You’re staring into the beautiful, brooding face of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938). I’ve been taking an introductory World History class all semester, and recently this man seems to be peering at me from PowerPoint slides almost every week. I’m pretty sure it’s fate.

So Kemal Ataturk was given his surname “Ataturk” (meaning “Father of the Turks”) just 3 years before his death, and for good reason. As military man, he lead a nationalist revolution against the invasion of the Greeks and other Europeans, who wanted to divide Turkey into different sectors of influence. After essentially creating the Republic of Turkey, he was understandably chosen as its very first President. His presidency advocated modernization, and under that, the emancipation of women (which makes me love him all the more).

First and foremost, however, I think we have to recognized the fact he’s a Turkish Heartthrob.