Simon Cowell has been pitted to the "most recognisable face in history" title by Adolf Hitler.

The 52-year-old music mogul and 'X Factor' judge has the second most famous face in modern history, coming a close second behind the late German Nazi dictator in a recent poll of 1,000 adults in the UK.

Simon - also known as 'Mr Nasty' - is set to go down in history for his memorable put-downs as he was recognised by 943 people compared to Hitler's 994.

They were both spotted by 95 percent of the people polled, along with fellow controversial character, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who came third.

According to the poll, global superstar Lady Gaga is less recognisable than British wartime hero Sir Winston Churchill and former monarchs Queen Victoria and King Henry VIII.

The 'Marry The Night' singer - who has 25 million twitter followers and had the best-selling album of 2010 with 'The Fame Monster' - came bottom of the list and was only known to 71 per cent of people polled.

The survey was commissioned by Yesterday to mark the second series of 'Museum Secrets'.