A–Z index
All 973 people, filed by surname.
73 people
Alexander Calder 1898–1976Arts & LettersSculptor who invented the mobile and whose kinetic sculptures changed modern art.
John C. Calhoun 1782–1850Crime & NotorietyVice president and theorist of slavery and states’ rights whose doctrines intensified sectional conflict.
Geoffrey Canada b. 1952Ideas & MediaSocial activist who founded the Harlem Children's Zone, a model for comprehensive community-based education.
Annie Jump Cannon 1863–1941Science & MedicineDeveloped the stellar spectral classification system still used to categorize stars.
Al Capone 1899–1947Crime & NotorietyGangster whose criminal empire made him the defining symbol of Prohibition-era organized crime.
Truman Capote 1924–1984Arts & LettersWriter of Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood — an early nonfiction novel.
Benjamin N. Cardozo 1870–1938Government & PoliticsJudge and Supreme Court justice whose opinions became foundational to American tort, contract, and common-law reasoning.Margaret Cargill 1920–2006Business & LaborHeiress whose anonymous foundation became one of America's largest charitable organizations after her death.
George Carlin 1937–2008Arts & LettersComedian whose linguistic precision and challenges to censorship made him a defining voice in modern American stand-up.Chester Carlson 1906–1968Technology & BuildingPhysicist who invented xerography, the technology behind the modern photocopier.
Tucker Carlson b. 1969Ideas & MediaCable news host turned independent broadcaster with wide influence on American right-wing commentary.
Andrew Carnegie 1835–1919Business & LaborSteel magnate who built one of the largest steel empires in history and later became a major philanthropist.
Wallace Carothers 1896–1937Science & MedicineLed the DuPont research that produced neoprene and nylon and established polymer science.
Scott Carpenter 1925–2013Frontier & SportMercury Seven astronaut who became the second American to orbit Earth.
Willis Carrier 1876–1950Technology & BuildingEngineer who invented modern air conditioning, transforming industry, architecture, and daily life.
Johnny Carson 1925–2005Arts & LettersHost of The Tonight Show for thirty years and the model for American late-night television.
Kit Carson 1809–1868Frontier & SportFrontiersman and scout who guided John C. Frémont and became a legend of the American West.
Rachel Carson 1907–1964Reform & RightsMarine biologist whose book Silent Spring launched the modern environmental movement.
Jimmy Carter 1924–2024Government & Politics39th president who emphasized human rights, brokered the Camp David Accords, and built a major post-presidential humanitarian legacy.
George Washington Carver 1864–1943Reform & RightsAgricultural scientist whose research on crop rotation and alternative crops transformed Southern farming.
Johnny Cash 1932–2003Arts & LettersSinger-songwriter whose work connected country, gospel, folk, prison reform, and American myth.
Mary Cassatt 1844–1926Arts & LettersImpressionist painter and printmaker who depicted the intimate bonds between mothers and children.
Willa Cather 1873–1947Arts & LettersNovelist whose work made immigrant settlement and the Great Plains central subjects of American literature.
Carrie Chapman Catt 1859–1947Reform & RightsSuffrage leader whose national organizing was instrumental in securing ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment.
Safra Catz b. 1961Technology & BuildingCEO of Oracle who has steered one of the world's largest enterprise software companies.
Vint Cerf b. 1943Technology & BuildingCo-designer of the TCP/IP protocols that form the foundation of the internet.
Eugene Cernan 1934–2017Frontier & SportCommander of Apollo 17 and the last person to walk on the Moon.
Wilt Chamberlain 1936–1999Frontier & SportDominant basketball center whose scoring, rebounding, and physical impact forced rule changes and expanded the NBA's appeal.
Priscilla Chan b. 1985Business & LaborPediatrician and co-CEO of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative investing billions in science and education.
James Chaney 1943–1964Reform & RightsCivil rights worker murdered by the KKK in Mississippi during Freedom Summer, galvanizing national outrage.
Charlie Chaplin 1889–1977Arts & LettersBritish-American actor and filmmaker whose Tramp character became an icon of the silent film era.
Ray Charles 1930–2004Arts & LettersSinger and pianist who fused gospel, blues, jazz, and country into a foundational sound of soul and modern American popular music.
César Chávez 1927–1993Reform & RightsLabor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers union.
Dick Cheney 1941–2025Government & PoliticsVice president who expanded the office's power and directed post-9/11 war policy.
Brian Chesky b. 1981Technology & BuildingCo-founder of Airbnb who created the global home-sharing marketplace that disrupted the hotel industry.
Chief Joseph 1840–1904Reform & RightsNez Perce leader remembered for resistance to forced removal and eloquent advocacy for his people.
Julia Child 1912–2004Reform & RightsCookbook author and television host who transformed American home cooking and popular attitudes toward food.
