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Lifetime
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Expertise
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Accomplishments
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Americans
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1809-1865
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Politics
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Led the Union during the Civil War; the most crucial figure in the passage of the XIIIᵗʰ Amendment to abolish slavery.
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Abraham Lincoln
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1913-2005
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Social Reform
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Ignited the Montgomery bus boycott; led the movement to prohibit racially segregated buses.
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Rosa Parks
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1732-1799
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Military/Politics
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The first commander of the Continental Army; established the presidency as recognised today.
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George Washington
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1929-1968
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Activism
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Arguably the frontman of the Civil Rights movement; gave his oration: 'I've Been to the Mountaintop'.
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Martin Luther King, Jr.
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1879-1955
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Physics
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A key figure in the introduction of quantum mechanics; devised the photoelectric effect and Brownian motion.
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Albert Einstein
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1705-1790
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Politics/Science
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The first Postmaster General; led the innovation of optics and electricity during the Enlightenment period.
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Benjamin Franklin
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1743-1826
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Politics
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Chiefly wrote the Declaration of Independence; approved the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleonic France.
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Thomas Jefferson
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1882-1945
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Politics
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Issued the New Deal, including the CCC, WPA, FSA and SSA; oversaw the suspension of the gold standard.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt
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1818?-1895
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Social Reform
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Wrote 'Narrative of the Life of ---, an American Slave; was appointed Minister Resident to Haiti in 1889.
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Frederick Douglass
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1822-1913
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Social Reform
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Rescued escaped slaves via the Underground Railroad; supported John Brown's raid at Harpers Ferry.
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Harriet Tubman
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1847-1931
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Innovation/Business
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Pioneered the phonograph, kinetoscope and DC electricity; established the first industrial research lab.
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Thomas Edison
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1820-1906
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Social Reform
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Co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association; advocated for temperance well before the XIXᵗʰ Amendment.
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Susan B. Anthony
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1838-1914
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Environmentalism
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Preserved such wilderness area as Yosemite Valley; founded the Sierra Club: a prominent conservation organisation.
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John Muir
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1884-1962
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Politics
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Served as the first chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights; largely supported refugees and the right to education.
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Eleanor Roosevelt
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1927-1993
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Social Reform
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Organised the United Farm Workers labour union; promoted the rights of Chicanos and workers with wage standards.
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Cesar Chavez
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1856-1915
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Social Reform
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Supported racial uplift through gradual means; founded Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute.
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Booker T. Washington
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1817-1862
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Natural Philosophy
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Leading transcendentalist philosopher; penned the essay 'Civil Disobedience': arguing for disobedience to an unjust state.
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Henry David Thoreau
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born 1928
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Linguistics/Reform
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A critic of the U.S. interventionist foreign policy; created the minimalist program - modelling the understanding of language.
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Noam Chomsky
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1858-1919
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Politics
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Led the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War; ignited the Progressive Era through his anti-trust and welfare policies.
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Theodore Roosevelt
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1839-1903
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Physics/Chemistry
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Created statistical mechanics to explain the laws of thermodynamics; invented modern vector calculus.
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Josiah Willard Gibbs
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1907-1964
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Biology
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Wrote 'Silent Spring' - advancing the global environmental movement; served in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries.
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Rachel Carson
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1919-1972
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Sports
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Played baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers and broke the sport's colour line; won the NL Most Valuable Player Award in 1949.
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Jackie Robinson
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born 1955/64
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Business/Reform
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Jointly established a private charity foundation to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty across the world.
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Bill & Melinda Gates
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1930-1978
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Politics
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The first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California; broadly sympathised with the 1960s counterculture.
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Harvey Milk
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1863-1947
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Innovation/Business
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Chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production; pioneered the five-day work week.
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Henry Ford
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1755-1835
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Law/Politics
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Implemented the principle of 'separation of powers'; decided McCulloch v. Maryland and Marbury v. Madison.
