A–Z index
All 1,176 people, filed by surname.
59 people
Ted Kaczynski 1942–2023Crime & NotorietyMathematics prodigy who left academia for a Montana cabin and killed three people in a 17-year bombing campaign that ended when his brother recognized his writing.
Pauline Kael 1919–2001Ideas & MediaThe New Yorker's film critic from 1968 to 1991, who turned reviewing into a first-person argument and picked the fights that defined the field.
Colin Kaepernick b. 1987Reform & RightsQuarterback who knelt during the national anthem in 2016 and never played in the NFL again.
Elena Kagan b. 1960Government & PoliticsSupreme Court Justice and former Harvard Law dean known for her sharp legal mind and writing.
Bob Kahn b. 1938Technology & BuildingCo-inventor of the TCP/IP protocols alongside Vint Cerf, enabling modern digital communication.
Louis Kahn 1901–1974Technology & BuildingThe Salk Institute, the Kimbell and the National Assembly at Dhaka, from an architect who began at 50.
Daniel Kahneman 1934–2024Ideas & MediaIsraeli-American psychologist who won the Nobel Prize for his work on behavioral economics and decision-making.
Travis Kalanick b. 1976Technology & BuildingCo-founder of Uber who popularized the gig economy and transformed urban transportation worldwide.
Dean Kamen b. 1951Technology & BuildingInventor of the Segway, insulin pump, and water purification systems for the developing world.
Frank Kameny 1925–2011Reform & RightsGay rights activist fired by the federal government in 1957
Katalin Karikó b. 1955Science & MedicineBiochemist whose work on modified messenger RNA enabled highly effective mRNA vaccines and new therapeutic platforms.
Theodore von Karman 1881–1963Technology & BuildingAerodynamics, the Karman vortex street, and the founding of JPL
Brett Kavanaugh b. 1965Government & PoliticsSupreme Court justice confirmed in 2018 after contested hearings and often a pivotal vote.
Alan Kay b. 1940Technology & BuildingLed Smalltalk development at Xerox PARC and advanced graphical interfaces and personal computing concepts.
Elia Kazan 1909–2003Arts & LettersDirected A Streetcar Named Desire, Death of a Salesman and On the Waterfront, and named names to HUAC.
Buster Keaton 1895–1966Arts & LettersSilent-film comedian and director whose visual precision, stunts, and deadpan style became foundational to screen comedy.
Charles David Keeling 1928–2005Science & MedicineMeasured atmospheric carbon dioxide at Mauna Loa from 1958 until his death, producing the Keeling Curve.
Helen Keller 1880–1968Reform & RightsDeafblind author and lecturer who became the leading American advocate for blind and disabled people.
Gene Kelly 1912–1996Arts & LettersDanced in a T-shirt instead of tails, co-directed Singin' in the Rain, and rebuilt how dance is filmed.
Grace Kelly 1929–1982Arts & LettersFilm star turned Princess of Monaco
Scott Kelly b. 1964Frontier & SportAstronaut who spent a year aboard the International Space Station, advancing long-duration spaceflight research.
George F. Kennan 1904–2005Government & PoliticsDiplomat whose Long Telegram and containment doctrine framed American Cold War strategy.
Anthony Kennedy b. 1936Government & PoliticsThirty years as the Supreme Court's median vote, and the author of both Obergefell and Citizens United.
John F. Kennedy 1917–1963Government & Politics35th President whose brief tenure included the Cuban Missile Crisis and the launch of the Apollo program.
Robert F. Kennedy 1925–1968Government & PoliticsSenator and Attorney General whose 1968 presidential campaign was cut short by assassination.
Ted Kennedy 1932–2009Government & PoliticsMassachusetts senator who shaped decades of health care and civil rights legislation.
Jack Kerouac 1922–1969Arts & LettersNovelist whose spontaneous style and road narratives became defining texts of the Beat Generation.
Clark Kerr 1911–2003Ideas & MediaArchitect of California's 1960 Master Plan for Higher EducationFazlur Rahman Khan 1929–1982Technology & BuildingDeveloped tubular structural systems that made the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center possible.
