Great leaders go down in history, the story of their lives often taught in schools and remembered for years. Behind many of our leaders, however, are the men and women who almost made it to the top, but not quite. They are the leaders we nearly had.

In Britain, Neil Kinnock's success came to a halt in 1992, while Aneurin Bevan's resignation in 1951 destroyed his chances of leading the Labour Party. Across the Atlantic, Al Gore and, more recently, Hillary Clinton have epitomised what it means to be a lost leader. Yet these are just a few examples.

Even though all these individuals came close to leading their parties or nations, their failure left them with a tarnished reputation, or often they are forgotten. Here are ten men and women who nearly led political history:

1. Aneurin Bevan

2. Neil Kinnock

3. Kenneth Clarke

4. Al Gore

5. Hillary Clinton

6. Thomas Riley Marshall

7. Spiro Agnew

8. Thomas E Dewey

9. Sonia Gandhi

10. Leon Trotsky