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John Marshall
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1917-1963
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Politics
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Eased U.S-Soviet tensions following the Cuban Missile Crisis; created the 'New Frontier' welfare program.
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John F. Kennedy
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1925-1968
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Politics
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The icon of modern liberalism for his efforts in social and economic equality; fought organised crime and the Mafia.
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Robert F. Kennedy
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1908-1993
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Law/Politics
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Argued against 'separate but equal' in Brown v. Board of Education; considered a defender of the freedom of expression.
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Thurgood Marshall
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1835-1910
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Literature
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Penned such American classics as 'Pudd'nhead Wilson'; passionately criticised political corruption and imperialism.
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Mark Twain
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born 1928
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Biology
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Proposed the double helix structure of the DNA molecule; championed an increased focus in molecular biology.
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James Watson
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1914-1995
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Biology
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Developed one of the first successful polio vaccines; attempted to research a vaccine against HIV.
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Jonas Salk
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born 1934
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Social Reform
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Led the movement of second-wave feminism; co-founded the feminist 'Ms.' magazine.
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Gloria Steinem
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1928-2014
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Literature/Reform
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Authored civil rights-centred poems, such as 'Still I Rise'; wrote her autobiography: 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'.
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Maya Angelou
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1803-1882
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Political Philosophy
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A prominent individualist due to his essays, such as 'Self-Reliance'; established the 'transparent eyeball' metaphor.
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Ralph Waldo Emerson
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1751-1836
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Politics
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Drafted the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and The Federalist Papers; led the United States during the War of 1812.
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James Madison
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1878-1968
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Politics/Literature
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Wrote 'The Jungle' - exposing sanitary conditions in the U.S. meatpacking industry; publicized the issue of yellow journalism.
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Upton Sinclair
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1815-1902
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Social Reform
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Founded the Woman's Loyal National League; started a newspaper called 'The Revolution' to discuss woman's rights.
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Elizabeth Cady Stanton
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1925-1965
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Social Reform
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Orated 'The Ballot or the Bullet' speech in 1964; a prominent spokesman for the Nation of Islam.
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Malcolm X
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1856-1924
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Politics
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Founded the League of Nations through the Fourteen Points; advocated the eight-hour workday and regulation of child labour.
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Woodrow Wilson
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1767-1845
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Politics
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Famed hero of the Battle of New Orleans; the first 'populist' president - framing modern democracy.
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Andrew Jackson
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born 1957
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Literature
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Co-authored the bestseller 'Three Cups of Tea'; promoted girls' education and literacy around the world.
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Greg Mortenson
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1868-1963
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Social Reform
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One of the founders of the NAACP; insisted on unequivocal civil rights and representation for African-Americans.
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W.E.B. Dubois
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1835-1919
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Business
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Laid the foundation of the U.S. Steel Corporation; supported progressive taxation and an estate tax.
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Andrew Carnegie
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born 1961
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Politics
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Signed the Affordable Care Act to expand healthcare; regulated the financial sector with the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act.
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Barack Obama
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1862-1931
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Social Reform
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Wrote 'A Red Record': an account about lynching of African-Americans; expressed activity in the Negro Women's Club.
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Ida B. Wells
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1904-1967
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Physics
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Known as the "father of the atomic bomb" for his role in the Manhattan Project; called to avert nuclear proliferation.
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J. Robert Oppenheimer
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1901-1966
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Cinema
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Pioneered Technicolor, feature-length, and synchronised-sound cartoons; produced such entertainment films as 'Mary Poppins'.
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Walt Disney
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1880-1968
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Social Reform
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Leading disability rights advocate due to her deafblindnesss; worked for the American Foundation for the Blind.
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Helen Keller
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1869-1939
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Biology
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Pioneered brain surgery and became the first exclusive neurosurgeon; introduced blood pressure measurement.
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Harvey Cushing
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1757-1804
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Politics
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A pivotal figure behind the charter of the first national bank; penned the majority of the Federalist Papers.
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Alexander Hamilton
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1880-1959
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Military
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General of the Army during World War Two; advocated a U.S. economic commitment to post-war European recovery.
