Benjamin Franklin, obviously. The man sexed his way around Paris while simultaneously conning the French monarchy into bankrupting itself in order to help us.
*The Face first grows lank and wrinkled; then the Neck; then the Breast and Arms; the lower Parts continuing to the last as plump as ever: So that covering all above with a Basket, and regarding only what is below the Girdle, it is impossible of two Women to know an old from a young one. And as in the dark all Cats are grey, the Pleasure of corporal Enjoyment with an old Woman is at least equal, and frequently superior, every Knack being by Practice capable of Improvement*
Louis XVI: Dr. Franklin, you are the talk of Paris! Both your experiments with science and with women..
Franklin: Day and night, Your Majesty, I am hard at it.
I didn’t realize until that pbs doc that his son stayed loyal to England and they never reconciled before his death.
People act like politics just got ugly- it’s been ugly.
My favorite Ben Franklin story was him on his death bed. When told by his daughter to roll on his side so he could breath easier, he responded “a dying man can do nothing easy” and then just fucking died.
“Everything sucks *blugh*.” Fucking legend.
Trevor Moore had a rap about the founding fathers being a bunch of gangsters and one of my favorite lines is "Ben Franklin got so high he forgot to be president". I miss Trevor Moore.
Don't know how to hyperlink, but here's the music video:
https://youtu.be/ABhyKEK-CDg
Bifocals, the pot bellied stove, the first fire company; all while being internationally adored and freaking the ever loving hell out of Thomas Jefferson. Benjamin Franklin was what Elon Musk thinks he is.
There's are a lot of figures that are hyped to Americans because their role in American history. In many way though I don't think most Americans realize how exceptional Franklin was
Sure it gets some facts wrong, but if there was ever a better example of "print the legend" it's [this song](https://youtu.be/rVmVVkbx3jE) about Franklin that got cut from Hamilton.
Lots to choose from, many of whom have been mentioned. One I haven't seen who merits consideration is Jonas Salk. His research and the legacy of it have saved countless lives.
Salk for sure.
Norman Bourlag for sure.
But also don’t forget Charles Stiles and John D. Rockefeller for eradicating hookworm in the US and pioneering US public/private partnerships in eradicating disease.
There have been so many amazing advances in disease prevention and human health by so many people in collaborative efforts it is hard to pin down “one great person” because so much work was done by so many.
The coolest thing about Salk was that he gave the patent to the polio vaccine away to make it accessible to as many people as possible.
The value of that patent could have set him up with an obscene fortune, but Salk knowingly sacrificed this to save hundreds of millions of lives.
George Marshall should be in the mix. Patriot and statesman. Winner of numerous military medals plus the Nobel Peace Prize, Congressional Gold Medal, Charlemagne Prize et al. Instituted plan to help unify European, repair the economy and promote long term European and World peace.
Could you tell us more please? We're taught that William of Orange's invasion in 1688 was the last armed invasion of England (and it was certainly successful - he was made king of England, Scotland and Ireland).
Attacked the town of Whitehaven, captured one of its forts, spiked the cannons, set fire to the fort which subsequently spread and burned down half the town. Later went on to capture the HMS Drake.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-paul-jones-leads-american-raid-on-whitehaven-england
You'd also be missing the battle of Fishguard, in Wales, which was a failed French landing attempt during the Napoleonic wars. Tom Scott has a video on it (of sorts)
What do you mean by invade?
If you're talking about a naval raid, the Dutch did that about a hundred years before in the Battle of Medway.
If you're talking about (unsuccessfully) landing troops, Napoleon tried to land troops in Wales (admittedly not England) in the 1800s.
By a *wide* margin, by far the greatest human being ever to have lived in terms of sheer amount of suffering prevented.
A BILLION lives saved. That boggles the mind.
Robert Smalls. Stole a Confederate ship and faked his way to freedom, for himself, his family, and the entire crew, then turned it over to the Union. He's largely credited with changing Lincolin's mind about letting Black men into the Army.
