Mr. D’s First Ever Contest: “Who is history’s greatest a**hole?”

Author’s Note: The asterisks in the title are for those readers that might catch this on spam filters. Check all your boxes before deleting as a rule. Thanks, Mr. D

As today is a national holiday to celebrate a truly controversial figure in history–part hero, part visionary, part scumbag–Columbus Day is also the day the Neighborhood launches its first contest.

I’m sending this to all readers and would-be readers. We need suggestions as to who was history’s greatest asshole. Who was mankind’s greatest douchebag, bastard, son-of-a-bitch, etc.? Who in the annals of humankind would you want to kick in the nuts, smack in the old kisser, and dance a Charleston on their grave?

Mr.D’s Neighborhood wants to know. And there’s prizes involved.

E-mail or post a comment with your suggestion. The top five will be selected, by me, to be placed on a poll on this blog. Then the readers decide. If your entry wins, you get the following:

(a) A one-on-one web interview showcasing your “asshole,” why you chose him/her, and some free publicity about your biz/site/blog/upcoming feature that will broadcast here at the Neighborhood.

(b) A free copy of Gotham, the must-have history of New York City from its founding to 1898, by Edgar Burrows and Mike Wallace.

Sounds good? Let’s get those suggestions in. Here are a few ground rules:

Your entry should include the name of the “asshole”, the dates of birth and/or death, and a short paragraph as to why this person is an “asshole.” Please include your name, your e-mail and your website, if you have one.
Your entry can be from any place, at almost any time. However, we will include only people active up until the fall of the Communist bloc (1989-1992). No recent personalities. No Bush, no Obama, no bin Laden. Got it? I’M BEING VERY STRICT ABOUT THIS.
Do not include deities, mythological beings, or any folk hero/talltale hero/legendary figure who has little concrete connection to an actual person, i.e. Robin Hood, El Cid, Achilles, etc.
Please include factual information about your “asshole.” When possible, state a source. I’m not looking for MLA or APA stylebook shit, but I do want some real info to back up your claims of asshole-ity.
Do not include the unholy Trinity of evil: Hitler, Stalin, or Mao. They belong in a different category entirely.
All entries are due by FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009.

All entries will be reviewed by me. You will only get an e-mail response if your entry was chosen for the top five. Winner of the poll will be notified on this website once dates for the poll are finalized, soon after the entry deadline.

Any questions or concerns, please let me know. You can submit your entry either by e-mail or by posting a comment to this post.

Please spread this to anyone you know. Let’s make this a great contest to find our number 1 “asshole” in history!