History is made by people of charisma. History is dotted by such people. Whether in the ways of power, religion, knowledge and now activism. While most of these have been sage august men and women of age and wisdom, age really is just a number for some of these indominable personalities. History is dotted with teenagers who have left their mark on history often charging the course of it. We look at some of these teenagers
Joan of arc: The patron Saint of France, Joan of arc was burnt at the stake at the age of 19 on charges of heresy. But before her death, she led the revival of French fortunes in the hundred-year war with England. Born of peasant stock, Joan claimed divine guidance in her attempt to help the French military effort. Her inspirational leadership led the morale of the beleaguered French troops to go up as she led them to win after win. Her first campaign at the age of 17 was in relief of the besieged French troops at Orleans. Her victories led to the coronation of Charles as King of France. Joan the Maiden as she was also called, rather self-proclaimed, effectively turned a war of inheritance into a religious war and helped raise morale of troops to victory on the pillars of faith and divine intervention However she was captured in battle by the Burgundians who were French allies of the English. She was tried by the English clergy on charges of heresy and found guilty. She was martyred at the stake at 19. Subsequently the church reopened her trial and found it to be engineered and later she was canonized as St Joan
Malala Yosufzai: A Nobel peace prize winner at 17 Malala is a symbol for women’s education rights especially in Pakistan. Born in the swat district of Khyber Pakhtunwa are of Pakistan where the Taliban hold sway, Malala found inspiration from her father a school owner an educational activist himself. Malala started off as an anonymous blogger for BBC Urdu, using the pseudonym Gul Makar at the age of 11. Girls’ education was progressively clamped down with hundreds of girls’ schools being burned or bombed down. Yousufzai continued to express her thoughts and disappointments in her blog, even airing the same on television. Her blog ended in March 2009. Amidst her growing public profile Malala started planning for the Malala education foundation to help fund and support girls’ education. In October 2012 Malala after repeated death threats was actually shot at while returning from school exams. Battling for her life she was given the best medical care in Pakistan and then in The Unted Kingdom. Becoming the focal point of public outrage and support globally, Malala became the face of the “I am Malala” petition, envisaged to ensure no child was out of school by 2015. In 2013 Mala had the opportunity to address the United Nations. In 2014 she received the Nobel peace prize becoming the youngest recipient at 17. She continues to work for women’s empowerment and education.
Dalai Lama: Lhamo Tendup as he was formerly known was identified as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai lama. At 15 he was officially instated as the Dalai lama and since then has been at the eye of the Sino-Tibetan conflict. He is also the supreme spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhists and the head of the Tibetan government in exile based off Dharmshala India. The Dalai lama has shaped the way for the Tibetans since the tender age of 15 and has left his mark on world history. He is the recipient of the Nobel peace prize
Greta Thunberg: a swede teen Greta symbolizes young people standing up to the world order demanding immediate action to halt climate change. She is also the best-known autism activist today having been diagnosed with OCD and asperges syndrome. She chanced about the topic of climate change and started with her home, encouraging her family to lower carbon footprint by becoming vegan, upcycling and giving up on air travel. Thunberg set on the path of global attention, with her strike for climate, where stopped attending school instead protested outside the Swedish parliament demanding lowering of Sweden’s carbon footprint. She continues to strike every Friday, and has inspired through her social media many like-minded youngsters to follow her path. She has subsequently addressed the plenary session of the United Nations Climate change conference in 2018. She has also addressed the world economic forum, as also the French European and British parliaments. Thunberg feels her asperges syndrome is not a limitation but a super power and hence has become a famous autism activist also. Her stance that autistic people empathize to this cause as they can’t look away nor help but say things as it is have pushed her forwards an autism activist. Thunberg still in her teens continue to speak primarily on climate change issue but also on other issues.
