And, finally, the remaining 30 from the list

  1. Maya Angelou — there are far more significant writers
  2. Mel Gibson — he was born in the U.S., but he’s a hack, however successful
  3. Michael Jackson — there are scores of better entertainers who aren’t freakin’ whackos
  4. Michael Jordan — Michael is “THE” American athlete as far as much of the world is concerned; his time on the list may be short, but he’s there for now
  5. Michael Moore — absurd
  6. Muhammad Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.) — another athlete that rose above athletics; as time passes he may seem less important, however, for now he stays
  7. Neil Alden Armstrong — not sure Armstrong was “great” but what he did was; NewMexiKen believes Armstrong will be the most famous person from our times in 500 years
  8. Nikola Tesla — too many of you are saying “who?” for Tesla to make the list; a great electrical engineer, but true greatness is moving beyond your primary field and achieving fame elsewhere as well [Update: Tesla should be included. See comments.]
  9. Oprah Winfrey — Oprah’s influence is unbelievable and mostly positive; I included Carson, she rises to that level
  10. Pat Tillman — bless his patriotic heart, but get real
  11. Dr. Phil McGraw — LOL
  12. Ray Charles — heroin-addict womanizer who helped revolutionize popular music
  13. Richard Nixon — let’s not kick Nixon around
  14. Robert Kennedy — inspirational leader for a couple months
  15. Ronald Reagan — changed American politics
  16. Rosa Parks — maybe the toughest one; symbol for so much; in the end, her own actions are too specific, too limited
  17. Rudolph W. Giuliani — he rose to the occasion, but what else?
  18. Rush Limbaugh — greatness implies not appealing to the lowest common denominator
  19. Sam Walton — changed American retailing; JC Penney and Montgomery Ward were probably as influential, but we’re living with Walton today
  20. Steve Jobs — maybe Jobs could be included with Wozniak for inventing the PC; but not for running Apple
  21. Steven Spielberg — a pretty impressive and varied body of work to date, but …
  22. Susan B. Anthony — NewMexiKen rule: you make the currency (or coins) you make the list
  23. Theodore Roosevelt — one of the great presidents
  24. Thomas Edison — inventor in so many areas and also entrepreneur: General Electric
  25. Thomas Jefferson — drafted the Declaration of Independence; that’s enough right there and he was just getting started
  26. Tiger Woods — still just an athlete and celebrity
  27. Tom Cruise — one of the silliest on the list, though he was good in Collateral
  28. Tom Hanks — arguably the best actor on the list; but not the best actor who could be on the list
  29. Walt Disney — Mickey, Donald, Goofy — that’s good enough for me
  30. Wright Brothers (Orville & Wilbur Wright) — up-up-and-away

8 thoughts on “And, finally, the remaining 30 from the list”

  1. We have hit at least one you cut that you should have left on — Tesla. Name recognition, although possibly an indicator or greatness, should not be necessary for greatness. Any individual who substantially improved the standard of living for Americans must be considered regardless of whether most people know them by name. I think more inventors — people who have directly contributed to the explosive growth of our economy and who have improved our day-to-day lives need to be on this list.

  2. You’re right. Name recognition is insignificant. This whole discussion is about the ignorance demonstrated by the list; that people (including me) cannot identify Tesla right off diminishes us, not Tesla.

  3. Anyone who is a serious crossword puzzle solver knows who Tesla is, especially if you do the NYT.

  4. I agree that inventors deserve more recognition, and I think Elisha Otis, who invented the first passenger-safe elevator (that won’t fall if the cables break), should be on the list. Ask anyone who lives or works above the 3rd floor. His invention made the high-rise possible. (He’s also another common crossword answer.)

  5. Nice job on the list. I wouldn’t comment except that my head is about to explode:

    “maybe Jobs could be included with Wozniak for inventing the PC; but not for running Apple”

    Steve Jobs did not invent the PC, nor did he create the first commerically viable machine. It wasn’t even close.

    http://www.blinkenlights.com/pc.shtml

    Check out the Alto: look familar? I know you love Jobs, NewMexiKen, maybe it’s cause you thought he was the Godfather of the PC.

    Highlights:

    Xerox Alto 1973
    Altair Jan 1975
    IBM 5100 Sept 1975
    Apple 1 May 1976

  7. Byron hates Jobs and thinks Apple is the true Evil Empire.

    (Yet he loves his iPod. Ironic, no?)

  8. Steve Jobs is a true evil genius. Sorry, I just can’t stand him.

    I love my iPOD, but…

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