A–Z index
All 973 people, filed by surname.
88 people
John Backus 1924–2007Technology & BuildingLed the IBM team that created FORTRAN and co-developed Backus-Naur notation.
Ella Baker 1903–1986Reform & RightsGrassroots organizer who helped found the SNCC and shaped the civil rights movement behind the scenes.
James Baldwin 1924–1987Arts & LettersEssayist and novelist whose searing explorations of race, sexuality, and identity remain profoundly relevant.
Lucille Ball 1911–1989Arts & LettersComedic actress and producer whose I Love Lucy pioneered the sitcom format and changed television.
Steve Ballmer b. 1956Business & LaborFormer CEO of Microsoft and owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, with vast technology-derived wealth.
Benjamin Banneker 1731–1806Science & MedicineFree Black astronomer and almanac author who helped survey the federal district and challenged Jefferson on race.
John Bardeen 1908–1991Science & MedicineOnly person to win two Nobel Prizes in Physics, for the transistor and superconductivity theory.
Amy Coney Barrett b. 1972Government & PoliticsSupreme Court justice appointed in 2020 whose vote consolidated the Court's conservative majority.
Clara Barton 1821–1912Reform & RightsCivil War nurse who founded the American Red Cross and pioneered disaster relief in America.
Jean-Michel Basquiat 1960–1988Arts & LettersNeo-expressionist painter who rose from graffiti artist to one of the most celebrated artists of the 1980s.
George Beadle 1903–1989Science & MedicineGeneticist who won the Nobel Prize for showing that genes control biochemical reactions in cells.
Alan Bean 1932–2018Frontier & SportApollo 12 lunar module pilot and fourth person to walk on the Moon, later a celebrated space artist.
James Beard 1903–1985Reform & RightsCookbook author and teacher whose advocacy helped define a distinct modern American culinary tradition.
Romare Bearden 1911–1988Arts & LettersArtist who used collage to depict African American life and culture in the 20th century.
Gary Becker 1930–2014Ideas & MediaExtended economic analysis to family — crime and discrimination — winning the 1992 Nobel Prize.
Catharine Beecher 1800–1878Ideas & MediaPioneer in women's education who founded schools and advocated for female teachers across America.
Alexander Graham Bell 1847–1922Technology & BuildingInventor of the telephone and founder of AT&T, transforming global communication.
Saul Bellow 1915–2005Arts & LettersNovelist whose intellectually rich fiction explored individuality, urban life, and the immigrant experience in modern America.
Ruth Benedict 1887–1948Ideas & MediaAdvanced culture-and-personality anthropology through Patterns of Culture and wartime studies of Japan.
Nicolas Berggruen b. 1961Business & LaborInvestor and philosopher whose Berggruen Institute fosters cross-cultural governance and philosophy.
Irving Berlin 1888–1989Arts & LettersSongwriter whose vast catalog, from 'God Bless America' to Broadway standards, helped define the American popular songbook.
Ben Bernanke b. 1953Ideas & MediaLed the Federal Reserve through the 2008 financial crisis and won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Economics.
Tim Berners-Lee b. 1955Technology & BuildingBritish-American computer scientist who invented the World Wide Web, revolutionizing global information sharing.
Carl Bernstein b. 1944Ideas & MediaInvestigative journalist who, with Bob Woodward, uncovered the Watergate scandal for The Washington Post.
Leonard Bernstein 1918–1990Arts & LettersConductor, composer, and educator who brought classical music to mass audiences and reshaped American musical theater.
Chuck Berry 1926–2017Arts & LettersGuitarist and songwriter whose music established core sounds, themes, and performance styles of rock and roll.Clifford Berry 1918–1963Technology & BuildingCo-inventor of the Atanasoff-Berry Computer, the first electronic digital computing device.
Wendell Berry b. 1934Reform & RightsWriter and farmer whose work connected environmental stewardship, local agriculture, community, and opposition to industrial excess.
