Top 10 Most Significant People in American History

Without these people, America wouldn't be the same.

The Top Ten

George Washington

George Washington (February 22, 1732 - December 14, 1799) was the first President of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. He led the Continental Army to victory in the American Revolutionary War and presided over the Constitutional Convention of 1787, helping to shape the U.S. Constitution and... read more

Not only did George Washington fight in the American Revolutionary War and win the war, but he was also the first president in the U.S.A. ever. He is the second greatest president of all time (Abraham Lincoln is number one, obviously), but he is the reason that America exists at all.
Sure, there was a lot of questionable and wrong stuff, like him owning slaves or maybe marrying Martha Washington because she was rich, but his role in America is the most important of anyone ever.

Guided America through much of its early years. He had an immense devotion to his country and did everything he could to help his country.
Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation through the American Civil War and succeeded in preserving the Union, abolishing slavery, bolstering... read more

He had to keep the Union together during a very rocky time in America's history.
Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.. January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968) was an African American minister and a pioneering civil rights leader. From 1955 until his assassination in 1968, he became the most visible spokesperson for the civil rights movement. King is best known for leading nonviolent... read more

The zenith of what it means to be an American. Beaten, maligned, misjudged, and jailed, yet through it all, and with a grace few will ever match, he turned a mirror on the deficiencies of our democracy while holding aloft a picture of how great we can be as a healed and whole nation.
Uncommon bravery amidst the reality that his dream would cost him his life. A wonderful American for whom we can all be proud.

He helped everyone have the same rights!

He is probably the best because of his leadership and his stance against racism.
Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin (January 6, 1706 - April 17, 1790) was an American polymath active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and philosopher. Among the leading intellectuals of his time, he was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and a drafter and signer... read more

An innovator and founding father who helped reshape America.

A key founding father, he was very intelligent and always knew what to do.
Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 - July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Father who authored the Declaration of Independence and served as the third President of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He died on July 4, 1826, the same day as John Adams, the second president.
Neil Armstrong

Neil Alden Armstrong was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969, during NASA's Apollo 11 mission. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. Armstrong's famous words upon stepping onto the lunar surface... read more

Not just one of the best Americans, Neil Armstrong's name and achievements will be remembered for thousands of years after everyone else from our time is long gone.

So sad that American schools no longer talk much about this great human being, who holds such significance to the entire human species.

First human being to leave the planet and walk on another world. In 10,000 years, this will be the only thing from our time that is remembered.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 - April 12, 1945), commonly known by his initials FDR, was an American statesman and the 32nd President of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. A Democrat, he was elected to an unprecedented four terms and led the nation through the... read more

He should be higher up. He dealt with the Great Depression and World War II, probably the most deadly war of all time.

Who saved us from the Great Depression? Who served for four terms? Only one: FDR.
Susan B. Anthony

Susan Brownell Anthony was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. She was a key figure in the campaign to secure voting rights for women in the United States. Anthony co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869... read more
Thomas Paine
Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt (October 27, 1858 - January 6, 1919) was an American statesman, author, naturalist, soldier, and reformer who served as the 26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he championed trust busting, conservation, and the expansion of federal... read more

Perhaps the single most influential president in American history. At a time when other nations turned away from freedom and democracy, he reformed the system in a way that saved it and directly led to U.S. superpower status.

The Newcomers

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Henry George
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Bob Woodward

The Contenders

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman was an American abolitionist and political activist who was born into slavery. After escaping, she made approximately 13 missions to rescue about 70 enslaved individuals, including friends and family members. She used the Underground Railroad, a secret network of safe houses and antislavery... read more

I really admire Harriet Tubman and her courage to free her people from the evils of slavery. I also admire her bravery for conducting the Underground Railroad! I also admire her determination, just like Moses.
John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 - November 22, 1963), commonly known as JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from January 1961 until his assassination. His presidency was marked by the Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962), the Bay of Pigs Invasion (April 1961), the signing of... read more
Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, author, and artist who has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for more than five decades. He gained fame in the 1960s with songs that became anthems for the civil rights and anti-war movements. In 2016, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in... read more
Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor, widely dubbed the "King of Rock and Roll" and regarded as a pivotal cultural icon of the 20th century. His energetic musical interpretation and provocative performance style, bridging racial music traditions in a shifting era, both fueled his fame... read more

Not only significant for the USA but also significant for the world. He was the first real teen idol who exported rock and roll and a unique style outside the USA. Without him, all other "fathers of rock and roll" would have never sold records beyond their own countries.