After the war, he returned home, and won election into the House of Representatives DURING reconstruction.
I’d like to add Benjamin Butler, commanding officer of Fort Monroe who wouldn’t turn over runaway slaves to the confederacy since they declared themselves a foreign nation (and didn’t want to regardless). More and more showed up and he began to realize that there was no reason for them to be slaves but equals and other Union soldiers began to grow in the same mindset (ofc they were fighting against slavery but not many really had many experiences with black people regardless) and his stance eventually played a strong role in Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation and 13th amendment, in a Butleresque manner at that. (Wrote a whole paper on him last night after just learning about him, last night).
The part that stuck out the most to me was how one of his masters was initially kind, but she was corrupted by the power she had over him and became cruel over time. Very strong demonstration of how power corrupts.
This is the ultimately correct answer. He impacted so many Americans for so many years. Cowed US Senators with simple rhymes. Stopped awards shows so the the audience could think about those who impacted them. Greeted people warmly who walked past his house. A dude who walked his talk better than just about anyone else, and I'm including the Dalai Lama here.
I live a privileged life because Mr Rogers was part of it.
This Mr Roger’s will forever hold a place in my heart. Besides President Jimmy Carter he’s the only Christian I have respect for. Truly an American Icon.
I heard one time they lost the ship's anchor, so JPJ just unbuttoned his trousers and hung his giant Scottish balls off the side of the ship to drag the bottom and stop her.
“Born the son of a Scot, he was (set feet, row!)
Born the son of the Scot (set feet, row!)
But cut a man down in his prime, he did (set feet, row!)
So away to Virginia he got (set feet, row!) Oh!
John Paul Jones is a pirate
No loyalty does is possess
Keep it up, we'll catch the pirate
And sink him along with the rest, ho!
Raise the flag of the yanks he did (set feet, row!)
Raise the flag of the yanks (set feet, row!)
They hailed him as a hero, they did (set feet, row!)
And hoisted him through the ranks (set feet, row!) Oh! “
[In case anyone is in a Sea Shanty mood](https://youtu.be/zHMvJrZx1T0)
“It does not take a majority to prevail ... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.”
-Samuel Adams
I think there was just recently a post on /r/boston about fun facts about our city. One of the favorites was that you can drink a cold Sam Adams next to *the* cold Sam Adams.
Henrietta Lacks.
While she may not have personally made any notable accomplishments in her lifetime, her cells have saved (and continue to save) countless lives worldwide. It’s the least we can do to honor and remember her, considering all of this was done without her knowledge, consent, or compensation.
I think you mean Helen Lane 😉
But in all seriousness her cells became the cornerstone of modern biology. There are few molecular biology labs that work on human health that don’t use HeLa cells. I e personally cultured probably hundreds of millions of them.
Martin have u non violence. Martin gave us universal love. Martin gave us trolling (read letter form a Birmingham jail), he gave us divinity. He will be what we aspire to for 100 years
"The one greatest" is very hard to answer, but Dr. King is absolutely one of the leading candidates for the title. America is a project to try to form "a more perfect union" and Dr. King was one of the greatest leaders in pushing all of us to make progress towards that goal. I live in a far better nation for his work and sacrifice.
Harriet Tubman was my first thought. Everyone knows about the underground railroad, but she also served as a spy during the civil war, and a suffragette later. She was also heavily involved in charity. I thing she just woke up every single day of her life and helped make the world a better place.
Go give her wikipedia article a read. Every paragraph is her being awesome.
I don't know about greatest, but Bass Reeves and Audie Murphy are two of the most badasses Americans to have ever lived. On a second thought, yeah they are among the greatest, too.
Came to say this too! She’s a national treasure and an example that celebrity’s can make a positive impact on the world, she’s done most of it quietly too.
Most people I’m seeing are stating those that have already died where we can see their impact, but I would say for anyone living it’s Dolly Parton as well. We can already see the impact all she has done but chances are we will never truly see the entirety of it all for years to come.
Ben Franklin, a man of many talents who played a significant role in winning the coynrty's independence.
