The Resume

(July 23, 1892-August 27, 1975)
Birth name is Tafari Makonnen
Ruled Ethiopia for forty four years
Granted his subjects a constitution providing for universal suffrage (1931)
Freed Ethiopian slaves
Claimed to to be a direct descendent of King Solomon and Makeda, Queen of Sheba

Why he might be annoying:

Selassie's mother (Wezero Yeshimebet Ali) was eleven when his father (Ras Makonnen) married her.
He had dozens of siblings.
Selassie was not a Rastafarian himself. He was a devout Christian.
His chosen name 'Haile Selassie' means 'Might of the Trinity.'
Rasta's refer to Selassie as H.I.M. (His Imperial Majesty).
Ras Tafari's full title is 'His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah.'
When a group of Rasta's went to Ethiopia to honor H.I.M., palace official's told them to leave.
Under Selassie's rule, Eritrea (a neighboring African country) was annexed as a province of Ethiopia in 1952. This led to a 30-year struggle for Eritrean independence that ended in 1991.
As Emperor, Selassie would put on the black, floor-length robe of a judge and stand on a platform to listen to a court case then decide the verdict. These were final verdicts, carried out immediately, without appeal, even death sentences.
Under Selassie's rule, the Ethiopian famine of the early 1970's killed hundreds of thousands of people.
Rasta's are known for good 'ganja.'

Why he might not be annoying:

He was a 'benevolent dictator,' ruling with almost absolute power but keeping Ethiopia's benefit in mind
Rastafarianism Religion is named after Ras Tafari, and its prime belief is that Haile Selassie is the living God.
Rasta music has given us reggae. Bob Marley was a Rasta.
Selassie was an excellent diplomat, convincing the Soviet Union, the U.S.A. and eventually Britain to kick Mussolini and then fascist Italy out of Ethiopia.
Rastafarians speak out against poverty, oppression and inequality. The Rastafarian name for God is Jah.
Haile Selassie was 'Time Magazine Man Of The Year' for 1935.
Selassie died mysteriously under palace arrest and was buried under a toilet. Twenty five years after his burial, he was dug up and reburied with full honors (November, 2000)
Haile Selassie visited Jamaica, making lots of Rasta's really happy (April 21, 1966).

Credit: SumoBear

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• African Royalty
• DeCrowned
• I Attended John F. Kennedy's Funeral [November 25, 1963]
• I Attended Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Funeral [April 9, 1968]
• I Died in 1975 (Ranked: 83)
• I Died Under Mysterious Circumstances
• I Had Spanish Flu
• Look at Me, I'm a Helmet Head
• Monarchs, Royalty and Nobles
• New York City Ticker Tape Parades (Ranked: 1954)
• New York City Ticker Tape Parades (Ranked: 1963)
• Profiles 4501-4750 (Ranked: 4614)
• Religious Icons
• SumoBear's Profiles
• Time Magazine People of the Year (Ranked: 1935)

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 21 Votes: 47.62% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 86 Votes: 53.49% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 67 Votes: 43.28% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 66 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 41 Votes: 51.22% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 32 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 26 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 21 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 17 Votes: 70.59% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 14 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
In 2010, Out of 91 Votes: 68.13% Annoying
In 2009, Out of 46 Votes: 63.04% Annoying
In 2008, Out of 35 Votes: 62.86% Annoying
In 2007, Out of 87 Votes: 71.26% Annoying
In 2006, Out of 134 Votes: 68.66% Annoying
In 2005, Out of 255 Votes: 56.08% Annoying
In 2004, Out of 270 Votes: 67.41% Annoying
In 2003, Out of 612 Votes: 67.81% Annoying
In 2002, Out of 1976 Votes: 44.13% Annoying