Hosting a dinner party with History Legends

A dinner party with Adolf Hitler, Napoleon Bonaparte, Grace Hopper, Marie Curie, Sigmund Freud, and Mahatma Gandhi. Let’s see how fun this can be!

Let us set the scene of this lovely night as hosting a dinner party. I had a rectangle table that sat three people on each side. On the far side on the table, I had Adolf Hitler, and the opposite side was Napoleon Bonaparte. In the middle seats I had Marie Curie (sitting next to Hitler) and Grace Hopper (sitting by Napoleon). Then at the other side, I had Mahatma Gandhi (next to Marie Curie) and Sigmund Freud (Next to Grace Hopper). I was going to have Freud sitting next to Hitler, but with Freud being born Jewish…that was NOT a good idea. Freud was not a fan of Hitler either, so I kept them completely opposite and thankfully they behaved themselves. Hitler detested Freud’s psychoanalysis and apparently Freud’s book was the first books to burn by the Nazis. Called his Psychoanalysis “Jewish Science”. Anyways, here is how it went…. 

Hitler and Napoleon got along SO well. At least Hitler admired Napoleon for European dominance. They would talk about war and how they would agree on how they both had the intent to build a new type of state with a new social order. They would agree on how they led their peoples to the military conquest of most of Continental Europe. They both agreed on how the Soviet Union and Russia was freezing, and they didn’t take that into account on when they attacked. However, I was sitting at the end of that side of the table because they were having a great time and laughing. They are both lively gentlemen and have addicting energy. I asked both of them why they attacked each other’s countries? They both looked at each other, puzzled. Napoleon started to say he invaded Germany was part of his efforts to control Europe and reassert French power. Plus, reestablish French dominance after the French Revolution. Hitler was saying how he invaded France because he wanted France to be a subordinate state with territorial and political changes. Hitler mentioned the Treaty of Versailles and how that didn’t seem fair to him and resented it. So, he spoke clearly and confident about breaking the Treaty and how that upset the French and Great Britain. I could tell they didn’t agree on this topic because of course, Napoleon got defensive, but I was just seeing the same vision they both had. How they both wanted dominance and both territorial in their own way. All I could say is that they both wanted to rule no matter what the cost was. So, I left them to it and moved on to my next guests.  

I then walked by Marie Curie and Grace Hopper who were sitting opposite at the table. Marie and Grace got along as well, which I am glad for. They were both strong women in their time. Marie was discussing her discovery of radiation and polonium. Hitler chimed in and said he was impressed and, he would have wished he discovered radium so he could secretly use it in other ways. However, he did say that in a low tone and glared at Sigmund Freud. We went about our conversation. I could tell Grace was impressed and she was proud that they were some of the strong women of their time that overcame in a male dominated field. They both talked about gender discrimination in their time. However, they all started listening to Marie Curie as she was telling her story and discoveries to improve medicine and a huge weapon to fight cancer and everyone applauded in her honor. She got up and bowed and was tearing up, it was a sensitive moment. It was fascinating that all the different people at that table, they all had respect in different ways (well, except for Hitler and Freud). That is something a casual observer would see about history. Especially looking at Hitler and Napoleon, they have pretty much the same goals in mind, but they were at completely different times in history. History does repeat itself time and time again. We do learn from history to try and create a better future. I do believe Hitler had some good qualities for just HIS people. Just like any other leader and his people, but I digress. Marie started asking questions about Grace’s work and how she helped develop COBOL, which was one of the earliest computer languages. Grace was saying that she was one of the first woman to receive a doctorate degree in mathematics. I asked her what made her want to study mathematics and computers and she just said, “I’ve always been more interested in the future than in the past.” I have personally seen what has become of computers in such a short time and she should be proud to be a part of such an achievement.  

I did see so much potential in this room and education. So, I moved down to the end of the other table to see how Mahatma Gandhi and Sigmund Freud were doing. Gandhi was an anti-colonial Nationalist.  Freud mentioned he was India’s “Great Soul”. Gandhi went on about how he rejected materialistic culture of the West and urged people of India to return to native traditions. He mentioned the policy of civil disobedience which was refusing to obey British regulations. He was talking about his non-violent movement which was the goal to force the British to improve the poor and grant independence. Sigmund was just listening intently like a good Psychologist would. I don’t know if he was analyzing Gandhi or what, but it seemed like he was intrigued by the conversation. Gandhi was bringing up a few things to Freud about morals. He was telling Freud that he strongly believed in self-control and non-violence and how Freud was teaching and believing the opposite because of Freud’s focus on instinctual desires and repressed sexuality. Freud respected Gandhi’s theories and opinions. Freud was then going on telling him about his studies (even though most of his ideas were not found to be right) that human behavior was strongly determined by the unconscious that were earlier experiences and inner forces of which people were oblivious. I chimed in and asked what did he mean by that? Freud responded by saying it was based on three contending forces: the id, ego, and superego. Which he said kind of stern that superegos can create a battleground of mania, and he was looking straight at Hitler. Hitler looked around the room and then back at Freud and was discussing his concentration camps and his sense of control and how that was not his superego (he had sarcasm in his voice). Gandhi was a peacemaker, so he was trying to settle the room, but Hitler wanted to make his point across. I interrupted everyone that was starting to say their own opinions and I said let Hitler continue. Hitler started in on talking about the Holocaust and how he thinks it was the right choice to put these people in camps. Freud started shifting his weight in his seat. Hitler saw things in black or white and he believed in anti-Semitism. Grace asked why he had such hatred for the Jewish people, and he replied saying either victory of the Aryan or annihilation of the Aryan and the victory of the Jew. Gandhi was shaking his head in disgust. He says we should all just try and get along. I agreed and said we should change the subject, so we don’t make anyone uncomfortable.  

Napoleon began a conversation asking Grace if she was married with kids. Grace said she was married and divorced, but no kids. Napoleon almost spit out his drink. He was shocked that she didn’t bear children. He said he admired strong women, but they were made for being wives and mothers. She did not appreciate that comment as I could see her face didn’t hide her thoughts. Grace was saying that her work was her children. Marie was listening in as well, but she had two daughters, so she did not comment. Once again, I feel like the conversation was leading towards a heated discussion. That is where it’s kind of always leads to. History brings up so many important people that create the ideas and then it evolves to more ideas, but sometimes when you have all these great minds in one spot in time, it could turn into a disaster. This dinner party proves that they all needed to be right where they needed to be in time to accomplish something. No matter what you do, there is always a consequence, good or bad. Without Freud, there probably would not have been Jung or even Psychology! Without Hitler, what would have been the outcome of the War? Or would there even be World War II? However, without that war we would not have brought allies together and it probably would not have brought ideas for new technology or globalization.  

I decided to move on to the whole reason they were there was for dinner. I hired a caterer because I wanted to have a dish or drink from at least where every guest was from just to make it interesting. I went around and helped serve my guests and make sure they had their glasses full and food on their plate. They were all looking at me to say something when Marie Curie spoke and raised her glass for a toast. She said, “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.” We all raised our glasses and finally we all agreed on at least one thing tonight.  

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