Sal Khan b. 1976Ideas & MediaFounder of Khan Academy, whose free online lessons have reached hundreds of millions of learners globally.
Jack Kilby 1923–2005Technology & BuildingCo-inventor of the integrated circuit, a foundational innovation that made modern electronics possible.
B.B. King 1925–2015Arts & LettersSinger and guitarist whose expressive style brought electric blues to a worldwide audience and influenced generations of musicians.
Billie Jean King b. 1943Frontier & SportTennis champion and advocate for gender equality who defeated Bobby Riggs in the famous Battle of the Sexes.
Coretta Scott King 1927–2006Reform & RightsCivil rights organizer, peace activist, and founder of the King Center
Martin Luther King Jr. 1929–1968Reform & RightsBaptist minister and civil rights leader whose nonviolent activism ended legal segregation in America.
Mary-Claire King b. 1946Science & MedicineGeneticist who identified the BRCA1 locus and applied DNA science to human-rights investigations.
Stephen King b. 1947Arts & LettersProlific novelist whose horror and suspense fiction became a major force in American popular culture.
Henry Kissinger 1923–2023Government & PoliticsNational security adviser and secretary of state who shaped détente, China policy, and controversial Cold War interventions.
Phil Knight b. 1938Business & LaborCo-founder of Nike whose sneaker empire made him one of the wealthiest people in America.
Donald Knuth b. 1938Technology & BuildingWrote The Art of Computer Programming and created the TeX typesetting system.
Charles Koch b. 1935Business & LaborIndustrialist and political donor who built Koch Industries into one of America's largest private companies.
David Koch 1940–2019Business & LaborIndustrialist and political donor who built Koch Industries into a massive conglomerate.
Yuri Kochiyama 1921–2014Reform & RightsGrassroots activist who connected Asian American, Black liberation, antiwar, and reparations movements.
Jeff Koons b. 1955Arts & LettersSculptor of Rabbit, Balloon Dog and Michael Jackson and Bubbles
C. Everett Koop 1916–2013Science & MedicineSurgeon general whose public communication on AIDS, smoking, and child health reshaped national health policy.
Wendy Kopp b. 1967Ideas & MediaFounder of Teach for America, which places college graduates as teachers in underserved schools.
David Koresh 1959–1993Crime & NotorietyBranch Davidian prophet whose 51-day standoff with federal agents ended in fire at Mount Carmel.
Jonathan Kozol b. 1936Ideas & MediaWriter and activist whose books exposed the stark inequalities in American public schooling.
Larry Kramer 1935–2020Reform & RightsWriter who co-founded Gay Men's Health Crisis and ACT UP — forcing faster federal response to AIDS.
Gene Kranz b. 1933Frontier & SportNASA flight director who led Mission Control through the Apollo 11 landing and the Apollo 13 rescue.
Joan Kroc 1928–2003Business & LaborMcDonald's heiress whose bequests funded NPR, the Salvation Army, and peace studies.
Ray Kroc 1902–1984Business & LaborBusinessman who transformed McDonald's from a single restaurant into the world's largest fast-food chain.Barbara Kruger b. 1945Arts & LettersText-over-photograph art that addresses the viewer directly
Paul Krugman b. 1953Ideas & MediaNobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist known for his work on trade and geography.Elisabeth Kübler-Ross 1926–2004Science & MedicineIntroduced the stages-of-grief model and advanced hospice and end-of-life care in America.
Stanley Kubrick 1928–1999Arts & LettersDirector whose technically ambitious films redefined science fiction, war, horror, and cinematic authorship.
Charles Kuralt 1934–1997Ideas & MediaCBS journalist whose On the Road segments celebrated the overlooked people and places of America.
Ray Kurzweil b. 1948Technology & BuildingBuilt the first machine that read print aloud to the blind, then spent decades predicting when machines would surpass us.
Stephanie Kwolek 1923–2014Science & MedicineInvented Kevlar aramid fiber while working as a DuPont research chemist.