<p> From Santa Claus to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, from Uncle Sam to Uncle Tom, here is a compelling, eye-opening, and endlessly entertaining compendium of fictional trendsetters and world-shakers who have helped shape our culture and our lives. <i>The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived</i> offers fascinating histories of our most beloved, hated, feared, and revered invented icons and the indelible marks they made on civilization, including: </p> <blockquote> <p> # 28: Rosie the Riveter, the buff, blue-collar factory worker who helped jump-start the Women's Liberation movement </p> <p> # 7: Siegfried, the legendary warrior-hero of Teutonic nationalism responsible for propelling Germany into two world wars </p> <p> # 80: Icarus, the headstrong high-flyer who inspired the Wright brothers and humankind's dreams of defying gravity . . . while demonstrating the pressing need for flight insurance </p> <p> # 58: Saint Valentine, the hapless, de-canonized loser who lost his heart and head at about the same time </p> <p> # 43: Barbie, the bodacious plastic babe who became a role model for millions of little girls, setting an impossible standard for beauty and style </p> </blockquote>