Who Was Hitler Before Hitler?

In the sixty-six years since his death, Adolf Hitler has rightfully been used as a universal symbol for pure evil. So much so that his name is far too often used by people to paint a terrible picture of someone they don't like (politicians, bosses, etc.)

When another high-profile example of this occurring this week, Slate took the opportunity to ask Before Hitler, who was the stand-in for pure evil?

Turns out there were a bunch of them. The typical slate of barbarous bad guys includes Genghis Khan and Ivan the Terrible. But perhaps the most common person to hold the infamous distinction was the Pharaoh of Exodus - who was reportedly invoked by Confederate soldiers to describe Abraham Lincoln.

Check out the entire article here.