There is no denying that some historical figures have been so completely awesome that modern “celebrities” can’t begin to touch them. Art student Jenny Burrows and copywriter Matt Kappler put together a hilarious and unquestionably awesome fictional ad campaign showcasing some of these historical badasses.

The ads each compare a contemporary celebrity with a historical figure, pointing out how “hardcore” the famous people of the past really were. As much as we idolize celebrities today, most of them don’t even come close to the total dominating awesomeness of the ones who rule our history books.

“Historically Hardcore” is the type of campaign that could definitely drum up some interest in history. Do your kids think a day at the history museum is boring? Fill them in on a few facts about just how tough those “boring” people of the past were and chances are they’ll be begging to learn more.

Originally created as a fake campaign for the artist’s portfolio, the ads featured the name and logo of a real museum at first. But after the ads started circulating online, the museum requested their name be removed. It is hard to understand why, since it seems that these fun ads could only improve the image of any museum.