9. ali

ALI is an Arabic name that means “high.”

Boxer Muhammad Ali changed his name from Cassius Clay in 1964 after joining the Nation of Islam. In doing so, Ali honored the practice of dissociating himself from the surname of his enslaved ancestors.

Ali was known for his confidence and bravado. He routinely made predictions about the round in which he would knock out an opponent and for his rhyming taunts. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Your hands can’t hit what your eyes can’t see” and “My face is so pretty, you don’t see a scar, which proves I’m the king of the ring by far” are both attributed to him.

After winning an Olympic gold medal in 1960, Ali went onto a professional career that spanned more than twenty years and included many notable fights including the “Rumble in the Jungle” on October 30, 1974, when Ali defeated George Foreman in the African nation of Zaire, and the “Thrilla in Manila,” on October 1, 1975, when Ali defeated Joe Frazier on the island nation of the Philippines. The victory over Frazier avenged Ali’s first professional career loss on March 8, 1971, in what was dubbed the “Fight of the Century.”

For his fight against Foreman, Ali used a strategy dubbed rope-a-dope, in which he protected his face and leaned against the ropes along the perimeter of the ring, allowing Foreman to exhaust himself by delivering body blows until Ali delivered the knock out punch in the eighth round. The fight is featured in the Academy-Award winning 1996 documentary When We Were Kings.

Ali also notably refused to enter the U.S. Army presaging the antiwar protests against the Vietnam War. During his career, Ali often increased awareness of the international community by fighting in venues outside of the United States. He has been celebrated for his contributions to humanitarian and charitable causes both domestically and internationally.

He was named sportsman or athlete of the twentieth century by many media outlets, including Sports Illustrated, USA Today, and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Will Smith portrayed Ali in the biopic of the same name in 2001.

Ali Baba is a fictional character whose stories are often set in ancient Arabia. “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” appears in some versions of the story collection One Thousand and One Nights. Although early versions of One Thousand and One Nights—stories out of the traditions of Arabia, Yemen, India, and Persia—date back to 800 or 900 C.E., “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” was added by a European translator or group of translators somewhere along the way.