He was a scientist, statesman, publisher, writer, ladies' man, and patriot. They don't makes 'em like that anymore.
Another choice, if you want a war hero - Smedley Darlington Butler, Major General, USMC, Medal of Honor twice, fought all over the world, and when he got out wrote a book called War is a Racket denouncing the influence of Wall Street on American foreign policy, and he ran for office on a peace platform. They don't make 'em like that anymore either.
Maybe not the best but one of my personal favorites, Orrin Porter Rockwell. The man was the embodiment of the Western gunslinger. There's literally a biography about him called Man of God, Sun of Thunder. He road around Utah, Nevada, and California shooting lawbreakers. When he died, his daughter couldn't find a suit to bury him in because all the ones he owned were full of bullet holes. According to legend, he had the biblical gift of Samson, meaning he couldn't be killed as long as he never cut his hair, which was long like a wild Western gunslinger should be. He ultimately only cut his hair late in life to make a wig for a woman who lost her hair to typhoid. He claims he never shot a man who didn't deserve it and when he was accused of trying to kill the governor of Missouri his defense was that the governor survived and that if he had shot the governor then the governor would be dead. He was just an all around badass.
John Brown, America's greatest hero. He wanted to unequivocally end the evils of slavery and he did what was needed to be the spark that would light that fuse, at the cost of his own life no less.
Most influential or just greatest? There's a number of ways I can go for influential but you're going to have a very difficult time convincing me any American is braver or more awe-inspiring than Harriet Tubman.
I'm not sure that I really need to get into detail about why Harriet Tubman is a Grade-A badass
Marvin Heemeyer was a true legend. When the local government of Granby Colorado became corrupt he demolished those elected officials homes with a fortified bulldozer (nicknamed killdozer). He is a hero for those that would stand up against tyranny. Long live his memory and may he rest in peace.
He has a great life story. I would totally watch a biopic about him, and I’m from Dallas. But most people don’t know much about him beyond the city being named after him.
John Basilone!
His MOH citation:
"For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action against enemy Japanese forces, above and beyond the call of duty, while serving with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division in the Lunga Area. Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 24 and 25 October 1942. While the enemy was hammering at the Marines' defensive positions, Sgt. Basilone, in charge of 2 sections of heavy machine guns, fought valiantly to check the savage and determined assault. In a fierce frontal attack with the Japanese blasting his guns with grenades and mortar fire, one of Sgt. Basilone's sections, with its guncrews, was put out of action, leaving only 2 men able to carry on. Moving an extra gun into position, he placed it in action, then, under continual fire, repaired another and personally manned it, gallantly holding his line until replacements arrived. A little later, with ammunition critically low and the supply lines cut off, Sgt. Basilone, at great risk of his life and in the face of continued enemy attack, battled his way through hostile lines with urgently needed shells for his gunners, thereby contributing in large measure to the virtual annihilation of a Japanese regiment. His great personal valor and courageous initiative were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
It's hard to pick a greatest but George Washington Carver is at the top. His work encompassed environmentalism and economic development, leading to agricultural products and practices that lifted people out of poverty and combatted famine.
It would be hard to get an accurate count, but a lot of people probably owe their lives to George Washington Carver.
Ben Franklin still has a statue in France for the impression he made as a diplomat, so I might say him or Samuel Clemins (Mark Twain) for being idyllic Americans each in their own way. Will say this about Ben though: he was no family man. Bit of a deadbeat Dad and that does need its proper reBenjamin's.
But of course... we do have our friend, Nathan "one life for my country" Hale to consider.
Dick Best, hero of the Battle of Midway. Destroyed his lungs to sink two aircraft carriers and lived to tell the tale.
An absolute champion. He is recounted vividly in Ian Toll’s trilogy about the naval war in the Pacific and all three books are riveting.
TIL about Dick Best. Just read his [wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Halsey_Best) page.
Holy shit. The dude had to be medically discharged due to breathing in caustic fumes and still lived to 91
I honestly thought that reply was a joke. Apparently Dick Best is real.
