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Authors

106 people, across 8 fields.

Field: All Ideas & Media 55 Reform & Rights 18 Arts & Letters 11 Science & Medicine 10 Government & Politics 4 Technology & Building 4 Business & Labor 2 Frontier & Sport 2

Theodore Roosevelt 1858–1919Presidents26th President known for progressive reforms, conservation efforts, and assertive foreign policy.

Alexander Hamilton 1755–1804Political Leaders & StatecraftFounding Father who established the nation's financial system and co-authored the Federalist Papers.

Frederick Douglass 1818–1895Civil Rights & Social ReformFormer slave who became a leading abolitionist, orator, and advocate for equal rights.

Thomas Paine 1737–1809Journalism & Mass MediaPamphleteer whose Common Sense and Crisis essays mobilized American public opinion for independence.

Helen Keller 1880–1968Civil Rights & Social ReformDeafblind author and lecturer who became the leading American advocate for blind and disabled people.

Rachel Carson 1907–1964Environment, Agriculture & FoodMarine biologist whose book Silent Spring launched the modern environmental movement.

Carl Sagan 1934–1996Science & MathematicsAstronomer and science communicator who brought cosmology to millions through Cosmos and popular books.

Billy Graham 1918–2018Religion & Religious MovementsEvangelist whose mass crusades, media reach, and presidential relationships made him a defining figure in modern American Protestantism.

Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803–1882Literature & DramaEssayist and philosopher who led the Transcendentalist movement and shaped American intellectual thought.

Henry David Thoreau 1817–1862Environment, Agriculture & FoodWriter and philosopher whose works on nature, individual conscience, and civil disobedience influenced environmentalism and political protest.

Booker T. Washington 1856–1915EducationEducator and founder of Tuskegee Institute who advocated for vocational training for African Americans.

Dr. Seuss 1904–1991Literature & DramaAuthor and illustrator whose rhythmic books transformed American children’s reading and publishing.

W.E.B. Du Bois 1868–1963Scholars & Public IntellectualsSociologist, historian, and civil rights activist who was the first African American to earn a Harvard doctorate.

Maya Angelou 1928–2014Literature & DramaPoet and memoirist whose I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings broke new ground in autobiographical writing.

James Baldwin 1924–1987Literature & DramaEssayist and novelist whose searing explorations of race, sexuality, and identity remain profoundly relevant.

John Muir 1838–1914Environment, Agriculture & FoodNaturalist and organizer whose advocacy helped create national parks and the modern wilderness movement.

Milton Friedman 1912–2006Scholars & Public IntellectualsNobel Prize-winning economist whose free-market ideas profoundly influenced American economic policy.

Charles M. Schulz 1922–2000Visual Arts & DesignCartoonist who drew Peanuts for fifty years and made Charlie Brown a national figure.

Richard Feynman 1918–1988Science & MathematicsTheoretical physicist known for his work in quantum mechanics and his accessible teaching style.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar b. 1947SportsNBA's all-time leading scorer and six-time champion known for his skyhook and social activism.

Isaac Asimov 1920–1992Literature & DramaWriter whose science fiction and popular science helped shape public imagination about robots, technology, and the future.

Noam Chomsky b. 1928Scholars & Public IntellectualsLinguist and political activist whose theories revolutionized the study of language and cognitive science.

James Watson 1928–2025Science & MathematicsCo-discoverer of the DNA double helix structure, earning a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Benjamin Spock 1903–1998EducationPediatrician whose 1946 baby-care manual reshaped postwar American child-rearing advice.

Jane Addams 1860–1935Civil Rights & Social ReformSocial worker and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who founded Hull House and the settlement house movement.

Julia Child 1912–2004Environment, Agriculture & FoodCookbook author and television host who transformed American home cooking and popular attitudes toward food.

Noah Webster 1758–1843EducationLexicographer whose spellers and American dictionary standardized United States spelling and schoolroom instruction.

Betty Friedan 1921–2006Civil Rights & Social ReformAuthor of The Feminine Mystique and founding president of the National Organization for Women.

B. F. Skinner 1904–1990Scholars & Public IntellectualsDeveloped operant conditioning and made behaviorism the dominant mid-century American psychology.Jonathan Edwards 1703–1758Religion & Religious MovementsTheologian and preacher whose role in the Great Awakening shaped American evangelical religion.

Neil deGrasse Tyson b. 1958Science & MathematicsAstrophysicist and science communicator who has made cosmology accessible to millions through television.

Jane Jacobs 1916–2006Engineering & ArchitectureWriter and activist whose defense of mixed, walkable neighborhoods transformed urban planning.

Aldo Leopold 1887–1948Environment, Agriculture & FoodEcologist whose “land ethic” became foundational to modern environmental thought.

Margaret Mead 1901–1978Scholars & Public IntellectualsCultural anthropologist whose studies of Pacific Island societies shaped 20th-century social science.

Bob Woodward b. 1943Journalism & Mass MediaInvestigative reporter whose coverage of Watergate with Carl Bernstein led to President Nixon's resignation.