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George C. Marshall
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1932-2009
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Politics
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Advocated universal healthcare; defended government intervention with the oration: 'The Dream Shall Never Die'.
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Ted Kennedy
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1867/71-1912/48
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Innovation
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Created a three-axis control system in flight dynamics; conducted extensive glider tests with their aircraft.
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The Wright brothers
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1890-1969
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Military/Politics
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Led Operation Torch in the North African campaign in World War Two; oversaw the start of NASA and the Space Race.
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Dwight Eisenhower
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1913-1980
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Sports
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Won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games; specialised in the sprints and the long jump.
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Jesse Owens
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1899-1974
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Music
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Pioneered the big-band jazz orchestra as a pianist; composed tunes with a "Spanish tinge", such as 'Caravan'.
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Duke Ellington
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1897-1962
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Literature
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Used the 'stream-of-consciousness' method in characterisation; an icon of Southern literature with such novels as 'Sartoris'.
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William Faulkner
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1856-1943
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Innovation/Science
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Introduced mainstream domestic current - induction motors and dynamos; devised potential for wireless communication.
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Nikola Tesla
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1902-1968
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Literature
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Explored the downtrodden and penniless in his works, such as in 'Of Mice and Men'; utilised a 'sense of place' in literature.
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John Steinbeck
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1959-2022
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Anthropology
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Founded 'Partners in Health' to provide healthcare in developing countries; worked to end the cholera epidemic in Haiti.
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Paul Farmer
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1926-1991
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Music
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Led a jazz quintet - defining jazz fusion in the post-World War Two period; recorded the modal jazz album 'Kind of Blue'.
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Miles Davis
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1936-1990
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Cinema
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Created 'The Muppets' - innovating puppetry; won fame with his characters, such as Kermit the Frog and Rowlf the Dog.
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Jim Henson
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1894-1956
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Biology
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The first major figure in sexology; influenced entomology with his research on the mating patterns of gall wasps.
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Alfred Kinsey
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1901-1971
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Music
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Renowned for his emotional and creative expression as a jazz soloist; recorded such tunes as 'La Vie en Rose'.
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Louis Armstrong
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1897-1939?
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Aviation
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The first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean; influenced the formation of the 99s - for female pilots.
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Amelia Earhart
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1905-1982
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Ethical Philosophy
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Developed Objectivism as an ethical system; wrote 'The Fountainhead', defining her individualistic thought.
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Ayn Rand
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1867-1959
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Architecture
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Pioneered organic architecture, exemplified in his 'Fallingwater' house; developed the concept of the 'Usonian' home.
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Frank Lloyd Wright
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1824-1885
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Military/Politics
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Created the Justice Department to protect African Americans during Reconstruction; led the successful Vicksburg campaign.
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Ulysses S. Grant
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1896-1940
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Literature
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Wrote novels depicting the flamboyance of the Jazz Age, such as 'Tender is the Night'; pioneered modernist literature.
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F. Scott Fitzgerald
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(multiple)
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Military
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First African American soldiers to enter the Army Air Corps; served in World War Two in Fighter and Bombardment Groups.
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Tuskegee Airmen
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1925-2008
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Cinema
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Starred in major film roles, such as Hud Bannon in 'Hud'; partook in racing events, including the 24 Hours of Daytona.
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Paul Newman
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1935-1977
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Music
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Propagated the rock and roll genre with such songs as 'Blue Suede Shoes'; starred in romatic films, including 'Blue Hawaii'.
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Elvis Presley
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1908-1965
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Journalism/Media
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Reported the latest developments in the Second World War on CBS; led the investigative program 'This I Believe'.
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Edward R. Murrow
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born 1930
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Law/Politics
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The first female justice of the Supreme Court; decided in such cases as Grutter v. Bollinger and Hamdi v. Rumsfeld.
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Sandra Day O’Connor
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born 1924
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Politics
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Pursued the Camp David Accords and SALT II; contributed to the non-profit organisation: 'Habitat for Humanity'.