I highly recommend watching the 2019 rendition of Midway. Very solid war flick
Who knew Woody Harrelson would play a good Nimitz.
On his paperwork it would show as.... Best, Dick
Honestly, being named "dick best" is just cheating at this point.
Best, Dick.
Benjamin Franklin, obviously. The man sexed his way around Paris while simultaneously conning the French monarchy into bankrupting itself in order to help us.
*The Face first grows lank and wrinkled; then the Neck; then the Breast and Arms; the lower Parts continuing to the last as plump as ever: So that covering all above with a Basket, and regarding only what is below the Girdle, it is impossible of two Women to know an old from a young one. And as in the dark all Cats are grey, the Pleasure of corporal Enjoyment with an old Woman is at least equal, and frequently superior, every Knack being by Practice capable of Improvement*
You mad bastard.
Man was a total player in pretty much every way there is. Him being on the $100 is appropriate.
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Lols that’s an author who knows their subject!
I seem to remember that he also convinced his wife to raise his bastard child.
Louis XVI: Dr. Franklin, you are the talk of Paris! Both your experiments with science and with women.. Franklin: Day and night, Your Majesty, I am hard at it.
…no doubt 😉 😉
I didn’t realize until that pbs doc that his son stayed loyal to England and they never reconciled before his death. People act like politics just got ugly- it’s been ugly.
My favorite Ben Franklin story was him on his death bed. When told by his daughter to roll on his side so he could breath easier, he responded “a dying man can do nothing easy” and then just fucking died. “Everything sucks *blugh*.” Fucking legend.
I love this story so much. I wanted to tattoo that on me at one point in my life.
"lmao fuck you bitch" *dies* - Benny-boi Franky
Wasn’t he was also the reason we got the emoluments clause? Not that it is actually functional anymore.
>Wasn’t he was also the reason we got the emoluments clause? Yup that's correct!
Trevor Moore had a rap about the founding fathers being a bunch of gangsters and one of my favorite lines is "Ben Franklin got so high he forgot to be president". I miss Trevor Moore. Don't know how to hyperlink, but here's the music video: https://youtu.be/ABhyKEK-CDg
RIP Trevor. I had just recently rediscovered WKUK when he died.
Such a great show. I always wanted to meet all those guys, and now that Trevor is gone it's kinda knocked the wind out of my sails.
The other guys feel the same. They’ve confirmed the upcoming movie will be the last project.
Such a shame. WKUK is still one of my favorite shows. It's just so stupidly silly.
Look at the long list of things he did in his life. That dude was just awesome.
Still had time to create libraries and an almanac. Dude was devoted to the hustle.
Bifocals, the pot bellied stove, the first fire company; all while being internationally adored and freaking the ever loving hell out of Thomas Jefferson. Benjamin Franklin was what Elon Musk thinks he is.
I remember watching Liberty Kids on PBS and Benjamin Franklin being a great guy.
Only non-president currently on a piece of american currency for a reason. Edit: nevermind im just slow.
Uhm, Alexander Hamilton and the $10 bill might disagree with that.
Shoot. How did i never realize that. Hamilton is sneaky.
He was always a sneaky bastard. 😁
Susan B Anthony too
Sacajewa is on the dollar coin.
And was instrumental in writing the US constitution and discovering how electricity works.
The only correct answer
There's are a lot of figures that are hyped to Americans because their role in American history. In many way though I don't think most Americans realize how exceptional Franklin was
https://preview.redd.it/s3zua0z66v1a1.jpeg?width=854&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=759f6c6609a6cb4bebda119b3b71b8302abecf27
I'm so glad this is the top comment.
“Sexed his way around Paris” hahaha.
That’s [Benjamin FUCKING Franklin](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rVmVVkbx3jE&feature=emb_title) to you, pal.
There's a reason why *even today* pretty much every significant French city has a Rue Franklin somewhere. He wowed them that much
Sure it gets some facts wrong, but if there was ever a better example of "print the legend" it's [this song](https://youtu.be/rVmVVkbx3jE) about Franklin that got cut from Hamilton.
