Thanks! Now that I think about it, while it is true that certain things would not have happened without the spark of a key leader, you are also correct in that the leaders by themselves might not ever be successful.

Had Washington been born in Germany, for example, what would have become of him or his country? How would his life have been different, growing up in German society of the time, instead of colonial America?

Had Trump been born fifty years earlier, how would he have turned out?

Where would the world be, if Churchill had been born in the US?

Just musing here -- your point of consensus, and my point of a strong leader, are certainly both valid, but does there need to be some other sort of X Factor? Being in the right place at the right time?

Anyways, sorry to ramble. You definitely got me to think, though, so thank you for that! :-)