A recent survey that had 2.4 million responses has determined the 10 greatest Americans of all time. Here is the list:
1 Ronald Reagan
2 Abraham Lincoln
3 Martin Luther King
4 George Washington
5 Benjamin Franklin
6 George W Bush
7 Bill Clinton
8 Elvis Presley
9 Oprah Winfrey
10 Franklin D Roosevelt
Yes, that’s right. Reagan.
No scientists, poets, or writers. Just politicians and movie stars. FDR is suprising, but the rest can be explained. Oprah and Elvis are celebrities. MLK is there because he is immortalized in our culture (translated: there’s a lot of movies about him). Benjamin Franklin is there because he’s the answer to any trivia question, “Who invented…”. George Washington is the only President people seem to remember, despite not being very competent. Abe Lincoln too has been immortalized in movies. Clinton and Bush fall under the recency effect. But Reagan? Good god.
When I went to London, I was worried that the rest of the world hated us. They don’t hate us, they just think we’re stupid. And you know what? We are. Reagan. Star Wars? Tripling the national debt? Reaganomics? Oh come on, he was a weak president and just managed to act through 4 years. Just because he’s dead doesn’t make him a good President. And W.? His approval rating is under 50, he’s killing off my generation, and breaking down international relationships…#6? We are idiots. And I’m moving to Canada/Europe. I’m not holding my breath for us to start thinking correctly, slowing down our lives, valuing culture, and recognizing our role in the world. It’s taking too damn long.
Edit: Here is a list of the 100 Americans who were nominated. Don’t even get me started on that list…
June 29th, 2005 at 8:49 pm
I agree that Reagan shouldn’t be there. The vote must have been fixed if he ended up at the top. I think most people are on the list because people know their names. Bush and Clinton are recent presidents; Washington, Lincoln, and FDR are three of the most famous presidents in history; Reagan recently died and was portrayed in a very positive light by the media upon his death. The others are simply very famous people.
I don’t think the list means anything at all. Some of those people probably deserve to be in the top 10, and some obviously don’t. However, they have all made a huge mark on our country in one way or another. I happen to believe that Washington was incredibly competent and he is one of the reasons our country exists in the first place (and continues to exist, for that matter). FDR and Lincoln both changed history, arguably for the better. Why shouldn’t they be on the list? People are immortalized for a reason - they made important contributions to our country as we know it.
June 29th, 2005 at 9:11 pm
Perhaps I was a bit mean to Washington, but I still have problems with 2.4 million Americans voting for Bush, Reagan, and Clinton. We seem to be forgetting some much more important individuals. That being said, here’s my list:
1) Martin Luther King
Walt Disney
2) The Wright Brothers
3) Albert Einstein
4) Abraham Lincoln
5) FDR
6) Benjamin Franklin
7) Mark Twain
9) Alexander Graham Bell
10) Henry Ford
As you can see, I agree with some (MLK, Lincoln, Franklin), but I’m just generally frustrated that we ignored some of the more creatively-minded individuals. I agree that everyone on the list has made an impact, but I feel that we tend to regard presidents and celebrities as the only truly important people. My list draws from the top 100, but I found some big omissions in that list. I mean, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mel Gibson made it, but Jim Henson didn’t.
June 29th, 2005 at 10:52 pm
I see no good reason for a top 10 list. There are obviously more than 10 Americans who have contributed substantially to what and who we are, and in more ways than one. If the top 10 could include millions of people, then I would be okay with that. But I think many of the greatest Americans are people whose names we don’t even know.
June 30th, 2005 at 2:26 pm
Yes, you’re right. But we as silly Americans need our lists. When BBC did a similar poll with British citizens, they listed Homer Simpson as the greatest American of all time. Maybe they have the right idea…
July 1st, 2005 at 6:10 pm
Good grief, I don’t think so…
Great website darling (the air hockey game is addicting!)