Alfred Thayer Mahan

An indifferent seagoing officer who wrote the most consequential naval book ever published. The Influence of Sea Power upon History argued that command of the sea decides the fate of great powers, and was read closely in Berlin, London and Tokyo — it is a direct cause of the battleship race, which makes him one of the few writers who can be said to have helped build the fleets that fought the First World War.

• Lived: 1840 CE – 1914 CE
• Nationality: american
• Roles: admiral, writer, strategist