I also did not include gods or other religious icons.  Everybody would have felt obligated to pick their own.  Christians would have voted for Jesus, Muslims would have voted for Mohammed, and the rest of us would have voted for Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer.  I'm trying to keep the poll limited to mortals.

I was actually considering accepting write-in candidates, but I didn't want three hundred people repeatedly voting for themselves.  Also, whenever you have a write-in poll, no matter what the category, some schmuck always writes in the word "bitch" and then votes for it six hundred times.  Why "bitch?"  I don't know.  But I've seen a lot of write-in votes on web polls, and it's just one of those things that happens.

So, I carefully selected from all of the coolest individuals throughout history, and then narrowed the list down to a few who seem to go above and beyond the "cool" of duty.  I leave the final decision in your hands.  Choose well.