A–Z index
All 973 people, filed by surname.
19 people
Flannery O'Connor 1925–1964Arts & LettersSouthern Gothic writer whose darkly comic short stories and novels explored faith and morality.
Sandra Day O'Connor 1930–2023Government & PoliticsFirst woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, appointed by President Reagan.
Georgia O'Keeffe 1887–1986Arts & LettersModernist painter known for her enlarged flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes.
Kevin O'Leary b. 1954Business & LaborCanadian-American businessman and Shark Tank investor known as Mr. Wonderful.
Shaquille O'Neal b. 1972Frontier & SportDominant NBA center and entertainer whose larger-than-life personality transcended sports.
Eugene O'Neill 1888–1953Arts & LettersPlaywright whose psychologically complex dramas established serious American theater on the world stage.
Tip O’Neill 1912–1994Government & PoliticsLong-serving House speaker who became the leading congressional counterweight to Ronald Reagan.
Barack Obama b. 1961Government & Politics44th President and first African American to hold the office, known for the Affordable Care Act.
Michelle Obama b. 1964Government & PoliticsFirst Black First Lady who led national campaigns on childhood nutrition and military family support.
Adolph Ochs 1858–1935Ideas & MediaPublisher who rebuilt The New York Times around factual reporting and set its long-running editorial standard.
Alexis Ohanian b. 1983Technology & BuildingCo-founder of Reddit and venture capitalist who has championed open internet and paternity leave.
Frederick Law Olmsted 1822–1903Technology & BuildingLandscape architect who designed Central Park and established public parks as essential American civic infrastructure.
Pierre Omidyar b. 1967Business & LaboreBay founder whose Omidyar Network supports entrepreneurship, human rights, and governance reform.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis 1929–1994Government & PoliticsFirst Lady who restored the White House as a museum and shaped the public memory of her husband's presidency.
J. Robert Oppenheimer 1904–1967Science & MedicineTheoretical physicist who led the Manhattan Project and became known as the father of the atomic bomb.
Osceola 1804–1838Reform & RightsSeminole leader whose resistance during the Second Seminole War challenged federal removal policy.
William Osler 1849–1919Science & MedicineBuilt bedside clinical teaching into American medical education as a founding Johns Hopkins professor.
Elinor Ostrom 1933–2012Ideas & MediaPolitical economist who showed how communities can govern shared resources without relying solely on markets or centralized states.
Jesse Owens 1913–1980Frontier & SportTrack and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, defying Nazi ideology.