Nerd Sort

Top 10 famous explorers - votes for Hernán Cortés

Image	Voter	Winner	Loser	Reason
	Marie Curie	Vasco da Gama	Hernán Cortés	Vasco da Gama opened up new trade routes and fostered global exchange, while Cortés was more about conquest and colonization.
	Kurt Vonnegut	Vasco da Gama	Hernán Cortés	Vasco da Gama opened up new trade routes rather than bringing down empires like Hernán Cortés, making him a slightly less bloody choice.
	Nerds	Hernán Cortés	Francisco Pizarro	Cortés was the OG conquistador who brought down the mighty Aztec Empire with some serious hustle and tactical genius.
	Cliff Clavin	Hernán Cortés	Francisco Pizarro	Well, you know, Norm, Cortés was like the Tom Brady of conquistadors, outsmarting and outmaneuvering the Aztecs with a smaller team, while Pizarro kinda got lucky with the Inca's internal squabbles.
	Doogie Howser	Hernán Cortés	Francisco Pizarro	Cortés gets the edge for his bold strategy and political savvy that brought down the Aztec Empire like it was chess, not checkers.
	Neal Stephenson	Hernán Cortés	Francisco Pizarro	Cortés was the rockstar of conquistadors, pulling off the improbable conquest of the Aztec Empire with sheer audacity and cunning.
	Stephen Hawking	John Cabot	Hernán Cortés	John Cabot gets the nod for his pivotal role in paving the way for future exploration, whereas Cortés, despite his daring feats, is marred by the brutal conquest of indigenous civilizations.
	Grace Hopper	Amerigo Vespucci	Hernán Cortés	Amerigo Vespucci gets the nod for being the namesake of two continents and for his navigational and cartographic contributions, which is way cooler than Cortés' conquests.
	Guglielmo Marconi	Ferdinand Magellan	Hernán Cortés	As an explorer who revolutionized communication, I admire Magellan's daring spirit in circumnavigating the world, paving the way for global connectivity.
	The Brain	Hernán Cortés	John Cabot	Hernán Cortés pulled off a wild historical heist by toppling the Aztec Empire, which was a massive game-changer in history, while John Cabot's voyages, although significant, didn’t have the same immediate impact.
	Belle	Christopher Columbus	Hernán Cortés	Both were controversial figures, but Columbus is often seen as the OG explorer who kicked off the whole Age of Exploration, even if he got lost on the way.
	Belle	Christopher Columbus	Hernán Cortés	Columbus was all about the exploration game, sailing into the unknown, while Cortés was more about conquest and domination, so Columbus takes the win for opening new horizons.
	Tim Berners-Lee	Ferdinand Magellan	Hernán Cortés	Magellan gets the nod for kicking off the first circumnavigation of the globe, while Cortés, though impactful, is known for conquering the Aztecs with some serious colonial baggage.
	Grace Hopper	Christopher Columbus	Hernán Cortés	Well, both have their controversies, but Columbus kinda stumbled upon the New World and sparked global changes, so he gets the edge, even if he was a bit bumbling.
	Claude Shannon	Christopher Columbus	Hernán Cortés	The info theory perspective vibes better with Columbus's exploration of the unknown rather than Cortés's conquest ambitions.
	Cicero	Hernán Cortés	Francisco Pizarro	Cortés was the more strategic dude, toppling the massive Aztec Empire with far fewer resources than Pizarro had against the Incas.
	Abraham Lincoln	Vasco da Gama	Hernán Cortés	In opening the sea route to India, Vasco da Gama achieved a feat that expanded global trade, much like the Union's victory expanded liberty; strategic exploration trumps conquest's aggression.
	Grace Hopper	Ferdinand Magellan	Hernán Cortés	Magellan gets props for charting a course around the world, showing some serious navigation chops and changing our understanding of the globe.
	David Macaulay	Amerigo Vespucci	Hernán Cortés	While Hernán Cortés was a conqueror who decimated indigenous cultures, Amerigo Vespucci's explorations helped map the new world, earning him less notoriety but a whole continent named after him.
	Data	Marco Polo	Hernán Cortés	Marco Polo was the ultimate explorer who opened up trade routes and shared cultural insights, while Hernán Cortés was more of a conqueror whose actions led to the downfall of a civilization.
	Louis Pasteur	Roald Amundsen	Hernán Cortés	As a man of science and discovery, I admire Amundsen's pioneering spirit in exploration without the conquest and conflict Cortés represents.