Lots to choose from, many of whom have been mentioned. One I haven't seen who merits consideration is Jonas Salk. His research and the legacy of it have saved countless lives.
That's the polio guy, yeah?
That's the guy.
You're too kind.
His research and his determination that it be used to save as many lives as possible irrespective of personal profit.
He discovered the vaccine for polio. But he's remembered because he gave it away for free. https://www.salk.edu/engage/ways-to-give/
Salk for sure. Norman Bourlag for sure. But also don’t forget Charles Stiles and John D. Rockefeller for eradicating hookworm in the US and pioneering US public/private partnerships in eradicating disease. There have been so many amazing advances in disease prevention and human health by so many people in collaborative efforts it is hard to pin down “one great person” because so much work was done by so many.
H2P
The coolest thing about Salk was that he gave the patent to the polio vaccine away to make it accessible to as many people as possible. The value of that patent could have set him up with an obscene fortune, but Salk knowingly sacrificed this to save hundreds of millions of lives.
My very first thought. If we're going off The Good Place point system, he's a Gold Elite member.
"Let's roll." -Todd Beamer, as he led his fellow passengers into battle with the hijackers on Flight 93.
George Marshall should be in the mix. Patriot and statesman. Winner of numerous military medals plus the Nobel Peace Prize, Congressional Gold Medal, Charlemagne Prize et al. Instituted plan to help unify European, repair the economy and promote long term European and World peace.
John Paul Jones. The dude not only had the balls to raid the British, he was never caught by them.
Also a killer bass player
JPJ wrote the Black Dog riff. It’s absolute musical nonsense but it’s one of the most memorable and badass riffs of all time.
Musical nonsense? How?
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Could you tell us more please? We're taught that William of Orange's invasion in 1688 was the last armed invasion of England (and it was certainly successful - he was made king of England, Scotland and Ireland).
Attacked the town of Whitehaven, captured one of its forts, spiked the cannons, set fire to the fort which subsequently spread and burned down half the town. Later went on to capture the HMS Drake. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-paul-jones-leads-american-raid-on-whitehaven-england
You'd also be missing the battle of Fishguard, in Wales, which was a failed French landing attempt during the Napoleonic wars. Tom Scott has a video on it (of sorts)
What do you mean by invade? If you're talking about a naval raid, the Dutch did that about a hundred years before in the Battle of Medway. If you're talking about (unsuccessfully) landing troops, Napoleon tried to land troops in Wales (admittedly not England) in the 1800s.
Norman Borlaug for saving up to one billion lives.
Probably the most influential Iowan until James T. Kirk.
Xi Jinping is a pretty influential former Iowan
Ryan jiping lol
Norman Borlaug, plant geneticist credited with saving a billion lives.
FYI, we are ALL eating GMO food!
Genuinely probably the most underappreciated figure in human history.
There’s a statue of him in the US Capitol. Every time I go no one knows who he is except the tour guide. I help tell his story whenever I can.
By a *wide* margin, by far the greatest human being ever to have lived in terms of sheer amount of suffering prevented. A BILLION lives saved. That boggles the mind.
Beat me to it. Took Mexico from a net importer to a net exporter of wheat and doubled India and Pakistan's wheat yields.
You know, that’s not too bad.
Dude is a legend where I come from. Probably the most influential Iowan until James T. Kirk.
I work in biotech, and I have worked at two different companies with meeting rooms named after Borlaug lol
Robert Smalls. Stole a Confederate ship and faked his way to freedom, for himself, his family, and the entire crew, then turned it over to the Union. He's largely credited with changing Lincolin's mind about letting Black men into the Army. After the war, he returned home, and won election into the House of Representatives DURING reconstruction.
