10 greatest Americans

[TyeDye75]

There was poll by the BBC a few years ago to find the greatest Britons

1 Sir Winston Churchill
2 Isambard Kingdom Brunel
3 Diana, Princess of Wales
4 Charles Darwin
5 William Shakespeare
6 Sir Isaac Newton
7 Queen Elizabeth I
8 John Lennon
9 Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
10 Oliver Cromwell

So I had a go at an American top 10....

1 Franklin D. Roosevelt
2 Jimmy Carter
3 Abe Lincoln
4 Ben Franklin
5 Eleanor Roosevelt
6 George Washington
7 Martin Luther King
8 Bill Clinton
9 Arthur Miller
10 Mohamed Ali

Id like to see some other DUer's lists....I realise my representation of women and minorities is pitiful... but as an outsider my knowledge of American History isn't too sharpe.

EDIT...I cant believe I forgot MLK he replaces Elvis at number 7.

[HughBeaumont]

1. Ten . .

1. Franklin D. Roosevelt
2. Theodore Roosevelt
3. Ben Franklin
4. George Washington
5. Thomas Paine
6. Harriet Tubman
7. Dwight Eisenhower
8. Martin Luther King Jr.
9. Abraham Lincoln
10.Muhammad Ali

[terrya]

2. My ten:

1) Abraham Lincoln

2) Martin Luther King, Jr

3) Franklin Roosevelt

4) Eugene V. Debs

5) John L. Lewis

6) Cesar Chavez

7) Jimmy Carter

8) Thomas Jefferson

9) George Washington

10) Benjamin Franklin

[JohnKleeb]

9. I didnt know you were a John L Lewis fan

Hes one of my heroes, UMWA forever :).

[hfojvt]

15. finally Jefferson is on a list, and Debs too

:yourock:

[Arkana]

3. That's a tall order, but here's mine

1. George Washington
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt
3. Jimmy Carter
4. Martin Luther King, Jr.
5. Eleanor Roosevelt
6. Abraham Lincoln
7. Abigail Adams
8. Theodore Roosevelt
9. Thomas Jefferson
10. Benjamin Franklin

There are, of course, more famous Americans that I can think of, but those ten deserve the spots they're given.

[NoPasaran]

4. Another ten in no particlar order

Martin Luther King, Jr
Thomas Jefferson
Bob Dylan
Abraham Lincoln
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Thomas Edison
Walter Reuther
George Washington
Henry Ford
Cesar Chavez

[Mnemosyne]

8. Cesar Chavez! I haven't bought grapes since the 1970's. RIP Cesar! nt

[Tektonik]

5. There's only one correct list and it is:

1. Kirstie Alley
2. Kirstie Alley
3. Kirstie Alley
4. Kirstie Alley
5. Kirstie Alley
6. Kirstie Alley
7. Kirstie Alley
8. Kirstie Alley
9. Kirstie Alley
10. Kirstie Alley

[TyeDye75]

6. Hmmmmm......you make a convincing arguement

[CanuckAmok]

12. Thing about that is....

...she's so FAT, you only need to list her once, and it's like listing ten people.

[Mnemosyne]

7. I have some off the top of my head.

1. All that walked The Trail of Tears

2. John Brown - abolitionist (great-great-great uncle)

3. MLK

4. John DeCamp

5. Lincoln

6. Kennedy, JF

7. Harriet Tubman

8. Parents trying to raise children on sub living wages

9. Everyone in prison for non-violent marijuana crimes

10. ALL who tried to stop the election coup in 2000 and 2004

Yes, I know there are more than 10 people listed, but am trying to make a point.

It is impossible to choose only 10 and leave out the many that have sacrificed, fought and sometimes died in the course of American history.

It is impossible to choose who has made the most sacrifice.

[xmas74]

You have a point.

Anyone who tries to do some good in this country needs to be on the list. My grandfather was expected to become a pro baseball player when he was in college-he gave it up to join the Army. He became a Ranger and was injured. If he had not joined he might have a recognizable name today. Instead, he gave his health for his country, as did many young men in that day and age.
Any parent who tries their best to raise a child in this day and age is a hero. Anyone who speaks out against atrocities is a hero. Anyone who volunteers their time for a cause that helps the less fortunate is a hero. We just don't know their names.

[hfojvt]

19. I am related to Brown as well

on his father's side and his mother's side so we must be distant relatives as well.
:hi:

[Saboburns]

10. Well....

In no particular order



H L Mencken
Babe Ruth
Mark Twain
MLK Jr
Teddy Roosevelt
Robert E Lee
Ben Franklin
Tina Turner
Crazy Horse
My Dad

[donheld]

11. Saboburns Welcome to DU

:hi:

[CanuckAmok]

13. Mine...(no particular order)...

Arthur Miller
Emma Goldman
Jimmy Carter
Rosa Parks
Thomas Edison
John F. Kennedy
Thomas Edison
Miles Davis
Kurt Vonnegut
Noam Chomsky

[Martin Eden]

14. In no particular order ...

and without a great deal of thought ...

