Beards are at the peak of fashion and they have been for a long, long time. Who is it within society that usually leads social trends and brings them into the limelight? The rich and famous.

From Hollywood to Pitchfork’s top recommended musicians, there are a whole host of celebrity beards that the normal facial-haired man would admire. If you look slightly further back into history, however, there are some famous beards that’ll totally blow you away. For the fun of it, we’re going to take you through some of history’s famed and fortunate bearded men.

1. Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln’s time in the White House paved the road for change that would last for generations. He also had a pretty sweet beard. Recently, his legacy has lived on in several films, with plotlines stretching from true-to-the-detail to slightly embellished with tales of vampires. Honest Abe certainly set the bar pretty high for the modern gentleman as far as bearded perfection is concerned.

2. Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman has graced the earth with his presence for over 48 years now and in that time, he’s had some pretty impressive facial hair. Working everything from the wolverine mutton chop to full-on beard, Hugh Jackman has definitely got it going on. He has, however, now returned to the smooth-faced look, after kissing his wolverine sideburns goodbye earlier in the year.

3. Dan Haggerty (Grizzly Adams)

I reference Dan Haggerty (A.K.A. Grizzly Adams) in my articles fairly often, because he truly was a hallmark for the male beard movement. Also, the dude trained grizzly bears – it doesn’t get much more badass than that.

Immortalized through a variety of televisual mediums, Grizzly Adams’ legacy will live on for generations to come. Since his time was the 1800’s, he didn’t have access to a beard trimmer. You, however, do, so if you haven’t got one already, take a look at this article.

4. Charles Darwin

From the man who brought you Origin of Species comes the origin of the beard. Charles Darwin was one of the most intelligent men to grace our planet, but he sure didn’t give a damn about that facial hair. He let that thing grow to lengths that some of us could only dream of achieving. Characterized by its business and generally unkempt appearance, Darwin took the bearded look from societal vagabonds and popularized it within British high society.

5. Karl Marx

Karl Marx’s political ideology sparked the movement of communism and that’s something that made him pretty unpopular with a whole lot of people. Putting this aside for a second, he had one righteous beard and he definitely left his Marx (I’m sorry) on the facial hair world.

6. Castaway-era Tom Hanks

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring one thing with you, what would it be? For me, it’d probably be a survival kit, but Tom Hanks’ castaway beard would come in at a close second. Regardless of whether it was fake or not in the movie, the red carpet has graced a bearded Tom Hanks long enough to show that this man has some serious beard-growing genes.

Reeling in at 143 minutes, not a whole lot happens during the film Castaway – Tom Hanks runs around an island, hurts his foot, catches some fish, and shouts at a ball. His beard, however, brings enough thrills on its own. For that alone, it’s definitely worth a watch.

7. George Clooney

Some men fear the greying of their facial hair, but George Clooney has pulled it off to perfection. There’s something about George Clooney that makes him look great no matter his style or facial hair choice. He’s a true inspiration to bearded bros worldwide, especially those of us who are starting to show a little grey here and there.

8. Bradley Cooper

He’s spent a large part of his movie career playing stubble or clean-shaven characters, but Bradley Cooper is rocking a full-on beard right now. Some journalists are hacking his current look to pieces, but he’s dating a Russian supermodel so let’s be honest, he’s doing something right.