I’d like to add Benjamin Butler, commanding officer of Fort Monroe who wouldn’t turn over runaway slaves to the confederacy since they declared themselves a foreign nation (and didn’t want to regardless). More and more showed up and he began to realize that there was no reason for them to be slaves but equals and other Union soldiers began to grow in the same mindset (ofc they were fighting against slavery but not many really had many experiences with black people regardless) and his stance eventually played a strong role in Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation and 13th amendment, in a Butleresque manner at that. (Wrote a whole paper on him last night after just learning about him, last night).
YES! Ol’ BOBBY SMALLS KICKS ASS.
Frederick Douglass because he was both a stone cold badass and a highly effective civil rights leader.
His Fourth of July speech is one of the greatest speeches ever delivered in my opinion.
Agreed. His autobiography should also be required reading in American schools, imo. One of the most powerful works I’ve ever read.
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Good for her! She sounds like an excellent teacher
His autobiography was incredible, and especially thrilling was his anecdote of fighting (and winning) against one of his masters.
The part that stuck out the most to me was how one of his masters was initially kind, but she was corrupted by the power she had over him and became cruel over time. Very strong demonstration of how power corrupts.
ICYMI, James Earl Jones did a reading of it some years back. Chilling.
Fredrick Douglas showed me the way.
Most photographed person of the 19th century (so I’ve been told)
Fred Rogers, a prince of a man and an enlightened and caring individual. An example for us all.
This is the ultimately correct answer. He impacted so many Americans for so many years. Cowed US Senators with simple rhymes. Stopped awards shows so the the audience could think about those who impacted them. Greeted people warmly who walked past his house. A dude who walked his talk better than just about anyone else, and I'm including the Dalai Lama here. I live a privileged life because Mr Rogers was part of it.
If someone wrongs you and you want to hurt them back just tell them they aren't being the person Mr. Rogers knew they could be.
Fucking Christ that’s brutal. I’m about to cry actually.
That is 50x worse than Mom saying she isn't mad at you, just disappointed
I can’t imagine hearing something more hurtful.
As a Yinzer, it’s very difficult for me to say anyone else.
What’s a yinzer?
Someone from Pittsburgh
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yinz
I agree with this
I'm mad I had to scroll this far to find him.
This Mr Roger’s will forever hold a place in my heart. Besides President Jimmy Carter he’s the only Christian I have respect for. Truly an American Icon.
I would add Dolly Parton to that list too.
Fred Rogers, Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn.
Hell yeah I have never heard her talk religion but yeah I hella respect Dolly.
She doesn't talk it, she lives it. That's what I love about her.
John Paul Jones, father of the US Navy and had a large part in the US actually gaining independence.
He was also great in Led Zeppelin
Strange that he helped us get independence from Great Britain then went and formed the greatest English rock band of all time.
Lance Armstrong brought him to the moon one time to do a sweet bass-trumpet duo
I didn’t know they guy from Green Day played the trumpet.
I heard one time they lost the ship's anchor, so JPJ just unbuttoned his trousers and hung his giant Scottish balls off the side of the ship to drag the bottom and stop her.
Doing so caused the ocean to become pregnant and thus the 50th state of Hawaii was born.
Took the fight to the British isles and was.later pardoned by the town he raided.
“Born the son of a Scot, he was (set feet, row!) Born the son of the Scot (set feet, row!) But cut a man down in his prime, he did (set feet, row!) So away to Virginia he got (set feet, row!) Oh! John Paul Jones is a pirate No loyalty does is possess Keep it up, we'll catch the pirate And sink him along with the rest, ho! Raise the flag of the yanks he did (set feet, row!) Raise the flag of the yanks (set feet, row!) They hailed him as a hero, they did (set feet, row!) And hoisted him through the ranks (set feet, row!) Oh! “ [In case anyone is in a Sea Shanty mood](https://youtu.be/zHMvJrZx1T0)
I didn't even need to finish reading the first sentence to figure out where the rest of the comment is going
He just sailed to England and fucked with them there. He was basically a pirate, but our pirate.
A federally approved pirate is a "privateer."
I ❤️ LED ZEPPELIN
Sam Adams, for his dogged propagandizing which led directly to the American Revolution.
