I assume few people out of Central/Eastern Europe knows more than names. Vaclav Havel became famous in US at certain time. In his home country he became a star but his popularity more or less quickly disappeared as he got himself involved in a lot local skirmishes and 'dirty' his hands pretty quickly. There are still some people in Czechia who like him (some even worship him) but they are absolute minority.

I would also not call them really thinkers. Not commenting on the pope as I am not Christian but the rest were 'just' opposition politicians and the last one was a great and brave writer.

I only know of them because they were active during the time I was in high school and university. I enjoyed hearing about them and reading about them. They were pioneers in changing their countries.

Chinese are not about the past. They are about the present and the future as it effects their personal lives. I mention the name Obama in my class. They all immediately sound off saying his name in unison. When I ask them what they know of Obama, some might say "Yes, We Can!". And that Obama is the current US president and he is black. Outside of that, nothing. When I ask them what "Yes, we can" means and where it came from,the crickets come into the classroom with blank stares. I mention the name Xi JinPing. Again, they will chorus his name. When I ask them about any policies he has put into place or what he has accomplished, some might mention something about corruption being combatted. But, only on a superficial note. Ask them about Mao...he was China's first president and mixed reviews of his performance of being good or bad. But, nothing of substance.