Simon Bolivar was a tough question; he was a Venezuelan and involved in their revolution then became dictator of Panama and finally Dictator of Gran Columba. He was so well regarded that they named a new country, Bolivia after him but they were fortunate that he never became their dictator, mostly because he had bigger fish to fry. Gran Columba was an amalgam of Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama. Bolivar had visions of creating a federation with himself as Ruler for life with authority to name his successor. He was essentially claiming Kingship in perpetuity and this explains why South American Governments only change at the point of a gun.

How did I get so smart you ask? Two weeks ago I was looking up a recipe for a cake called Gran Columba and I discovered it was named in honor of Bolivar. You know how Internet searches go, three or four link clicks later I was reading the History of Simon Bolivar, Venezuela, Peru, the struggle to be freed of Spanish control and Gran Columba. I just realized I completely forgot to copy the recipe!