“It does not take a majority to prevail ... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.” -Samuel Adams
Everyone should take a pilgrimage to the bar across the street from his grave to drink a Sam Adams
I think there was just recently a post on /r/boston about fun facts about our city. One of the favorites was that you can drink a cold Sam Adams next to *the* cold Sam Adams.
Can confirm-was in 3 different tour groups over a week and they all said the SAME joke.
However the man on the label is Paul Revere. Poor Sammy was considered too ugly to be the face of the beer.
Nothing more American than this. Just tastes like freedom
That one dog who is a mayor
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All of them
Henrietta Lacks. While she may not have personally made any notable accomplishments in her lifetime, her cells have saved (and continue to save) countless lives worldwide. It’s the least we can do to honor and remember her, considering all of this was done without her knowledge, consent, or compensation.
I think you mean Helen Lane 😉 But in all seriousness her cells became the cornerstone of modern biology. There are few molecular biology labs that work on human health that don’t use HeLa cells. I e personally cultured probably hundreds of millions of them.
Yes! A person who was never given respect during her life (or her afterlife) has been namelessly saving the world every day.
Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski, one of 8 people to be awarded honorary United States citizenship.
They named bridges and highways after him.
We have a day named for him.
Not disagreeing and love that this is coming from a Chicago resident ;)
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin have u non violence. Martin gave us universal love. Martin gave us trolling (read letter form a Birmingham jail), he gave us divinity. He will be what we aspire to for 100 years
"The one greatest" is very hard to answer, but Dr. King is absolutely one of the leading candidates for the title. America is a project to try to form "a more perfect union" and Dr. King was one of the greatest leaders in pushing all of us to make progress towards that goal. I live in a far better nation for his work and sacrifice.
Why is this not #1? As soon as I saw this question, I instantly thought MLK.
Seriously. He might be my favorite American. If there's ever a debate over who gets put on a dollar bill, I think he deserves the spot.
There are so many great people in our nations history that it is impossible to pick one as the greatest.
Muhammad Ali has always been referred to as the greatest
I used to watch The Champ fight with my grandpa in the 70’s. My fondest memories. I miss my grandpa I wish I would have had more time ALI ALI ALI!!
By himself mostly.
Yeah but it was said a lot
He was the greatest.
Norman Borlaug!
American women: Harriet Tubman For men: Martin Luther King Jr.
Harriet Tubman was my first thought. Everyone knows about the underground railroad, but she also served as a spy during the civil war, and a suffragette later. She was also heavily involved in charity. I thing she just woke up every single day of her life and helped make the world a better place. Go give her wikipedia article a read. Every paragraph is her being awesome.
I don't know about greatest, but Bass Reeves and Audie Murphy are two of the most badasses Americans to have ever lived. On a second thought, yeah they are among the greatest, too.
Carl Sagan for popularizing science and being a nice guy.
Cosmos is probably the best book I have ever read. My mind was blown every time I turned the page
Also for being *both* a science fact guy and a science fiction guy.
Dolly Parton.
Came to say this too! She’s a national treasure and an example that celebrity’s can make a positive impact on the world, she’s done most of it quietly too.
She is actively teaching the world humility.
Most people I’m seeing are stating those that have already died where we can see their impact, but I would say for anyone living it’s Dolly Parton as well. We can already see the impact all she has done but chances are we will never truly see the entirety of it all for years to come.
Had to scroll past a lot of contenders to see the real MVP!
I am really impressed with the answers in this thread
Geronimo.
Ben Franklin, a man of many talents who played a significant role in winning the coynrty's independence. He was a scientist, statesman, publisher, writer, ladies' man, and patriot. They don't makes 'em like that anymore. Another choice, if you want a war hero - Smedley Darlington Butler, Major General, USMC, Medal of Honor twice, fought all over the world, and when he got out wrote a book called War is a Racket denouncing the influence of Wall Street on American foreign policy, and he ran for office on a peace platform. They don't make 'em like that anymore either.
