History is full of tales of famous cads. Some are known for the prodigious numbers of lovers they racked up, while others are better known for the audacity of their exploits. Who are some of the most notorious womanizers in history? Read on for our picks:

Slam Dunk

Basketball player Wilt Chamberlain claimed to have had sex with 20,000 women. The logistics of this feat would have been impressive. Chamberlain was 55 when his autobiography, which contained the 20K claim, was published. Assuming he lost his virginity at 15, he would have had to have sex with 500 women every year – that’s 1.4 per day. Friends of the player say he was fond of multi-partner encounters, so, given the very careful scheduling, it could be possible. 

In Like Flynn

According to his autobiography, Erroll Flynn had to flee the Australian sheep farm where he had his first job because he got caught in bed with his boss’s daughter. His taste for the younger ladies persisted. He was charged with statutory rape in 1943. He claimed not to know that it was a crime. The charges could have put him in jail for 20 years; this did not stop him chatting up an 18-year-old girl who worked in the lobby of the courthouse during his trial. They snuck off together daily, and were married after he was acquitted. Flynn was so consistently lucky in this regard that the term “In like Flynn” reputedly was coined after his exploits. 

Who's Your Great-great-great-great-great-great Granddaddy?

Genghis Khan was such a prolific lover of the ladies that there’s a chance you are related to him. A study in the region that was once Mongolia revealed that 8% of the men in that area shared Genghis Khan’s DNA. It’s estimated that he has 16 million living decendents; that’s .5% of the population. 

Did I Tell You I Make Pictures?

After making his millions in aviation, Howard Hughes turned toward film-making. He used his position to get close to actresses, and is rumored to have seduced about 50 starlets. Some of his high-profile flings include Ava Gardner, Janet Leigh, Jean Simmons, Katherine Hepburn (who kept a box of his love letters until her death), BetteDavis, Joan Crawford and Ginger Rogers. He was reputed to propose almost at random. Ava Gardner said that he presented her with an engagement ring while she was still marriedto her first spouse, Mickey Rooney. All of his various paramours always had kind things to say about him, even after his death. 

In all affairs of state he was the man to please,
But he was real great when he had a girl to squeeze

Rasputin abandoned his wife to become a monk soon after his marriage. Religious orders were one of the few ways for people of low birth to gain status in Russia at the time, and it was probably this, rather than a religious awakening, that drew him to the monastery. His vows did not keep him from pursuing pleasures of the flesh; he reputedly had a long string of lovers. Part of the reason for his success with women was possibly his reputation for being well-endowed. His member was held in such high regard that, after his assassination, a maid claimed to have removed and preserved it. It was purchased first by a group of Russian ex-patriot ladies who worshipped it as a fertility charm, and later by a collector. Rasputin’s daughter demanded the dismembered member back; it was revealed that the item in the jar was, in fact, a sea cucumber. 

Photo: Wikipedia