Hans Bethe 1906–2005Science & MedicinePhysicist who explained stellar energy production and led theoretical work at Los Alamos before becoming a prominent arms-control voice.
Mary McLeod Bethune 1875–1955Ideas & MediaEducator and civil rights leader who founded Bethune-Cookman University and advised four presidents.
Beyoncé b. 1981Arts & LettersSinger, songwriter, and performer whose cultural influence extends far beyond music into fashion and activism.
Jeff Bezos b. 1964Business & LaborFounder of Amazon who transformed e-commerce and cloud computing, becoming one of the wealthiest people in history.
Joe Biden b. 1942Government & Politics46th president who enacted major infrastructure and climate legislation after decades in the Senate and vice presidency.
Simone Biles b. 1997Frontier & SportGymnast widely regarded as the greatest of all time, with the most World Championship medals.
Larry Bird b. 1956Frontier & SportCeltics forward whose rivalry with Magic Johnson defined the NBA's golden age of the 1980s.
Black Hawk 1767–1838Reform & RightsSauk leader whose 1832 resistance to removal from Illinois lands became the Black Hawk War.
Hugo Black 1886–1971Government & PoliticsJustice who championed strong First Amendment protections and incorporation of the Bill of Rights.
Elizabeth Blackwell 1821–1910Science & MedicineFirst woman to receive a medical degree in the United States and a pioneer of women’s medical education.
Sara Blakely b. 1971Business & LaborFounder of Spanx who became the youngest self-made female billionaire in America.
Len Blavatnik b. 1957Business & LaborUkrainian-American industrialist and Warner Music owner whose Access Industries spans chemicals and media.
Wolf Blitzer b. 1948Ideas & MediaCNN anchor whose coverage of the Gulf War and political events made him a household name.
Michael Bloomberg b. 1942Business & LaborFounder of Bloomberg LP, three-term mayor of New York City, and major political donor.
Baruch Blumberg 1925–2011Science & MedicinePhysician-scientist whose discovery of the hepatitis B virus led to diagnostic tests and a widely used vaccine.
Nellie Bly 1864–1922Ideas & MediaReporter whose undercover asylum investigation and record circumnavigation established investigative reporting.
Franz Boas 1858–1942Ideas & MediaFounded American academic anthropology and argued against racial determinism from Columbia University.
William Boeing 1881–1956Business & LaborFounded the aircraft company that became the largest American commercial airplane manufacturer.
Humphrey Bogart 1899–1957Arts & LettersStudio-era screen actor identified with Casablanca and the hardboiled detective role.
John C. Bogle 1929–2019Business & LaborFounded Vanguard and launched the first index mutual fund for retail investors.
Daniel Boone 1734–1820Frontier & SportFrontiersman who blazed the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky.
John Wilkes Booth 1838–1865Crime & NotorietyActor who assassinated President Lincoln in 1865 — altering the course of Reconstruction.
Norman Borlaug 1914–2009Reform & RightsAgronomist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate whose Green Revolution wheat varieties saved billions from famine.
Frank Borman 1928–2023Frontier & SportCommander of Apollo 8, the first mission to orbit the Moon, and later CEO of Eastern Air Lines.
Louise Bourgeois 1911–2010Arts & LettersFrench-American sculptor whose giant spider sculptures and psychologically intense works explored trauma.
Ray Bradbury 1920–2012Arts & LettersScience fiction writer whose Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles became American classics.
Ben Bradlee 1921–2014Ideas & MediaEditor who built The Washington Post into a leading national newspaper and directed its Watergate coverage.
Omar Bradley 1893–1981Government & PoliticsSenior World War II commander and first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Tom Brady b. 1977Frontier & SportNFL quarterback with seven Super Bowl titles, the most in league history.
Louis Brandeis 1856–1941Government & PoliticsJustice and reform lawyer who advanced privacy, free speech, and progressive regulation.
