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A survey for a friend
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 4:17 pm
by KillerTomato
One of the folks on my Trivia Team ("The Usual Suspects") sent me an email recently, and I thought I'd bring up the same topic here.
A recent magazine article (I won't say what magazine, since I'd rather you didn't Google this....I want your own, honest opinions!) asked a whole bunch of folks (2000 teenagers, and 2000 regular folk) who the 10 Most Famous Americans in history were, EXCLUDING Presidents and First Ladies. Note that this is people who are FAMOUS, not those who are "important". Also, they didn't necessarily have to be BORN in the US.... So, if you were asked this question, what would you respond?
As a second question, who would you consider the 10 Most Famous American WOMEN (excluding first ladies)?
The funny part is that the lists from the teenagers and regular folk were surprisingly alike...only two names were different!
I'll wait a while, and post my own list, and I'll also be passing your answers off to my friend for her survey, but it'll all be anonymous, so don't worry.
Oh, one more thing: PLEASE put your list in a spoiler....I don't want anyone getting ideas from anyone else. Thanks!
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 4:28 pm
by Bob Juch
I'm sure my list would be totally different as the survey probably had all actors, musicians and people famous for being famous.
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 4:33 pm
by wintergreen48
For the most famous Americans, I would go with:
Ben Franklin
Thomas Edison
Lewis & Clark
Paul Revere
Robert E. Lee
Albert Einstein
PT Barnum
Ernest Hemingway
Emily Dickinson
For the most famous Americans of the female persuasion, I would go with:
Emily Dickinson
Amelia Earhart
Susan B. Anthony
Pocahontas
Carrie Nation
Lizzie Borden
Annie Oakley
Sacajawea
Britany Spears
Paris Hilton
The last two are painful, but they are indeed famous, and probably more famous than any of the others. Which is whey they are painful.
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 4:35 pm
by KillerTomato
Bob Juch wrote:I'm sure my list would be totally different as the survey probably had all actors, musicians and people famous for being famous.
Not at all, Bob. Which is one of the things that was so surprising. So submit away.
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 4:41 pm
by sunflower
Okay here's my list...I'll either be dead on or the target of jokes...I did the best I could!! This is the order I thought of them in.
Benjamin Franklin
Abraham Lincoln
Ronald Reagan
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thomas Edison
Richard Nixon
Marilyn Monroe
Eleanor Roosevelt
Neil Armstrong
Elvis Presley
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 4:49 pm
by Ritterskoop
So I misread the question, and made lists of 10 men and 10 women.
For the survey, here's my lists of ten Americans:
Michael Jordan
Tom Cruise
Douglas MacArthur
Elvis Presley
Neil Armstrong
Mike Tyson
Helen Keller
Oprah Winfrey
Rosa Parks
and Dr. King, who I left off my first list by mistake
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 5:00 pm
by kayrharris
Bill Gates
Martin Luther King, Jr
Ben Franklin
Alexander Graham Bell
Helen Keller
Wright Brothers
Henry Ford
Thomas Edison
Donald Trump (yuk)
Oprah Winfrey
Just females:
Oprah
Helen Keller
Susan B Anthony
Betsy Ross
Katharine Hepburn
Rosa Parks
Amelia Earhart
Erin Brockovich
Rose Kennedy
Marilyn Monroe
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 5:10 pm
by silvercamaro
Albert Einstein
Walter Cronkite
Bob Hope
Marilyn Monroe
Frank Sinatra
Michael Jordan
Bill Gates
Neil Armstrong
Charles Lindbergh
Oprah Winfrey
I don't know if these are the 10 names I'd list tomorrow. (I've already changed the last two.)
Women only:
Oprah Winfrey
Marilyn Monroe
Madonna
Amelia Earhardt
Maria Tallchief
Katie Couric
Meryl Streep
Serena Williams
Elizabeth Taylor
Judy Garland
I'm not happy with either list. I give up.
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 5:11 pm
by TheCalvinator24
In no particular order
GENERAL:
1 Tiger Woods
2 Michael Jordan
3 Babe Ruth
4 Charles Lindbergh
5 Robert E Lee
6 Benjamin Franklin
7 Michael Jackson
8 Bruce Springsteen
9 Tom Cruise
10 Marilyn Monroe
WOMEN:
1 Marilyn Monroe
2 Miley Cyrus
3 Amelia Earhart
4 Katherine Hepburn
5 Condi Rice
6 Susan B Anthony
7 Pocahontas
8 Madonna
9 Shirley Temple
10 Jane Fonda
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 5:28 pm
by KillerTomato
Please, please, please don't read this until you've already responded to the questions!