Shirley Chisholm 1924–2005Government & PoliticsFirst Black woman elected to Congress and first woman to run for a major party's presidential nomination.
Noam Chomsky b. 1928Ideas & MediaLinguist and political activist whose theories revolutionized the study of language and cognitive science.
William Clark 1770–1838Frontier & SportCo-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and later Superintendent of Indian Affairs.
Henry Clay 1777–1852Government & PoliticsSenator and statesman known as the Great Compromiser for his role in preserving the Union.
Roberto Clemente 1934–1972Frontier & SportPuerto Rican baseball star whose excellence and humanitarian service made him an enduring Latino and American icon.
Grover Cleveland 1837–1908Government & PoliticsOnly president elected to nonconsecutive terms who championed limited government and the gold standard.
Bill Clinton b. 1946Government & Politics42nd president whose centrist politics, economic agenda, and impeachment shaped the post-Cold War era.
Hillary Clinton b. 1947Government & PoliticsFirst Lady, Senator, Secretary of State, and first woman to win a major party's presidential nomination.
Chuck Close 1940–2021Arts & LettersPhotorealist painter who created monumental portrait grids and continued working after paralysis.
Ronald Coase 1910–2013Ideas & MediaDeveloped transaction-cost theory of the firm and the Coase theorem while at Chicago.
Ta-Nehisi Coates b. 1975Ideas & MediaAtlantic correspondent whose essays on race, including The Case for Reparations, reshaped national discourse.
Cochise 1805–1874Reform & RightsChiricahua Apache leader who led resistance in the Southwest and negotiated a reservation for his people.
Marva Collins 1936–2015Ideas & MediaEducator who founded Westside Preparatory School and proved that disadvantaged students could achieve excellence.
Michael Collins 1930–2021Frontier & SportApollo 11 command module pilot who orbited alone behind the Moon while Armstrong and Aldrin walked below.
Samuel Colt 1814–1862Technology & BuildingIndustrialist who popularized the revolver and pioneered interchangeable parts in manufacturing.
John Coltrane 1926–1967Arts & LettersSaxophonist and composer whose technical and spiritual explorations transformed modern jazz.
Roscoe Conkling 1829–1888Government & PoliticsSenate boss of the Stalwart patronage machine who resigned in a fight over one customs house.
Pete Conrad 1930–1999Frontier & SportApollo 12 commander and third person to walk on the Moon, known for his humor and skill.
Tim Cook b. 1960Technology & BuildingCEO of Apple who steered the company to become the world's most valuable after Steve Jobs's death.
Sam Cooke 1931–1964Arts & LettersSinger-songwriter who helped transform gospel into soul music and used artistic independence to advance Black performers.
Calvin Coolidge 1872–1933Government & PoliticsThirtieth president who cut taxes and federal spending during the economic expansion of the 1920s.
Anderson Cooper b. 1967Ideas & MediaCNN anchor and correspondent known for his international reporting and coverage of major disasters and conflicts.
Gordon Cooper 1927–2004Frontier & SportMercury Seven astronaut who flew the final Mercury mission and later commanded a Gemini flight.
Aaron Copland 1900–1990Arts & LettersComposer whose accessible modernist works created an enduring musical language associated with American landscapes and identity.
Francis Ford Coppola b. 1939Arts & LettersDirector and producer whose landmark films helped define the New Hollywood era and modern American epic filmmaking.
Barbara Corcoran b. 1949Business & LaborReal estate entrepreneur who turned a $1,000 loan into a billion-dollar brokerage.
Gerty Cori 1896–1957Science & MedicineBiochemist and first American woman to win a Nobel Prize in science, honored for discoveries about carbohydrate metabolism.
Katie Couric b. 1957Ideas & MediaFirst woman to solo anchor a major network evening newscast and pioneering morning television host.Crazy Horse 1840–1877Reform & RightsOglala Lakota war leader who played a major role in resistance to U.S. military expansion on the northern plains.
Kimberlé Crenshaw b. 1959Ideas & MediaLegal scholar who coined the term intersectionality, reshaping understandings of overlapping discrimination.
Davy Crockett 1786–1836Frontier & SportFrontiersman, soldier, and politician who became a folk hero of the American frontier.
Walter Cronkite 1916–2009Ideas & MediaCBS Evening News anchor known as the most trusted man in America during a pivotal era of broadcast journalism.
Tom Cruise b. 1962Arts & LettersAction superstar and producer whose Mission: Impossible franchise and box office dominance span four decades.
Rebecca Lee Crumpler 1831–1895Science & MedicineFirst Black woman to earn a medical degree in the United States and an early advocate for care in underserved communities.
Harvey Cushing 1869–1939Science & MedicineSurgeon who established modern neurosurgery as a specialized medical discipline.
Leon Czolgosz 1873–1901Crime & NotorietyAnarchist whose assassination of William McKinley put Theodore Roosevelt in the White House.