Marlon Brando 1924–2004Arts & LettersActor whose method acting revolutionized film performance and influenced generations of actors.
William J. Brennan Jr. 1906–1997Government & PoliticsInfluential justice who expanded civil liberties, equality doctrine, and application of the Bill of Rights to the states.
Jim Bridger 1804–1881Frontier & SportMountain man and guide who explored the Rocky Mountains and founded Fort Bridger.
Harry Bridges 1901–1990Business & LaborLed West Coast longshore workers through the 1934 strike and headed the ILWU for decades.
Ruby Bridges b. 1954Reform & RightsFirst African American child to desegregate an all-white elementary school in the South.
Sergey Brin b. 1973Technology & BuildingCo-founder of Google who helped develop the PageRank algorithm and expanded into AI and autonomous vehicles.
Eli Broad 1933–2021Business & LaborBusinessman and art collector whose foundation invested billions in education, science, and the arts.
Tom Brokaw b. 1940Ideas & MediaNBC Nightly News anchor who chronicled the Greatest Generation and shaped network news for two decades.
Gwendolyn Brooks 1917–2000Arts & LettersPoet whose precise portrayals of Black life made her the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize.David Brower 1912–2000Reform & RightsConservation leader who transformed the Sierra Club and helped build the modern American environmental movement.
James Brown 1933–2006Arts & LettersSinger and bandleader whose rhythmic innovations created funk and profoundly shaped hip-hop, dance, and popular performance.
Jim Brown 1936–2023Frontier & SportDominant football player who also became a prominent actor and activist for Black economic empowerment.
John Brown 1800–1859Reform & RightsMilitant abolitionist whose raid on Harpers Ferry sharpened sectional conflict preceding the Civil War.
William Jennings Bryan 1860–1925Government & PoliticsThree-time Democratic nominee and orator who made monetary reform, popular democracy, and moral politics central national issues.
Kobe Bryant 1978–2020Frontier & SportNBA legend whose 20-year career with the Lakers and Mamba Mentality inspired millions worldwide.
James Buchanan 1791–1868Government & PoliticsFifteenth president who failed to halt Southern secession in the months before the Civil War.Peter Buffett b. 1958Business & LaborMusician and philanthropist who directs the NoVo Foundation focused on girls' and women's rights.
Warren Buffett b. 1930Business & LaborValue investor whose disciplined approach built one of the largest personal fortunes in American history.
Ted Bundy 1946–1989Crime & NotorietySerial killer whose multi-state murders and televised trial shaped American criminal profiling and true-crime coverage.
Luther Burbank 1849–1926Reform & RightsPlant breeder whose hundreds of new varieties changed American horticulture, agriculture, and popular attitudes toward scientific breeding.Tory Burch b. 1966Business & LaborFashion designer and philanthropist whose eponymous brand became a billion-dollar empire.
Charles Burchfield 1893–1967Arts & LettersPainter known for his visionary watercolors of nature and American small-town life.
Daniel Burnham 1846–1912Technology & BuildingArchitect and planner whose City Beautiful vision shaped downtowns, civic centers, and urban planning.
Aaron Burr 1756–1836Government & PoliticsThird vice president who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel and was later tried for treason.
George H. W. Bush 1924–2018Government & Politics41st president who managed the end of the Cold War and assembled the coalition for the Persian Gulf War.
George W. Bush b. 1946Government & Politics43rd president who led the country after the September 11 attacks and launched wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Vannevar Bush 1890–1974Technology & BuildingBuilt the differential analyzer and directed U.S. wartime research while proposing the Memex concept.
Judith Butler b. 1956Ideas & MediaPhilosopher whose work on gender performativity reshaped feminist and queer theory worldwide.
Octavia E. Butler 1947–2006Arts & LettersScience-fiction author whose explorations of race, gender, hierarchy, and survival became foundational to Afrofuturism.
Richard Byrd 1888–1957Frontier & SportNaval officer and explorer who claimed to be the first to reach the North Pole by air.