Lots of people were way more important than history books give them credit for. Do you have a favorite?
Mine are Ibn al-Haytham and Mansa Musa. For very different reasons. Ibn al-Haytham basically invented the scientific method. And Mansa Musa was such a baller that he caused inflation when he visited places.
Oddly enough (because we’re in the last few hours of Christmas right now), Saint Nicholas. People go at depth with their kids about the existence of Santa with many not realizing there’s an actual Saint Nicholas who not only has delivered actual gifts each year but was an explorer in his mortal years who was said to have control over the weather (which served as his “miracle requirement” into sainthood) and fought corruption in the Catholic church.