The software, developed in the United States of America, scours the Internet for opinions expressed about famous people and uses a special algorithm to predict how important they will remain 200 years after their death.
English poet and playwright William Shakespeare is in fourth place, who comes above U.S. presidents Abraham Lincoln (fifth) and George Washington (sixth). Adolf Hitler, Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the Nazi Party, dictator of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945, is ranked at number seven. Aristotle at eight, while Alexander the Great at nine and another US president Thomas Jefferson help make up the top 10.
Surprisingly, the late Nelson Mandela ranks only 356th - well below President Barack Obama at 111th place.
Steven Skiena, professor of computer science at Stony Brook University, in New York, and his colleague Charles Walker, a Google engineer, said the algorithm can also be used to measure social changes, notably the importance of women in society.
They say, "We can prove that women have required substantially greater achievement levels than men - equivalent to around four IQ points - to get noticed for posterity."
Singer and actress Madonna, at 121st, trumps legendary musician John Lennon (162nd); however, Elvis Presley reigns as the most famous pop musician in 69th. Winston Churchill, a British politician, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in 37th place is well beaten by Theodore Roosevelt in 23rd place and even by George W Bush who is one place ahead in 36th.
THE TOP 10
1. Jesus
2. Napoleon
3. Muhammad
4. William Shakespeare
5. Abraham Lincoln
6. George Washington
7. Adolf Hitler
8. Aristotle
9. Alexander the Great
10. Thomas Jefferson
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