Statistics for The 100 Greatest Americans

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General Stats

This quiz has been taken 91 times
The average score is 44 of 100

Answer Stats

Lifetime	Expertise	Accomplishments	Americans	% Correct
1809-1865	Politics	Led the Union during the Civil War; the most crucial figure in the passage of the XIIIᵗʰ Amendment to abolish slavery.	Abraham Lincoln	100%
1929-1968	Activism	Arguably the frontman of the Civil Rights movement; gave his oration: 'I've Been to the Mountaintop'.	Martin Luther King, Jr.	99%
1913-2005	Social Reform	Ignited the Montgomery bus boycott; led the movement to prohibit racially segregated buses.	Rosa Parks	96%
1882-1945	Politics	Issued the New Deal, including the CCC, WPA, FSA and SSA; oversaw the suspension of the gold standard.	Franklin D. Roosevelt	95%
1732-1799	Military/Politics	The first commander of the Continental Army; established the presidency as recognised today.	George Washington	95%
1743-1826	Politics	Chiefly wrote the Declaration of Independence; approved the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleonic France.	Thomas Jefferson	93%
1847-1931	Innovation/Business	Pioneered the phonograph, kinetoscope and DC electricity; established the first industrial research lab.	Thomas Edison	81%
1879-1955	Physics	A key figure in the introduction of quantum mechanics; devised the photoelectric effect and Brownian motion.	Albert Einstein	75%
1705-1790	Politics/Science	The first Postmaster General; led the innovation of optics and electricity during the Enlightenment period.	Benjamin Franklin	73%
1822-1913	Social Reform	Rescued escaped slaves via the Underground Railroad; supported John Brown's raid at Harpers Ferry.	Harriet Tubman	73%
1917-1963	Politics	Eased U.S-Soviet tensions following the Cuban Missile Crisis; created the 'New Frontier' welfare program.	John F. Kennedy	72%
1897-1939?	Aviation	The first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean; influenced the formation of the 99s - for female pilots.	Amelia Earhart	71%
1863-1947	Innovation/Business	Chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production; pioneered the five-day work week.	Henry Ford	67%
1935-1977	Music	Propagated the rock and roll genre with such songs as 'Blue Suede Shoes'; starred in romatic films, including 'Blue Hawaii'.	Elvis Presley	65%
1751-1836	Politics	Drafted the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and The Federalist Papers; led the United States during the War of 1812.	James Madison	64%
1901-1966	Cinema	Pioneered Technicolor, feature-length, and synchronised-sound cartoons; produced such entertainment films as 'Mary Poppins'.	Walt Disney	64%
1930-1978	Politics	The first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California; broadly sympathised with the 1960s counterculture.	Harvey Milk	63%
1880-1968	Social Reform	Leading disability rights advocate due to her deafblindnesss; worked for the American Foundation for the Blind.	Helen Keller	63%
1919-1972	Sports	Played baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers and broke the sport's colour line; won the NL Most Valuable Player Award in 1949.	Jackie Robinson	63%
1913-1980	Sports	Won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games; specialised in the sprints and the long jump.	Jesse Owens	63%
1904-1967	Physics	Known as the "father of the atomic bomb" for his role in the Manhattan Project; called to avert nuclear proliferation.	J. Robert Oppenheimer	61%
1925-1965	Social Reform	Orated 'The Ballot or the Bullet' speech in 1964; a prominent spokesman for the Nation of Islam.	Malcolm X	61%
1858-1919	Politics	Led the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War; ignited the Progressive Era through his anti-trust and welfare policies.	Theodore Roosevelt	61%
born 1961	Politics	Signed the Affordable Care Act to expand healthcare; regulated the financial sector with the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act.	Barack Obama	60%
