15. Bobby Sands
Bobby Sands became one of the most recognizable faces of Irish resistance during the Troubles. While imprisoned, Sands led the 1981 hunger strike and was elected as a Member of Parliament, drawing global attention to the plight of republican prisoners and the conflict in Northern Ireland. His death ignited international solidarity and controversy, symbolizing the power—and cost—of protest. Sands’s legacy remains divisive, continuing to spark debate over the effectiveness and morality of such extreme acts. Details at BBC History.
