Random Historical Figure Would Win In An All-Night Drinking Competition (14 items)

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  (#12) Tiberius

  • Dec. at 78 (41 BC-37)

  Years Active: Ancient Romans drank watered-down wine throughout the day, and children even had a little bit of it. Tiberius was probably no exception and perhaps started drinking during his childhood in the 30s BCE. 

  How Much He Drank: He apparently drank so heavily that his soldiers called him "Biberious."

  His Legacy: Though ancient Romans became increasingly moralistic and condemned public drunkenness, Tiberius never let the mores of his people stop him from having fun. After 12 years of rule, Tiberius abandoned his capital for his villa on the island of Capri in the Bay of Naples. Under the cloak of Capri, he indulged his appetites. Roman biographer Suetonius recounts - perhaps falsely - that Tiberius hosted alcohol-fueled, secret adult parties there.

  Signature Drink: Like many Romans, Tiberius drank wine.
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  (#10) Alexander the Great

  • Dec. at 33 (355 BC-322 BC)

  Years Active: Alexander the Great - one of the ancient world's most prolific conquerors - probably started drinking at a young age in the 340s BCE. Alcohol was a part of his family's culture, and his father Philip II was reputed to have been a heavy drinker.

  How Much He Drank: Drinking undiluted wine to excess was part of the social, civic, and ritual life of the Macedonian court of Alexander and his father. Alexander probably drank wine every day - especially since it was safer than drinking water. 

  His Legacy: Alexander's excessive drinking actually got people slain. He drunkenly javelined his friend Cleitus in 328 BCE - Cleitus had criticized Alexander's embrace of Persian culture. Alexander also routinely sponsored drinking contests - including some in which people perished - and destroyed the Persian city Persepolis after binge drinking. 

  Signature Drink: Alexander guzzled wine, the favorite alcohol of the ancient Mediterranean world.
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  (#4) Hunter S. Thompson

  • Dec. at 68 (1937-2005)

  Years Active: American writer and pioneering gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson began drinking at a young age. By the time he was 14 in 1951, he was already addicted.

  How Much He Drank: Substances were by his side as soon as he started the day at 3 pm until he ended it the following morning, including frequent rounds of booze and coke.

  His Legacy: Thompson believed substances like alcohol had an impact on his ability to work and function, and he secured his reputation as a counter-culture figure with quips like, "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've worked for me." He also wrote frequently about alcohol in general and bourbon in particular. Ultimately, decades of hard drinking and drug use wore down his body.

  Signature Drink: Thompson was from Louisville, KY, and appropriately favored bourbon.
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  (#9) Boris Yeltsin

  • Dec. at 76 (1931-2007)

  Years Active: In his youth, Boris Yeltsin was aggressively anti-alcohol - but that changed in adulthood as his political star ascended in the 1960s and 1970s. Health concerns prompted him to reduce his alcohol intake in 1996, 11 years before his passing.

  How Much He Drank: Political culture in the Soviet Union and Russia involved alcohol, so Yeltsin drank throughout the day. Bill Clinton's administration even made a point of discussing issues with Yeltsin early in the day, when he was less likely to be drunk.

  His Legacy: Yeltsin's drinking habits caused minor global stirs. He once drunkenly decided to conduct a band in Germany. During a state visit to America, Yeltsin got drunk and emerged on the streets of Washington, DC, in nothing but his underwear. He had a hankering for pizza and went on the hunt for a slice. Ironically, despite or in spite of his love of alcohol, Yeltsin raised taxes on vodka, Russia's national drink.

  Signature Drink: Unsurprisingly, vodka appears to have been his booze of choice.
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  (#3) Peter the Great

  • Dec. at 53 (1672-1725)

  Years Active: Peter the Great of Russia knew how to hold his liquor. But after he developed a friendship with the Swiss officer Franz Lefort in the late 1680s and early 1690s, Peter's drinking increased. According to biographer Lindsey Hughes, Lefort was an enabler: He was responsible for "encouraging Peter to indulge in debauchery and excessive drinking." Peter remained a heavy drinker until his passing in 1725.

  How Much He Drank: As estimated by vodka scholar Mark Lawrence Schrad, Peter started his day with "a pint of vodka" at breakfast and could consume up to 40 glasses of wine before bedtime.

  His Legacy: Peter loved the social aspect of alcohol so much that he started a drinking club. Revelries lasted all day and night, and the club even created the "penalty shot" of vodka. Peter also understood the political power of vodka and gave the state a monopoly on the liquor.

  Signature Drink: Though he frequently enjoyed vodka and wine, Peter actually discovered his favorite drink in England: brandy laced with peppers, a drink as steely and strong as the tsar himself.
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  (#14) Karl Marx

  • Dec. at 65 (1818-1883)

  Years Active: Karl Marx's drinking first flourished as a university student in Bonn and Berlin in the late 1830s. He went on wild, rowdy drinking binges with friends. He stopped binging in the 1850s.

  How Much He Drank: The co-author of The Communist Manifesto was a hard drinker and even went on multi-day "benders."

  His Legacy: Alcohol culture played an important role in stirring Marx's political consciousness and shaping his writing career. He was sensitive to the struggles of German wine producers in the 1840s, bonded with intellectual partner Friedrich Engels over beer, and discussed political and economic ideology in London pubs. 

  Signature Drink: Though he loved wine, Marx - ever the champion of the working classes - also enjoyed a humble pint of beer.

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