George Washington
Ben Franklin
Thomas Jefferson
Abe Lincoln
FDR
Frederick Douglas
Thurgood Marshall
Martin Luther King
Susan B Anthony
Thomas Edison

[Spider Jerusalem]

16. Let's see:

Unordered list, here:

Abraham Lincoln
Franklin D Roosevelt
Dr Martin Luther King
Benjamin Franklin
Duke Ellington
Samuel Langhorne Clemens
Albert Einstein (if naturalised citizens count)
Eleanor Roosevelt
Frederick Douglass
Thomas Jefferson

[khashka]

17. Top 10 Greatest Americans? Tough One.

In no particular order:

1 Thomas Jefferson
2 Martin Luther King Jr
3 Harvey Milk
4 Sojourner Truth
5 Margaret Sanger
6 Ben Franklin
7 Sacco and Vanzetti
8 Emily Dickenson
9 Emma Goldman
10 (and this will get me hate mail) Richard M. Nixon


Khash.

[JohnKleeb]

21. I am not gonna give you hate mail but Nixon, please explain

I like some of your other picks that said.

[khashka]

25. Ok Nixon

The boy was a total paranoid psycho fuckwit. I'll admit that.

But under Nixon we got the EPA, OSHA and a lot of environmental policies . The Clean Air Act, anyone?

He also wanted to introduce a Guaranteed Minimum Income. From what I've seen it would have been catastrophicly inflational - but it was fixable. A little work would have made it workable.

The thing is Nixon is the great Satan.As a man he was probably psychotic. As a president he was pretty damn good.

Of course there's Vietnam. And that's unforgivable. But many of the "liberal" programs we consider invaluable came from Nixon.

I'm liberal beyond most liberals ideas of being liberal. But I think, in the end, Nixon will be recognized as one of the greatest presidents of the 20th century. And, yes, it hurts to say that. But I think it's true. In the end. When everything is weighed and measured.

Khash.

[Amfortas]

18. mmm..... in no particular order

1)Abraham Lincoln
2)Mark Twain
3)FDR
4)Arthur Miller
5)Jimmy carter
6)Steinbeck
7)Nathaniel Hawthorne
8)Martin Luther King
9)Malcolm X
10)Bob Dylan

[Democrats_win]

20. The true ten greatest Americans, almost in order

1. Bill Gates
2. Thomas Edison
3. Ben Franklin
4. U.S. Grant
5. Abe
6. Franklin Roosevelt
7. Deep Throat
8. Walt Disney
9. Elvis Presley
10. Lou Gehrig

[BuyingThyme]

22. Subject field must not be blank

MLK
JFK
RFK
Ray Taliaferro
Bobby Bittman
Bill Murray
Stevie Nicks
Albert Einstein
Mr. Antonio
Jerri Blank

[MrScorpio]

23. Uh, Excuse me. Who the fuck was this guy?

2 Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Must be a British thing

[khashka]

26. Isambard Kingdom Brunel????

Only one of the greatest engineers the human race has ever produced?

You're kidding, right?

Khash.

[MrScorpio]

27. Oh, shit... I forgot about this guy

How the hell did I do that?

[TyeDye75]

28. Dont worry about it...

Most Brits had never heard about him before the BBC's poll...

[Shananigans]

24. Top Three People in the World

In no particular order:

William Jefferson Clinton
Nelson Mandela
Oprah Winfrey

[SKKY]

29. Remember, just my opinion folks, no hate mail OK?

1. Abe Lincoln
2. Martin Luther King
3. Ben Franklin
4. Alexander Graham Bell
5. George Washington
6. Harriet Tubman
7. Walt Disney
8. Jackie Robinson
9. Bill Gates
10. Franklin D. Roosevelt

[TyeDye75]

30. Why Walt Disney?

Dont worry...no hate mail... Im just interested

[SKKY]

31. Well, there's lots of things I like about Walt Disney...

...but I guess his one great contribution to America is his company, and what he started so very long ago with the cartoon Steamboat Willy. From a purely entertainment perspective, it had a huge impact (Debut of Mickey Mouse, first cartoon with synchronized audio, etc).
I also like the fact that service to one's country was important to him. He was reject by the Army (too young), so he joined the Red Cross and served overseas in that regard. I tried, in my list, to include individuals who had the most impact in their respective field. In the Entertainment/Motion Picture category, I just think Walt Disney is the man.

[TyeDye75]

32. makes sense...

I had Elvis for similar reasons.... his cultural significance and the fact that he didn't baulk at military service....but he had to be sacrificed when I realised that Id forgotten MLK.