born 1946	Cinema	Pioneered the blockbuster, such as 'Saving Private Ryan'; popularised historical dramas with such films as 'The Post'.	Steven Spielberg	60%
1904-1991	Literature	Wrote and illustrated numerous children's books, such as 'The Cat in the Hat'; drew cartoons for such magazines as 'Life'.	Theodore Seuss Geisel	59%
1856-1924	Politics	Founded the League of Nations through the Fourteen Points; advocated the eight-hour workday and regulation of child labour.	Woodrow Wilson	59%
born 1948	Politics	Expanded access to the Internet (did not invent it); wrote 'An Inconvenient Truth' to raise awareness on climate change.	Al Gore	57%
1902-1968	Literature	Explored the downtrodden and penniless in his works, such as in 'Of Mice and Men'; utilised a 'sense of place' in literature.	John Steinbeck	57%
1928-2014	Literature/Reform	Authored civil rights-centred poems, such as 'Still I Rise'; wrote her autobiography: 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'.	Maya Angelou	57%
1767-1845	Politics	Famed hero of the Battle of New Orleans; the first 'populist' president - framing modern democracy.	Andrew Jackson	56%
1820-1906	Social Reform	Co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association; advocated for temperance well before the XIXᵗʰ Amendment.	Susan B. Anthony	56%
born 1924	Politics	Pursued the Camp David Accords and SALT II; contributed to the non-profit organisation: 'Habitat for Humanity'.	Jimmy Carter	53%
1942-1970	Music	Contributed to psychedelic rock, with such albums as 'Electric Ladyland'; implemented fuzz distortion and audio feedback.	Jimi Hendrix	52%
1839-1937	Business	Established the Standard Oil Company; founded institutions for medical research and the University of Chicago.	John D. Rockefeller	52%
1867/71-1912/48	Innovation	Created a three-axis control system in flight dynamics; conducted extensive glider tests with their aircraft.	The Wright brothers	52%
1757-1804	Politics	A pivotal figure behind the charter of the first national bank; penned the majority of the Federalist Papers.	Alexander Hamilton	51%
born 1955/64	Business/Reform	Jointly established a private charity foundation to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty across the world.	Bill & Melinda Gates	51%
1818?-1895	Social Reform	Wrote 'Narrative of the Life of ---, an American Slave; was appointed Minister Resident to Haiti in 1889.	Frederick Douglass	51%
1809-1849	Literature	Influential writer in the Romantic era - adopting a macabre style in his works; wrote such mystic poems as 'Annabel Lee'.	Edgar Allan Poe	49%
1936-1990	Cinema	Created 'The Muppets' - innovating puppetry; won fame with his characters, such as Kermit the Frog and Rowlf the Dog.	Jim Henson	49%
1901-1971	Music	Renowned for his emotional and creative expression as a jazz soloist; recorded such tunes as 'La Vie en Rose'.	Louis Armstrong	48%
1955-2011	Innovation/Business	Developed the 'Lisa': one of the first computers with a graphical user interface; directed Pixar and helped produce 'Toy Story'.	Steve Jobs	48%
1835-1919	Business	Laid the foundation of the U.S. Steel Corporation; supported progressive taxation and an estate tax.	Andrew Carnegie	47%
1890-1969	Military/Politics	Led Operation Torch in the North African campaign in World War Two; oversaw the start of NASA and the Space Race.	Dwight Eisenhower	47%
1867-1959	Architecture	Pioneered organic architecture, exemplified in his 'Fallingwater' house; developed the concept of the 'Usonian' home.	Frank Lloyd Wright	47%
1817-1862	Natural Philosophy	Leading transcendentalist philosopher; penned the essay 'Civil Disobedience': arguing for disobedience to an unjust state.	Henry David Thoreau	45%
born 1947	Politics	Advocated the Foster Care Independence Act and the CHIP; was Secretary of State during the Arab Spring.	Hillary Clinton	44%
1914-1995	Biology	Developed one of the first successful polio vaccines; attempted to research a vaccine against HIV.	Jonas Salk	44%