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Jimmy Carter
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1809-1849
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Literature
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Influential writer in the Romantic era - adopting a macabre style in his works; wrote such mystic poems as 'Annabel Lee'.
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Edgar Allan Poe
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1904-1991
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Literature
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Wrote and illustrated numerous children's books, such as 'The Cat in the Hat'; drew cartoons for such magazines as 'Life'.
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Theodore Seuss Geisel
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born 1954
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Media
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Led a syndicated daytime talk show for 25 years; voiced several movie characters, such as Gussie in 'Charlotte's Web'.
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Oprah Winfrey
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1942-1970
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Music
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Contributed to psychedelic rock, with such albums as 'Electric Ladyland'; implemented fuzz distortion and audio feedback.
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Jimi Hendrix
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1847-1922
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Innovation
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Co-founded AT&T Corporation for early telecommunication; developed an early metal detector and hydroplane.
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Alexander Graham Bell
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1901-1967
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Literature/Reform
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Led the Harlem Renaissance with his work on jazz poetry; wrote the short story collection 'The Ways of White Folks'.
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Langston Hughes
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1955-2011
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Innovation/Business
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Developed the 'Lisa': one of the first computers with a graphical user interface; directed Pixar and helped produce 'Toy Story'.
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Steve Jobs
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born 1948
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Politics
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Expanded access to the Internet (did not invent it); wrote 'An Inconvenient Truth' to raise awareness on climate change.
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Al Gore
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1915-1985
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Cinema
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Directed stage adaptations of literary classics, such as 'Caesar'; co-founded the Mercury Theatre in New York CIty.
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Orson Welles
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born 1936
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Social Reform
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Wrote several books on public education in the United States; founded 'The Education Action Fund'.
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Jonathan Kozol
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1881-1956
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Aviation/Innovation
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Founded among the largest global aerospace manufacturers; led to the formation of 'United Airlines'.
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William Boeing
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born 1944
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Political Philosophy
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Majorly active in the Communist Party USA and in the Occupy movement; attempted to abolish the prison-industrial complex.
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Angela Davis
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1839-1937
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Business
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Established the Standard Oil Company; founded institutions for medical research and the University of Chicago.
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John D. Rockefeller
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born 1947
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Politics
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Advocated the Foster Care Independence Act and the CHIP; was Secretary of State during the Arab Spring.
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Hillary Clinton
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1897-1991
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Cinema
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Directed such 1930s classics as 'It Happened One Night'; was President of the Motion Picture Academy.
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Frank Capra
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1887-1986
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Painting
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Pioneered American modernism with such paintings as the 'Red Canna'; painted several works of desert landscapes.
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Georgia O’Keeffe
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1894-1978
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Painting
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Painted cultural and political paintings, such as 'Four Freedoms'; illustrated the covers for 'The Saturday Evening Post'.
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Norman Rockwell
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1934-1992
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Social Reform
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Key figure in third-wave feminism due to her theory relating it with race struggles; combatted classism through her poetry.
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Audre Lorde
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1819-1891
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Literature
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Penned several American Renaissance novels, including 'Typee'; wrote the epic poem 'Clarel', spanning 18,000 lines.
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Herman Melville
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1922-2010
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Political Philosophy
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Major socialist intellectual, authoring 'A People's History of the United States'; taught political science at Boston University.
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Howard Zinn
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1902-1984
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Photography
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Formulated the Zone System for determining optimal film exposure; took "pure" iconic photographs of the American West.
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Ansel Adams
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1840-1877
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Military?
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Led the South Dakota-based Oglala tribe; fought in the Black Hills War, and defeated Custer in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
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Crazy Horse
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born 1954
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Social Reform
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Desegregated the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana; advocates education against racism.
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Ruby Bridges
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born 1946
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Cinema
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Pioneered the blockbuster, such as 'Saving Private Ryan'; popularised historical dramas with such films as 'The Post'.
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Steven Spielberg
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