Saddam Hussein

About Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein, who lived from 1937 to 2006, was the former President of Iraq and a dominant, controversial political figure in the Middle East for decades. He rose to power in 1979, leading Iraq through the devastating Iran-Iraq War and the subsequent Gulf War following his invasion of Kuwait. His rule was characterized by authoritarian control and significant regional conflict, leading to his ranking at #336 in the Pantheon project's measure of global historical influence.

In 2025, Hussein garners significant modern attention, accumulating 4.3 million annualized Wikipedia views, placing him in a state of overattention relative to his historical ranking—specifically, a +10x gap compared to his HPI position. This level of digital focus means he is viewed online ten times more frequently than the average figure with a similar historical importance score. For context, this view count is considerably higher than that of Vasco da Gama (#77 importance) who received less than 1 million views, highlighting a notable contemporary interest skew.

Furthermore, interest in the former Iraqi leader shows current momentum, with a +20% surge in engagement between Q1 and Q3 of 2025, suggesting ongoing relevance or public discourse driving web traffic toward his profile.