born 1928	Biology	Proposed the double helix structure of the DNA molecule; championed an increased focus in molecular biology.	James Watson	43%
born 1930	Law/Politics	The first female justice of the Supreme Court; decided in such cases as Grutter v. Bollinger and Hamdi v. Rumsfeld.	Sandra Day O’Connor	43%
1878-1968	Politics/Literature	Wrote 'The Jungle' - exposing sanitary conditions in the U.S. meatpacking industry; publicized the issue of yellow journalism.	Upton Sinclair	43%
1927-1993	Social Reform	Organised the United Farm Workers labour union; promoted the rights of Chicanos and workers with wage standards.	Cesar Chavez	41%
1824-1885	Military/Politics	Created the Justice Department to protect African Americans during Reconstruction; led the successful Vicksburg campaign.	Ulysses S. Grant	41%
1905-1982	Ethical Philosophy	Developed Objectivism as an ethical system; wrote 'The Fountainhead', defining her individualistic thought.	Ayn Rand	40%
1896-1940	Literature	Wrote novels depicting the flamboyance of the Jazz Age, such as 'Tender is the Night'; pioneered modernist literature.	F. Scott Fitzgerald	40%
1880-1959	Military	General of the Army during World War Two; advocated a U.S. economic commitment to post-war European recovery.	George C. Marshall	40%
1835-1910	Literature	Penned such American classics as 'Pudd'nhead Wilson'; passionately criticised political corruption and imperialism.	Mark Twain	40%
born 1928	Linguistics/Reform	A critic of the U.S. interventionist foreign policy; created the minimalist program - modelling the understanding of language.	Noam Chomsky	40%
born 1954	Media	Led a syndicated daytime talk show for 25 years; voiced several movie characters, such as Gussie in 'Charlotte's Web'.	Oprah Winfrey	39%
1856-1915	Social Reform	Supported racial uplift through gradual means; founded Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute.	Booker T. Washington	37%
1926-1991	Music	Led a jazz quintet - defining jazz fusion in the post-World War Two period; recorded the modal jazz album 'Kind of Blue'.	Miles Davis	37%
1925-1968	Politics	The icon of modern liberalism for his efforts in social and economic equality; fought organised crime and the Mafia.	Robert F. Kennedy	33%
1847-1922	Innovation	Co-founded AT&T Corporation for early telecommunication; developed an early metal detector and hydroplane.	Alexander Graham Bell	32%
1755-1835	Law/Politics	Implemented the principle of 'separation of powers'; decided McCulloch v. Maryland and Marbury v. Madison.	John Marshall	32%
1925-2008	Cinema	Starred in major film roles, such as Hud Bannon in 'Hud'; partook in racing events, including the 24 Hours of Daytona.	Paul Newman	32%
1907-1964	Biology	Wrote 'Silent Spring' - advancing the global environmental movement; served in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries.	Rachel Carson	32%
1899-1974	Music	Pioneered the big-band jazz orchestra as a pianist; composed tunes with a "Spanish tinge", such as 'Caravan'.	Duke Ellington	31%
(multiple)	Military	First African American soldiers to enter the Army Air Corps; served in World War Two in Fighter and Bombardment Groups.	Tuskegee Airmen	31%
1840-1877	Military?	Led the South Dakota-based Oglala tribe; fought in the Black Hills War, and defeated Custer in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.	Crazy Horse	29%
1856-1943	Innovation/Science	Introduced mainstream domestic current - induction motors and dynamos; devised potential for wireless communication.	Nikola Tesla	29%
1868-1963	Social Reform	One of the founders of the NAACP; insisted on unequivocal civil rights and representation for African-Americans.	W.E.B. Dubois	29%
1897-1962	Literature	Used the 'stream-of-consciousness' method in characterisation; an icon of Southern literature with such novels as 'Sartoris'.	William Faulkner	29%
1838-1914	Environmentalism	Preserved such wilderness area as Yosemite Valley; founded the Sierra Club: a prominent conservation organisation.	John Muir	28%
