Six degrees of separation through history

My grandmother was part of a long line of Chinese intelligence couriers during the Cold War, well because she has relatives in Hong Kong. So I'm guessing somewhere as she passes the intel, it goes through a degree of lines way up until it reaches Mao, who then goes to Stalin and then somehow Hitler.

Also, I had a history teacher who knew a Chinese translator for Hu Jintao.

I'm 4 degrees from Ronald Reagan and Bush Sr, thus five from Bush Jr, thus six from Obama.

I actually have a piccie of my mum shaking hands with a noted Cold War dictator, but I'm afraid I cannot elaborate.

Why, would you have to kill us if you did?

Paranoia... :/

I've met Kelly Clarkson... does that count?

I knew a (currently deceased) gentleman who was related to Charles Darwin and John Maynard Keynes fairly closely, both of whom also knew or were related to lots of other famous or semi-famous people. This gentleman also knew Jackie Kennedy reasonably well back in the 1940s or 1950s, and because of his job, had the opportunity to meet a lot of people who weren't famous, mostly, but who would cut down my 6 degrees a lot.

Also, my grandfather worked at a large media company back in the day, which would have allowed him to know a few people, and my parents went to the same school as a press secretary of a recent POTUS, and a movie guy. I could go on, but after that, I start getting into interesting people not everyone else is interested in.

edited 20th Oct '11 7:23:18 PM by Hatshepsut

My great-grandfather's brother (who I personally knew before his death) worked with Herman Goering.

and not as a spy, either. Beyond that I know little to nil.

I dunno how many links that is.

If you knew him personally, he's "one", no matter how far removed geneaologically he is. So you're 2 from Goering.

I'm three steps from all the Warsaw Pact leaders from the late 80s. And Fidel Castro. And Bush Sr. And the late Muammar Ghaddafi. And, what's more interesting, all the presidents of Poland from the post-communist era save one. All through one person.

I'm three steps from Gaddafi via the previous principal of my high-school, and then Robert Mugabe. RIP, Muammar.

Therefore I'm five steps from you.

And I just remembered I'm two steps from pretty much all famous Polish actors of the seventies, eighties and nineties, two steps from Bruce Willis and two from Steven Spielberg. First: I met Marek Kondrat in front of his wine shop (he's a retired actor, now he runs a wine shop and works as a spokesman for one of the banks) when I was going to the university one day. If I didn't, that'd make it three steps through two different people (my dad, who'd still put me within two steps from some of them, especially the action icons of the nineties, and Alosha Avdeyev, who co-starred with Kondrat in TV series "Ekstradycja"). Second: my flatmate got invited to a promotional event for some brand of vodka, and it so happened that Bruce Willis got invited as a special guest. Third: my dad was watching over some weapons loaned for the filming of Schindlers List. And if my dad is right, I'm two steps from Antonio Banderas too. Which means three steps from pretty much the whole damn Hollywood this way or the other.

edited 3rd Jan '12 1:11:55 PM by NotSoBadassLongcoat

I met Dennis Kucinich in an airport in Boston, shortly before the 2004 election he was running in. If I needed another angle, a friend of the family in Nebraska is related to Dick Cheney.

I imagine from there I could reach most politicians and evil dictators.

edited 3rd Jan '12 1:28:08 PM by Pykrete

My Grandmother was a flight attendant for Pan Am back when the only people who flew on Pan-Am were incredibly rich, or Horrible Human Rights Violating Dictators from Central America who are flying up to a meeting with President Kennedy when my Grandma tells her passanger (whom she knows little about, other than he's very powerful) that this is her last flight before she gets married and said dictator sends my grandmother tons of extremely expensive china later.

That's right, our china is stained with BLOOD.

However, this means I am 3 degrees from Kennedy, and 4 Degrees from... well... anyone he met. Which is a lot of people.

I'm a descendent of Pocahantas. Does that count as one degree?

Hmmm...
My Stepfather -> Met George Bush while out jogging
My old Humanities teacher -> Met Rick Perry while out jogging

I'm four steps away from Burn Notice cast, part of Mortal Kombat Legacy cast and the star of Splinter Cell Extinction. And five steps from Freddie Wong.

^^ Not unless you met her personally. If you did, that's one degree. If you didn't, then she's however many degrees away it takes for you to connect someone you have met personally with someone who had met her personally.

When I was at the Mayo Clinic I met Bob Simon.

Hmm. I'm not sure where my connections would be. I'd imagine that some of my grand- and great-grandparents have some connections. Unfortunately, I don't know who those connections lead to.