Anne Frank. Although Anne frank came to light years after her death, subsequent to the publication of the book “The diary of a young girl, Anne Frank today stands as one of the most recognized faces of the Nazi persecution of Germany. Kitty an autograph book, covered in red and white chequered cloth and bearing a small lock in the front was Anne Frank’s diary. A diary that chronicled her thoughts wishes disappointments and aspirations from June 1942to 1stAugust1944. It details about the persecution of Jews by the Nazis as also the life of Anne while in hiding from the nazis. Anne was arrested along with her family on 4th august1944 and deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Surviving being gassed, she was separated from her mother and father and died in early1945 along with her sister Margot in the Bergen Belsen concentration camp. This diary and its supplementary notes were handed over to Anne’s father Otto Frank after his return to Amsterdam post war by his helpers who had helped take care of the family during their hiding. Otto realized her daughter’s wish to publish her own work and used the diary and its supplementary notes to create a book which was published originally in Dutch as Het Achterhuis or The Annex. It was later published in the US as “Anne Frank: The diary pf a young girl”. This book has since been identified as the symbol of how war destroys youth
Samantha Smith: a goodwill ambassador between the United States of America and The Union of Soviet Socialist Republic of Russia at the height of the Cold war Samantha is dubbed the youngest ambassador. At the age of 10, Samantha had written to the then Head of the Soviet Union Yuri Andropov, questioning soviet intentions towards war and nuclear disarmament. Andropov had replied to Samantha in detail and invited her to visit Russia. Samanth had accepted and visited Russia touring cities like Moscow and Stalingrad, as also Artek by the Crimean Sea. Samantha had later published a book along with her father describing her visit and her thoughts on the same. She has also been to Japan where she not only met the prime minister but also attended an international symposium. Her visit to the USSR prompted more exchanges of such children, with Samantha propounding that the leaders should exchange granddaughters for 2weeks as tat would deter them from going to war with a country that homed their granddaughter. Samantha died at an early age of 15 in a plane crash having left an indelible impact on the world at the height of cold war tensions
Hector Pieterson. Some people have left an impact on the world by their death. The picture of hector Peterson being carried away while his sister runs behind him has stood as a symbol of the horrors of apartheid in South Africa. The predominantly white rulers of south Africa had enforced Afrikaans spoken by them as the official medium of instruction in south Africa along with English. While the native black Africans wanted the same to be in Zulu and Xhosa. The school children had gathered to protest this peacefully, but police were brought in to control this, who after tear gassing resorted to shooting. Pieterson was among 10 people who died that day. Subsequently the picture of his dying body being carried away has become a symbol in South Africa of apartheid horror. His death anniversary is honored as Youth Day in south Africa. He continues to be a symbol in south Africa long after his death at the age of 12
Louise Braille: Necessity is often said to be the mother of invention. Blinded in both eyes Louise braille devised a form of tactile code that could be used by visually impaired people like him enabling them to read and write quick and efficient. He was able to present this at the age of 15. Blinded at the age of 3 in one eye due to an accident and then the other due to infection, Braille was a bright child but though limited was not disabled. He went on to study in one of the first schools dedicated to blind children. He felt restricted by the mode of teaching though it was here that he first came across the concept of touch being an enabler for learning of visually impaired people. Braille went on to refine a system of codes using elevated dots that could be deciphered by the touch of fingers or inscribed using a stylus. This enabled quick and accurate Deciphering and coding of messages allowing visibly impaired people a form of communication and access to knowledge. The braille code to this day remains more or less unchanged and the basis of communication for visually impaired people. As invention of a15 year old, to enable himself and people akin to him to have access to knowledge and rise above being the subject of compassion and be self-reliant.
Sachin Tendulkar: every sport has a G.O.A.T. cricket the gentleman’s game has been left enriched by the God of Cricket Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. In a career that has been studded with words like first, youngest highest, Tendulkar was the youngest cricketer to debut for India, Tendulkar was the second youngest to score a test century for India, and the youngest to reach various milestones of runs in one day and test cricket. He has also reached various milestones that have never been reached before. Tendulkar retired as the world’s highest run getter in tests and one day international. Tendulkar made his mark in international cricket with his debut tour to Pakistan followed by tours to England and Australia and set on the path of greatness yet still a teen
Claudette Colvin: the age of 15 when teenagers are trying to find their feet in life, deciding on what to do after high school, wondering about the other sex, Claudette Colvin sat down for her constitutional rights and helped spark the removal of segregation in Unite states for African Americans. In a crowded segregated bus on her way from school, Claudette was expected t give up her seat for a white woman and stand at the back. Claudette refused and instead was arrested. Although rosa parks is a more familiar face of this protest Claudette was in fact the first. She was also party to a federal case that led to the dismissal of segregation of bus services of state of Alabama.