Here were my own lists:
This was SO tough. I finally whittled it down, but i'm not at all happy about who I ended up leaving off. But under protest, here's my Top 10, in alphabetical order:
Walt Disney
Thomas Edison
Albert Einstein
Henry Ford
Benjamin Franklin
William "Bill" Gates
Martin Luther King, Jr.
George Herman "Babe" Ruth
Harriet Tubman
Mark Twain
And the all female list:
Susan B. Anthony
Rachel Carson
Amelia Earhart
Margaret Mead
Betsy Ross
Sacajawea
Margaret Sanger
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Tubman
And here's the one from the magazine:
Smithsonian's survey said:
The 10 most famous Americans in history, excluding presidents and first ladies, per the 2000 teens who were polled are:
Martin Luther King Jr
Rosa Parks
Harriet Tubman
Susan B Anthony
Benjamin Franklin
Amelia Earhart
Oprah Winfrey
Marilyn Monroe
Thomas Edison
Albert Einstein
The remarkable thing is that adults 45 or older gave the same list as the teens with only 2 differences - Betsy Ross and Henry Ford replaced Monroe and Einstein. Even though it was asked Smithsonian didn''t actually give a separate list for women - they combined the two lists which I think, as we saw with Bob last night, overcame the tendence to think that famous probably means male. After all it wasn't too long ago to have such a survey read Who are the most famous American men? In addition it didn't make any difference if the teens were asked for "famous" or "important" Americans. Per Smithsonian the most surprising inclusion from both teens and adults- Harriet Tubman. I'll keep a spreadsheet of all the lists I receive and share it when I get the responses, as long as there are more than just 2 responses, which is what I have so far.
I think the best part about the lists - we can all breath a little easier: Our young people are not really as "dumbed down" as we may have supposed.
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 6:14 pm
by themanintheseersuckersuit
Benjamin Franklin
Sitting Bull
John Pershing
Billy Graham
J.D. Rockefeller
Col. Harlan Sanders
John Wayne
Al Capone
Bill Gates
Charles Lindbergh and Neil Armstrong tie
Women
Amelia Erhardt
H. B. Stowe
Oprah Winfrey
Grace Kelly
Ingrid Bergman
Ginger Rogers
Raquel Welch
Barbara Streisand
Kitty Carlyle
Madonna
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 6:28 pm
by Rexer25
1. Elvis
2. Marilyn Monroe
3. Martin Luther King, Jr.
4. O J Simpson
5. Ed Sullivan
6. Johnny Carson
7. Benjamin Franklin
8. John Hancock
9. Frank Sinatra
10. Ted Kennedy
Wimmen:
1. M. Monroe
2. Miley Cyrus
3. Eleanor Roosevelt
4. Aretha Franklin
5. Mia Hamm
6. Betsy Ross
7. Harriet Tubman
8. Farrah Fawcett
9. Diana Ross
10. Lizzie Borden
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 7:07 pm
by sunflower
Does it bother anyone else...
...that Einstein is not an American??? But made the list of top 10 most famous Americans??
I also obviously didn't read the no presidents or first ladies part carefully enough
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 7:13 pm
by themanintheseersuckersuit
sunflower wrote:Does it bother anyone else...
...that Einstein is not an American??? But made the list of top 10 most famous Americans??
I also obviously didn't read the no presidents or first ladies part carefully enough
He died an U.S. Citizen, that puts him on a par with Ben Franklin. and the questions said they didn't have to be born in the U.S.
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 7:15 pm
by christie1111
Citizenship German (1879–96, 1914–33)
Swiss (1901–55)
American (1940–55)
So no, not according to the rules set forth on the question.
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 9:50 pm
by BigDrawMan
hmmm
in no order
...
muhammad ali
m l king jr
ben franklin
lee harvey oswald
ahnold
jesse james
marilyn monroe
thomas edison
bill gates
chas manson
chicks:
marilyn
amelia earhart
betsy ross
you said 10??
hmm
britney spears
pocahantas
susie anthiny
flo nightingale-tho it think she was a brit
betty crocker
madonna
nicole simpson
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 10:11 pm
by starfish1113
Off the top of my head:
Ben Franklin
Charles Lindbergh
Thomas Edison
Albert Einstein
Elvis Presley
Babe Ruth
Marilyn Monroe
Muhammed Ali
Walt Disney
Martin Luther King
Women:
Marilyn Monroe
Susan B. Anthony
Betsy Ross
Florence Nightingale
Lucille Ball
Madonna
Mary Tyler Moore
Billie Jean King
Sandra Day O'Connor
Amelia Earhardt
Now to see who I missed....