Elvis opened the doors for Black music to white audiences. B.B. King, Rufus Thomas (who was the first DJ to play his records on a Black radio station), James Brown, Little Richard, and others all acknowledged this. He made Black music popular at a time when it was largely segregated in the 1950s. In popular culture, he moved things forward, inspiring new haircuts, clothing styles, and more. The start of modern teen music begins with him.
His first gold record, "Heartbreak Hotel," was written in collaboration with Mae Axton (for those who claim he never wrote anything, he did write a few other songs as well). He never "stole" any songs - covering existing songs was a common practice back then. He even financed Arthur Crudup's recording sessions with Fire Records (Crudup was the writer of "That's All Right," "My Baby Left Me," "So Glad You're Mine"). Black songwriters and singers like Otis Blackwell (who wrote "Don't Be Cruel" and "All Shook Up") wrote songs specifically for Elvis. Although Elvis received 50% of the royalties, they were happy to work with him because they knew a million-seller would benefit them as well.
There is too much misinformation about "Elvis stealing from..." so I wanted to clarify these points. He was the most significant singer who changed the world of music and pop culture. Without Elvis, there might not have been the Beatles, Michael Jackson, or many others who followed in his footsteps.
Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton was an American statesman, politician, legal scholar, military commander, lawyer, banker, and economist. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Hamilton was the first Secretary of the Treasury and a chief architect of the nation's financial system.

He was an amazing person. He helped America get some money, which is probably why he is on the ten-dollar bill. He had two guardians. His mom, who had smallpox or something, didn't live to see him grow up. Alex had smallpox too but survived. His second guardian was his cousin, who committed suicide. He fought in the war, made lines for the Declaration of Independence, and basically helped find America.
He died because of a duel with Aaron Burr. But don't hate on him too much. He said the moment that bullet came out, he regretted it. He deserves to be in the top 5 or 10.

A man with an extraordinary life, only for it to be ruined by that abomination.
Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) served as the 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017, becoming the first African-American to hold the office. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a U.S. Senator from Illinois (2005 to 2008) and as an Illinois state senator... read more

I think history will be very kind to this man. We're already starting to appreciate how good he was, and he's only been gone two months.

Amazing guy. If you were able to be president for as long as you like, Barack Obama would be president until the day he died.

He is the first African-American president of the United States.
Jackie Robinson

Jack Roosevelt Robinson was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era.
Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009) was an American singer, dancer, and songwriter. He passed away from cardiac arrest caused by acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication, which was ruled a homicide. Jackson is widely regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures... read more
John Adams

John Adams was born on October 30, 1735, in Quincy, Massachusetts. He served as the second President of the United States from March 4, 1797, to March 4, 1801. He passed away on July 4, 1826, at the age of 90.
Rosa Parks

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 - October 24, 2005) was an African American civil rights activist. She became a symbol of resistance to racial segregation after refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955. The United States Congress referred to her... read more

I definitely admire Rosa Parks. She started the civil rights movement from the back of a bus, and it made history. My father and I used to play the bus boycott of Rosa Parks. It was so much fun playing with my father.

Never thought someone could help change the minds of others by sitting on the bus.
Thomas Edison

Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 - October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman often called America's greatest inventor. He held over 1,000 U.S. patents, including for the phonograph (1877), the incandescent light bulb (improvements, 1879), and the motion picture camera (1891).... read more

The greatest inventor, truly "a man who created the 20th century." It is a pity that modern youth is so greedy for the cheap mystic images of different Teslas and does not respect the real knowledge and the real heroes of science and industrialization.

He may not have completely invented the light bulb, but he did have a total of 1,092 other inventions. That's definitely saying something.
Sitting Bull

Sitting Bull, Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotȟake in Standard Lakota Orthography, also known by the nickname Húŋkešni ("Slow"), was born around 1831 and died on December 15, 1890. He was a Hunkpapa Lakota holy man who played a significant role in leading his people through years of resistance to United States... read more
Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz. November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, political commentator, actor, and television host.
He was the long-running host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central from 1999 to 2015. Stewart returned to the satirical news program... read more
Henry Ford

Henry Ford was an American industrialist, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and a pioneer in the development of the modern assembly line technique of mass production. His innovations revolutionized the automobile industry and helped make cars affordable for the average American. Ford's Model T, introduced... read more

Introduced the automobile and the assembly line. A true revolutionary titan of his time.
Sacagawea