It's all subjective and would alter from culture to culture. For example Julius Caesar and even Alexander the Great, along with Bonaparte would be remembered by most militaries , as their military tactics - especially Caesar's - that are still studied by militaries today. People in music would never forget the names of Beethoven or Mozart, but then again, other cultures have other prominent musicians.
In terms of political based history, I don't think the whole world needs to know George Washington, as his importance lies with the people of America. In Pakistan for example, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Alama Iqbal are remembered with respect - not sure about this generation of miscreants though.
By and by, it's a subjective list and is solely dependent upon culture, philosophy, school of thought, and individual perspective as society and individual are two different things. Personally, I don't care about religious figures, so Rumi holds a lot of value for me for his quest for Reality and Truth.