Re: A survey for a friend
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 10:23 pm
by jarnon
Muhammad Ali
Thomas Edison
Albert Einstein
Benjamin Franklin
Katherine Hepburn
Grace Kelly
Robert E. Lee
Elvis Presley
Betsy Ross
Babe Ruth
Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 3:20 am
by takinover
I think it is important to clarify the difference between famous and important as I would have 2 different lists. I would have the likes of Martin Luther King, Jr. and George Washington on my important list, but I don't have them on my famous list. Most of my list will compose of people who have been born in the information age since fame is easier to acquire with more media available. Another important distinction is famous vs. infamous. I would rather exclude people who have gained fame from deviant acts (e.g. Jeffrey Dahmer) instead of a valued talent or persona. I also factor in international impact along with national appeal. So without further ado and in chronological order of fame
10 Americans
Henry Ford
Marilyn Monroe
Elvis Presley
Muhammed Ali
Michael Jackson
Madonna
Michael Jordan
Oprah Winfrey
Bill Gates
Angelina Jolie
10 American Women
Susan B. Anthony
Amelia Earhart
Marilyn Monroe
Gloria Steinhem
Geraldine Ferraro
Oprah Winfrey
Demi Moore
Julia Roberts
Jennifer Lopez
Angelina Jolie
Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 4:18 am
by peacock2121
Americans:
1. Thomas Edison
2. Martin Luther King Jr
3. Rosa Parks
4. Walt Disney
5. Henry Ford
6. Elvis Presley
7. Muhammad Ali
8. Benjamin Franklin
9. Lee Harvey Oswald
10. Marilyn Monroe
Woman:
1. Rosa Parks
2. Oprah Winfrey
3. Besty Ross
4. Susan B Anthony
5. Amelia Earhard
6. Margaret Sanger
7. Madonna
8. Marylin Monroe
9. Grace Kelly
10. Mary Baker Eddy
Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 8:07 am
by mellytu74
Getting into this late but...
The 10 Most Famous Americans in history, EXCLUDING Presidents and First Ladies.
Benjamin Franklin
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Marilyn Monroe
Muhammad Ali
Frank Sinatra
Albert Einstein
Elvis Presley
Walt Disney
Babe Ruth
Thomas Edison
The 10 Most Famous American WOMEN (excluding first ladies)?
Betsy Ross
Rosa Parks
Oprah Winfrey
Marilyn Monroe
Madonna
Betsy Ross
Princess Grace of Monaco/Grace Kelly
Pochohantas
Harriet Tubman
Susan B. Anthony
Amelia Earhardt
I stayed away from the LiLo, Paris, Britney group - although they ARE famous - in favor of women who have stood/I think will stand the test of time.
Brit, Paris, et al may just end up interesting footnotes, ala Evelyn Nesbit Thaw or someone like that.
I realize that Grace Kelly probably shouldn't be there but I had to stick up for my homey.
Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 11:09 am
by ontellen
I know I'm late, but I haven't peeked at any others.
John Wayne
Elizabeth Taylor (I know she was born in England)
Donald Trump (yuck)
Oprah
Britney Spears (yuck again)
Paris Hilton (double yuck)
Charles Lindberg
Thomas Edison
Uncle Sam
Harrison Ford
Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 2:18 pm
by etaoin22
Men
1 - Elvis Presley
2 - Benjamin Franklin
3 - Tiger Woods
4 - Wright Brothers
5 - John Wayne
6 - Jimi Hendrix
7 - Lee Harvey Oswald
8 - Muhammad Ali
9 - Babe Ruth
10 - Gov. Schwarzenegger
Women
1 - Marilyn Monroe
2 - Pocahontas
3 - Sacagawea
4 - Betsy Ross
5 - Janis Joplin
6 - Angelina Jolie
7 - Bonnie Parker
8 - Calamity Jane
9 - Amelia Earhart
10 - Katharine Hepburn
Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 2:51 pm
by Kazoo65
Ten Most Famous Americans
Martin Luther King Jr.
Jackie Robinson
Robert F. Kennedy
Thomas Edison
Henry Ford
Alexander Graham Bell
Neil Armstrong
John Glenn
Ernest Hemingway
Ben Franklin
Famous American Women
Rosa Parks
Helen Keller
Oprah
Betsy Ross
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Clara Barton
Sally Ride
Geraldine Ferraro
Condoleezza Rice
Marilyn Monroe
Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 3:18 pm
by wbtravis007
Oprah
Muhammad Ali
Michael Jordan
Tiger Woods
OJ Simpson
Babe Ruth
Johnny Carson
David Letterman
Jay Leno
Al Gore
Oprah
Madonna
Marilyn Monroe
Katie Couric
Elizabeth Taylor
Julia Roberts
Barbara Walters
Rosie O'Donnel
Katharine Hepburn
Lucille Ball