Weve all been there. Weve asked an offended woman when her non-existent baby is due. Weve done the nervous quick-shuffle as someone holds a door open way before we get to it. Weve squirmed in our seats at the dinner table as our friends argue with their partners. Modern life seems to naturally lead to awkward situations. Even some of the most prolific social networkers, with their thousands of friends and followers, are clueless when they step out from behind the keyboard. While the people of the past did not have the awkward penguins, turtles and balloons that are familiar to all of us who are down with the kids lingo these days, it turns out that even our most successful ancestors werent as suave as we might think. Some of the most influential people in our history suffered through cringe-worthy social blunders, or had unexpectedly shy personalities. Next time you have to do a nerve-wracking presentation, take comfort in the fact that behind the scenes of many of the historic events of our past, our famous ancestors all over the world had sweaty palms too. Here is a list of ten people from history who were surprisingly awkward in social situations.
