][11][12][13] a selection that generated some controversy.[14] Hart asserted that Muhammad was "supremely successful" in both the religious and secular realms. He also believed that Muhammad's role in the development of Islam was far more influential than Jesus' collaboration in the development of Christianity.[15][16][17] He attributes the development of Christianity to St. Paul, who played a pivotal role in its dissemination.[15][18]

In the book, Hart did not include Abraham Lincoln in the list. The 1992 revisions included the demotion of figures associated with Communism, such as Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong, and the introduction of Mikhail Gorbachev. Hart took sides in the Shakespearean authorship issue and substituted Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford for William Shakespeare. Hart also substituted Niels Bohr and Henri Becquerel with Ernest Rutherford, thus correcting an error in the first edition. Henry Ford was also promoted from the "Honorary Mentions" list, replacing Pablo Picasso. Finally, some of the rankings were re-ordered, although no one listed in the top ten changed position.[4]

Hart's Top 10 (from the 1992 edition)

1Muhammadc. 570–632Secular and religious leaderThe central human figure of Islam, regarded by Muslims as a prophet of God and the last messenger. Also active as a social reformer, diplomat, merchant, philosopher, orator, legislator, military leader.

2Isaac Newton1643–1727ScientistEnglish physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian. His law of universal gravitation and three laws of motion laid the groundwork for classical mechanics.

3Jesus of Nazareth7–2 BC – 26–36 ADSpiritual leaderThe central figure of Christianity, revered by Christians as the Son of God and the incarnation of God. Also regarded as a major prophet in Islam.

4Buddha (Siddartha Gautama)563–483 BCSpiritual leaderSpiritual teacher and philosopher from ancient India. Founder of Buddhism and is also considered a Gautama Buddha in Hinduism.

5Confucius551–479 BCPhilosopherChinese thinker and social philosopher, founder of Confucianism, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese and Indonesian thought and life.

6Paul of Tarsus5–67 ADChristian apostleOne of the most notable of early Christian missionaries, credited with proselytizing and spreading Christianity outside of Palestine (mainly to the Romans) and author of numerous letters of the New Testament of the Bible.

7Cài Lún50–121 ADPolitical official in imperial ChinaWidely regarded as the inventor of paper and the papermaking process.

8Johannes Gutenberg1398–1468InventorGerman printer who invented the European mechanical printing press.

9Christopher Columbus1451–1506ExplorerItalian navigator, colonizer and explorer whose voyages led to general European awareness of the American continents.

10Albert Einstein1879–1955ScientistGerman-born theoretical physicist, best known for his theory of relativity and specifically mass–energy equivalence, expressed by the equation E = mc2.