John Jay 1745–1829Political Leaders & StatecraftFounding Father, diplomat, Federalist Papers co-author, and first chief justice who helped construct the early republic.

Ralph Nader b. 1934Civil Rights & Social ReformConsumer advocate whose auto-safety campaign produced federal vehicle standards and a public-interest lobbying network.

Daniel Kahneman 1934–2024Scholars & Public IntellectualsIsraeli-American psychologist who won the Nobel Prize for his work on behavioral economics and decision-making.

Tom Wolfe 1930–2018Journalism & Mass MediaNew Journalism pioneer whose The Right Stuff and Bonfire of the Vanities chronicled American culture.

Hunter S. Thompson 1937–2005Journalism & Mass MediaPioneer of gonzo journalism whose Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas blurred reportage and literature.

E. O. Wilson 1929–2021Science & MathematicsBiologist whose studies of ants, biodiversity, and sociobiology reshaped ecology, evolution, and conservation debate.

Howard Zinn 1922–2010EducationHistorian and Boston University professor whose A People's History of the United States reshaped historical narratives.

Benjamin Banneker 1731–1806Science & MathematicsFree Black astronomer and almanac author who helped survey the federal district and challenged Jefferson on race.

Joan Didion 1934–2021Journalism & Mass MediaEssayist and novelist whose precise prose captured the anxiety and disillusionment of American life.

Washington Irving 1783–1859Literature & DramaEarly American storyteller whose Sketch Book gave the country Rip Van Winkle and Sleepy Hollow.

Walter Lippmann 1889–1974Journalism & Mass MediaColumnist and political thinker whose work shaped modern journalism and debate over public opinion and democracy.

H.L. Mencken 1880–1956Journalism & Mass MediaSatirist and cultural critic whose biting prose defined American journalism in the early 20th century.

Paul Samuelson 1915–2009Scholars & Public IntellectualsFirst American to win the Nobel Prize in Economics, whose textbook defined the field for decades.

Temple Grandin b. 1947Environment, Agriculture & FoodAnimal scientist whose livestock handling designs reshaped American slaughterhouse welfare standards.Christopher Hitchens 1949–2011Journalism & Mass MediaColumnist, debater and author of god Is Not Great, who broke with the left over Iraq.

Emma Goldman 1869–1940Civil Rights & Social ReformAnarchist orator and editor whose free-speech and birth-control agitation led to her 1919 deportation.

Reinhold Niebuhr 1892–1971Religion & Religious MovementsTheologian whose Christian realism influenced American foreign policy, civil rights, and public ethics.

Frederick Winslow Taylor 1856–1915Engineering & ArchitectureMechanical engineer who pioneered scientific management, reshaping industrial efficiency worldwide.

Richard Wright 1908–1960Literature & DramaNovelist whose works exposed the psychological and structural violence of racism and urban poverty in America.

Ida Tarbell 1857–1944Journalism & Mass MediaInvestigative journalist whose serial history of Standard Oil contributed to the company's antitrust breakup.Elisabeth Kübler-Ross 1926–2004Medicine & Public HealthIntroduced the stages-of-grief model and advanced hospice and end-of-life care in America.

Stephen Jay Gould 1941–2002Science & MathematicsPaleontologist and essayist who advanced punctuated equilibrium and became a leading public interpreter of evolution.

Thomas Sowell b. 1930Scholars & Public IntellectualsEconomist and social theorist at the Hoover Institution whose conservative writings span race, culture, and policy.Thomas Merton 1915–1968Religion & Religious MovementsTrappist monk and writer whose books popularized contemplative spirituality, social criticism, and interfaith dialogue.

Andrew Grove 1936–2016Business, Finance & IndustryLed Intel through its shift to microprocessors and shaped American technology management practice.

John Kenneth Galbraith 1908–2006Scholars & Public IntellectualsEconomist and public intellectual whose The Affluent Society critiqued American consumerism.

David Halberstam 1934–2007Journalism & Mass MediaPulitzer Prize-winning reporter whose books on Vietnam, civil rights, and sports became American classics.

Malcolm Gladwell b. 1963Journalism & Mass MediaStaff writer for The New Yorker whose books on social science became publishing phenomena.

Sheryl Sandberg b. 1969Technology & InventionFormer COO of Meta who wrote Lean In and became a prominent voice on women in leadership.

Cornel West b. 1953Scholars & Public IntellectualsPhilosopher and public intellectual whose work bridges race, democracy, and American pragmatism.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. b. 1950Scholars & Public IntellectualsLiterary critic and Harvard professor who has shaped African American studies and popularized genealogy.

Joseph Stiglitz b. 1943Scholars & Public IntellectualsNobel Prize-winning economist whose work on information asymmetries reshaped development economics.

Steven Weinberg 1933–2021Science & MathematicsTheoretical physicist who unified electromagnetism and the weak nuclear force, earning a Nobel Prize.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas 1890–1998Environment, Agriculture & FoodWriter and activist whose advocacy was central to preserving the Florida Everglades as a national ecological treasure.

Norman Vincent Peale 1898–1993Religion & Religious MovementsMinister whose bestselling positive-thinking message joined American Protestantism with modern self-help culture.

