The 25 Most Influential Beards of All Time

1 minute read

This weekend marks the National Beard and Moustache Championships in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Nov. 7, 2015. The stated purpose of the event? To “to find and honor the best facial hair in America,” of course.

To celebrate some of the most important facial hair throughout history, we compiled a list of the 25 most influential beards of all time. From musicians like ZZ Top to world leaders, each of the men on this list played a key role in shaping history, politics and culture.

Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln.National Archives/Getty Images
ZZ Top Perform At SSE Arena Wembley
ZZ Top's Dusty Hill, left, and Billy Gibbons, right.Rob Ball—Getty Images
Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris.Jon Kopaloff—Getty Images
Mr. T
Mr. T.Ray Tamarra—Getty Images
Gandalf
Gandalf.New Line Cinema/Getty Images
Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis.Douglas Gorenstein—Getty Images
Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro.Getty Images
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci.Getty Images
Billy Mays
Billy Mays.Paul Drinkwater—Getty Images
Jesus
Jesus.DEA Picture Library/Getty Images
Karl Marx
Karl Marx.Roger Viollet Collection/Getty Images
Kyp Malone TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone. Chris Weeks—Getty Images
Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Jeff Bridges
Jeff Bridges. Tom Williams—Getty Images
Santa Claus
Santa Claus.Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Claude Monet
Claude Monet.Getty Images
Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin.Michael Kovac—Getty Images
Brigham Young
Brigham Young.Culture Club/Getty Images
Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl.Kevin Winter—Getty Images
Anthrax Scott Ian
Anthrax's Scott Ian. Jason Squires—Getty Images
Slayer Kerry King
Slayer's Kerry King. Daniel Karmann—Getty Images
Mario Batali
Mario Batali.Jemal Countess—Getty Images
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden. AFP/Getty Images
Don Young
Rep. Don Young.Tom Williams—Getty Images
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman.Getty Images

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