1884-1962	Politics	Served as the first chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights; largely supported refugees and the right to education.	Eleanor Roosevelt	27%
1901-1967	Literature/Reform	Led the Harlem Renaissance with his work on jazz poetry; wrote the short story collection 'The Ways of White Folks'.	Langston Hughes	27%
1894-1978	Painting	Painted cultural and political paintings, such as 'Four Freedoms'; illustrated the covers for 'The Saturday Evening Post'.	Norman Rockwell	27%
1803-1882	Political Philosophy	A prominent individualist due to his essays, such as 'Self-Reliance'; established the 'transparent eyeball' metaphor.	Ralph Waldo Emerson	27%
1908-1993	Law/Politics	Argued against 'separate but equal' in Brown v. Board of Education; considered a defender of the freedom of expression.	Thurgood Marshall	25%
1897-1991	Cinema	Directed such 1930s classics as 'It Happened One Night'; was President of the Motion Picture Academy.	Frank Capra	24%
born 1934	Social Reform	Led the movement of second-wave feminism; co-founded the feminist 'Ms.' magazine.	Gloria Steinem	24%
1887-1986	Painting	Pioneered American modernism with such paintings as the 'Red Canna'; painted several works of desert landscapes.	Georgia O’Keeffe	21%
1932-2009	Politics	Advocated universal healthcare; defended government intervention with the oration: 'The Dream Shall Never Die'.	Ted Kennedy	19%
1881-1956	Aviation/Innovation	Founded among the largest global aerospace manufacturers; led to the formation of 'United Airlines'.	William Boeing	19%
1815-1902	Social Reform	Founded the Woman's Loyal National League; started a newspaper called 'The Revolution' to discuss woman's rights.	Elizabeth Cady Stanton	17%
1922-2010	Political Philosophy	Major socialist intellectual, authoring 'A People's History of the United States'; taught political science at Boston University.	Howard Zinn	17%
born 1944	Political Philosophy	Majorly active in the Communist Party USA and in the Occupy movement; attempted to abolish the prison-industrial complex.	Angela Davis	16%
1894-1956	Biology	The first major figure in sexology; influenced entomology with his research on the mating patterns of gall wasps.	Alfred Kinsey	15%
1902-1984	Photography	Formulated the Zone System for determining optimal film exposure; took "pure" iconic photographs of the American West.	Ansel Adams	13%
1819-1891	Literature	Penned several American Renaissance novels, including 'Typee'; wrote the epic poem 'Clarel', spanning 18,000 lines.	Herman Melville	13%
1908-1965	Journalism/Media	Reported the latest developments in the Second World War on CBS; led the investigative program 'This I Believe'.	Edward R. Murrow	12%
1915-1985	Cinema	Directed stage adaptations of literary classics, such as 'Caesar'; co-founded the Mercury Theatre in New York CIty.	Orson Welles	12%
1862-1931	Social Reform	Wrote 'A Red Record': an account about lynching of African-Americans; expressed activity in the Negro Women's Club.	Ida B. Wells	11%
born 1954	Social Reform	Desegregated the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana; advocates education against racism.	Ruby Bridges	11%
born 1957	Literature	Co-authored the bestseller 'Three Cups of Tea'; promoted girls' education and literacy around the world.	Greg Mortenson	8%
1934-1992	Social Reform	Key figure in third-wave feminism due to her theory relating it with race struggles; combatted classism through her poetry.	Audre Lorde	4%
born 1936	Social Reform	Wrote several books on public education in the United States; founded 'The Education Action Fund'.	Jonathan Kozol	4%
1839-1903	Physics/Chemistry	Created statistical mechanics to explain the laws of thermodynamics; invented modern vector calculus.	Josiah Willard Gibbs	4%
1869-1939	Biology	Pioneered brain surgery and became the first exclusive neurosurgeon; introduced blood pressure measurement.	Harvey Cushing	3%
1959-2022	Anthropology	Founded 'Partners in Health' to provide healthcare in developing countries; worked to end the cholera epidemic in Haiti.	Paul Farmer	3%