Thorstein Veblen 1857–1929Scholars & Public IntellectualsFounded institutional economics and coined conspicuous consumption in The Theory of the Leisure Class.

Jared Diamond b. 1937Scholars & Public IntellectualsGeographer and author whose Guns, Germs, and Steel offered a sweeping explanation of human inequality.

Michael Lewis b. 1960Journalism & Mass MediaAuthor and financial journalist whose Moneyball and The Big Short turned complex topics into bestsellers.

Steven Pinker b. 1954Scholars & Public IntellectualsCognitive psychologist and linguist whose books argue that reason and science have driven human progress.

Atul Gawande b. 1965Medicine & Public HealthSurgeon and writer who popularized surgical checklists and led global health work at USAID.

Benjamin Graham 1894–1976Business, Finance & IndustryEstablished value investing and securities analysis as a professional discipline.

bell hooks 1952–2021Scholars & Public IntellectualsFeminist scholar and cultural critic whose writings on race, gender, and class transformed critical theory.

George F. Kennan 1904–2005Political Leaders & StatecraftDiplomat whose Long Telegram and containment doctrine framed American Cold War strategy.

Alan Dershowitz b. 1938Scholars & Public IntellectualsHarvard Law professor and constitutional scholar known for his high-profile legal defenses and writings.

Rachel Maddow b. 1973Journalism & Mass MediaMSNBC host and author whose in-depth political analysis has made her a leading progressive voice.

Donald Knuth b. 1938Technology & InventionWrote The Art of Computer Programming and created the TeX typesetting system.

David Foster Wallace 1962–2008Literature & DramaNovelist and essayist whose Infinite Jest became a defining postmodern American novel.

James Beard 1903–1985Environment, Agriculture & FoodCookbook author and teacher whose advocacy helped define a distinct modern American culinary tradition.

Frank McCourt 1930–2009EducationPulitzer Prize-winning memoirist and New York City teacher whose Angela's Ashes became a global bestseller.

Ta-Nehisi Coates b. 1975Journalism & Mass MediaAtlantic correspondent whose essays on race, including The Case for Reparations, reshaped national discourse.

Alice Waters b. 1944Environment, Agriculture & FoodChef and activist who popularized farm-to-table dining, seasonal ingredients, and food education in the United States.

Henry George 1839–1897Scholars & Public IntellectualsArgued for the single tax on land values in Progress and Poverty.

Ruth Benedict 1887–1948Scholars & Public IntellectualsAdvanced culture-and-personality anthropology through Patterns of Culture and wartime studies of Japan.

Francis Fukuyama b. 1952Scholars & Public IntellectualsPolitical scientist whose The End of History and the Last Man sparked global debate on liberal democracy.

Nikole Hannah-Jones b. 1976Journalism & Mass MediaPulitzer Prize-winning reporter who created The 1619 Project for The New York Times Magazine.

Studs Terkel 1912–2008Literature & DramaOral historian and Chicago broadcaster who recorded working Americans in book-length interview collections.

Samuel Huntington 1927–2008Scholars & Public IntellectualsPolitical scientist whose Clash of Civilizations thesis shaped post-Cold War foreign policy discourse.

Faith Ringgold 1930–2024Visual Arts & DesignArtist and author whose story quilts combine painting, quilting, and narrative to explore Black identity.

Gay Talese b. 1932Journalism & Mass MediaLiterary journalist whose immersive profiles in Esquire defined New Journalism.

Wendell Berry b. 1934Environment, Agriculture & FoodWriter and farmer whose work connected environmental stewardship, local agriculture, community, and opposition to industrial excess.

Catharine Beecher 1800–1878EducationPioneer in women's education who founded schools and advocated for female teachers across America.

Carol Dweck b. 1946EducationStanford psychologist whose growth mindset research transformed how educators approach student potential.

Martha Nussbaum b. 1947Scholars & Public IntellectualsPhilosopher whose work on emotions, justice, and human capabilities has shaped global ethics.

Angela Duckworth b. 1970EducationPsychologist whose research on grit reshaped conversations about success and character education.

Diane Ravitch b. 1938EducationHistorian of education and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education who shaped national education policy debates.Vine Deloria Jr. 1933–2005Indigenous Leaders & Native NationsWriter and legal scholar whose work transformed public understanding of Native sovereignty, treaty rights, and Indigenous religion.

Jonathan Kozol b. 1936EducationWriter and activist whose books exposed the stark inequalities in American public schooling.

Richard Halliburton 1900–1939Exploration, Aviation & SpaceAdventurer and writer who traveled the world and swam the Panama Canal.

Sarah Winnemucca 1844–1891Indigenous Leaders & Native NationsNorthern Paiute author and lecturer who petitioned Washington over reservation abuses.

E. D. Hirsch Jr. b. 1928EducationLiterary scholar whose Core Knowledge curriculum emphasized cultural literacy and shared knowledge.John Holt 1923–1985EducationTeacher and author whose How Children Fail and How Children Learn inspired the homeschooling movement.