I do think that RR was definitely a great American. However, I don't see how he can be ahead of some of our founding fathers. Those men created and laid the foundation of the principles which he upheld, thus enabling him to be a great American. And how in the hell are Oprah, Clinton, and freaking Elvis ahead of FDR??? He should definitely be a top 5'er, IMO (probably ahead of Raegan). To put Mr. W ahead of him (or anywhere on that list, really) is an utter joke.
From what I learned on the History Channel the other night, Hitler ousted him because of his Jewish lineage. Then he came to America and was of enormous assistance to our nuclear weaponry program. I believe this is what ultimately gave us the edge over Russia. So, in keeping with that, I would definitely agree that he should be on the list.
I agree that Andrew Jackson should have made at least the top 25 if for nothing other than his military exploits and the fact that he had a whole era of American history (the Jacksonian age) named after him. But don't overlook the accomplishments of Elvis Presley. He represented a major cultural turning point in this country's history, and his story is a classic American rags-to-riches tale.
Einstein was a naturalized US citizen for decades and we would not have developed the Atomic Bomb in WWII without him. He's ours, not Germany's. If he had remained in Germany he would have died in the camps. Not pick the first man who walked on the moon? Not a chance. Apollo 13 was an heroic, amazing rescue but it was a failed mission. Apollo 11 succeeded like no other mission in history. No he is the greatest cycler in the history of the planet. If athletes are to be considered , he's one of the best. I have to agree with you here. But it was a TV show and the voters were largely people who watch too much TV. Clearly not enough people who knew history or literature were represented. This is a measure of the ignorance of a sector of the population who rely too much on a single media (TV) for their information. Those who read the newspaper, buy book and magazines, or get involved in debates on the web get a much broader education.
After thinking about it, I agree that Tom Hanks should be considered. The fact that he is a celebrity is not the reason, but rather his continuous efforts in garnering support for a WWII National Memorial (which was very successful) as well as his passion for telling the history of WWII. I would venture to guess that in this age of television and cinema, the subject of WWII would not be nearly as popular if it weren't for movies like Saving Private Ryan and the mini-series, Band of Brothers.
Tom Hanks seems to be passionate about the subjects of a lot of movies he stars in. After he was in "Apollo 13", he and Spielberg got together to produce "From The Earth To The Moon" for HBO, a 12-part miniseries about the early days of NASA.
I guess they did OK on the top five. Reagan is a good choice. I just can't get over why Barney Rubble and Yosemite Sam didn't make it. I mean mostly TV stars right? Those two guys are GREAT actors. Barney Rubble should have won an Oscar for best supporting actor years ago. :hihi:
I know he was a US citizen... It's just something about him being born German... I dunno... You are probably right... He was the one I was most iffy about being against... I understand what you are saying... but what about the first American in space? It's just like he is almost the figure head for all astronauts... It's just that... I don't consider athletes... I don't know...
If by "greatness" they mean of high significance, some of these should be in there.. the Harry Potter books had something to say about greatness that applies to alot of these guys.. "After all, He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things -- terrible, yes, but great.".. Even Hitler could be considered to have greatness...
that is correct and agree he should remain on the list. obviously this greatest american thing isn't even debatable for #1. someone try to debate hugh hefner doesn't reign supreme. now there is a science of no other.