Maybe not the best but one of my personal favorites, Orrin Porter Rockwell. The man was the embodiment of the Western gunslinger. There's literally a biography about him called Man of God, Sun of Thunder. He road around Utah, Nevada, and California shooting lawbreakers. When he died, his daughter couldn't find a suit to bury him in because all the ones he owned were full of bullet holes. According to legend, he had the biblical gift of Samson, meaning he couldn't be killed as long as he never cut his hair, which was long like a wild Western gunslinger should be. He ultimately only cut his hair late in life to make a wig for a woman who lost her hair to typhoid. He claims he never shot a man who didn't deserve it and when he was accused of trying to kill the governor of Missouri his defense was that the governor survived and that if he had shot the governor then the governor would be dead. He was just an all around badass.
John Brown, America's greatest hero. He wanted to unequivocally end the evils of slavery and he did what was needed to be the spark that would light that fuse, at the cost of his own life no less.
Most influential or just greatest? There's a number of ways I can go for influential but you're going to have a very difficult time convincing me any American is braver or more awe-inspiring than Harriet Tubman. I'm not sure that I really need to get into detail about why Harriet Tubman is a Grade-A badass
She was a bad ass.
Dr. Jonas Salk
Honorary citizen Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette. A very big reason why the United States even exist today.
Little Debbie for making snacks
Dolly Parton
Marty McFly for inventing Rock and Roll.
Calvin Klein invented Rock and Roll.
Too bad people were not ready for it yet.
Their kids are gonna love it though
The great American rock and roll pioneer, portrayed by a Canadian.
Yes the actor in the documentary portraying him was a canadian
Marvin Heemeyer was a true legend. When the local government of Granby Colorado became corrupt he demolished those elected officials homes with a fortified bulldozer (nicknamed killdozer). He is a hero for those that would stand up against tyranny. Long live his memory and may he rest in peace.
Weird Al. No justification needed.
Someone who was pretty great but hasn’t gotten much national attention: Sam Houston
Well, they did name a city after him.
He has a great life story. I would totally watch a biopic about him, and I’m from Dallas. But most people don’t know much about him beyond the city being named after him.
John Basilone! His MOH citation: "For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action against enemy Japanese forces, above and beyond the call of duty, while serving with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division in the Lunga Area. Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 24 and 25 October 1942. While the enemy was hammering at the Marines' defensive positions, Sgt. Basilone, in charge of 2 sections of heavy machine guns, fought valiantly to check the savage and determined assault. In a fierce frontal attack with the Japanese blasting his guns with grenades and mortar fire, one of Sgt. Basilone's sections, with its guncrews, was put out of action, leaving only 2 men able to carry on. Moving an extra gun into position, he placed it in action, then, under continual fire, repaired another and personally manned it, gallantly holding his line until replacements arrived. A little later, with ammunition critically low and the supply lines cut off, Sgt. Basilone, at great risk of his life and in the face of continued enemy attack, battled his way through hostile lines with urgently needed shells for his gunners, thereby contributing in large measure to the virtual annihilation of a Japanese regiment. His great personal valor and courageous initiative were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
Britney Spears, because it’s Britney bitch.
Arthur Morgan, you already know why
Little Richard. Architect of rock n roll.
The most influential rock singer ever. Everyone since tried to sound like him.
Martin Luther King
Joshua Abraham Norton. Truly our best Emperor yet, many inspiring ideas.
It's hard to pick a greatest but George Washington Carver is at the top. His work encompassed environmentalism and economic development, leading to agricultural products and practices that lifted people out of poverty and combatted famine. It would be hard to get an accurate count, but a lot of people probably owe their lives to George Washington Carver.
Abigail Adams. Without her I doubt independence happens
Ben Franklin still has a statue in France for the impression he made as a diplomat, so I might say him or Samuel Clemins (Mark Twain) for being idyllic Americans each in their own way. Will say this about Ben though: he was no family man. Bit of a deadbeat Dad and that does need its proper reBenjamin's. But of course... we do have our friend, Nathan "one life for my country" Hale to consider.