America's highest civilian award, recognizing exceptional meritorious service. Created by President Harry S. Truman in 1945. It is not known how precisely many Medals of Freedom have been awarded, but the number exceeds 20,000.
| Name | Occupation | Birth | Death | Known for |
|---|
| Hank Aaron |
Baseball |
5-Feb-1934 |
|
Hit 755 home runs over his career |
| Dean Acheson |
Government |
11-Apr-1893 |
12-Oct-1971 |
US Secretary of State, 1949-53 |
| Ansel Adams |
Photographer |
20-Feb-1902 |
22-Apr-1984 |
Yosemite photographer |
| Buzz Aldrin |
Astronaut |
20-Jan-1930 |
|
Second man on the Moon |
| Muhammad Ali |
Boxing |
17-Jan-1942 |
|
Floated like butterfly, stung like bee |
| Marian Anderson |
Singer |
27-Feb-1897 |
8-Apr-1993 |
Operatic contralto |
| Robert B. Anderson |
Government |
4-Jun-1910 |
14-Aug-1989 |
US Secretary of the Treasury, 1957-61 |
| Maya Angelou |
Poet |
4-Apr-1928 |
|
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings |
| Walter Annenberg |
Business |
13-Mar-1908 |
1-Oct-2002 |
Media mogul, created TV Guide |
| Anne L. Armstrong |
Government |
27-Dec-1927 |
30-Jul-2008 |
US Ambassador to the UK, 1976-77 |
| Neil Armstrong |
Astronaut |
5-Aug-1930 |
|
First man on the Moon |
| Arthur Ashe |
Tennis |
10-Jul-1943 |
6-Feb-1993 |
First black man to win Wimbledon |
| Brooke Astor |
Philanthropist |
30-Mar-1902 |
13-Aug-2007 |
Heiress, philanthropist |
| Pearl Bailey |
Singer |
29-Mar-1918 |
17-Aug-1990 |
Appointed by Nixon as Ambassador of Love |
| Howard Baker |
Government |
15-Nov-1925 |
|
Reagan's Chief of Staff, 1987-88 |
| James Baker |
Government |
28-Apr-1930 |
|
US Secretary of State, 1989-92 |
| Malcolm Baldrige |
Politician |
4-Oct-1922 |
25-Jul-1987 |
US Secretary of Commerce 1981-87 |
| Roger Baldwin |
Activist |
21-Jan-1884 |
26-Aug-1981 |
Founder of the American Civil Liberties Union |
| John Bardeen |
Physicist |
23-May-1908 |
30-Jan-1991 |
Co-Inventor of the transistor |
| Robert L. Bartley |
Editor |
12-Oct-1937 |
10-Dec-2003 |
Editor of the Wall Street Journal, 1979-2003 |
| Jacques Barzun |
Historian |
30-Nov-1907 |
|
From Dawn to Decadence |
| Lloyd Bentsen, Jr. |
Politician |
11-Feb-1921 |
23-May-2006 |
US Senator, Treasury Secretary |
| Joseph Cardinal Bernardin |
Religion |
2-Apr-1928 |
14-Nov-1996 |
Archbishop of Chicago, 1982-96 |
| Earl Blaik |
Football |
15-Feb-1897 |
6-May-1989 |
Head Coach at Army, 1941-58 |
| Tony Blair |
Head of State |
6-May-1953 |
|
UK Prime Minister, 1997-2007 |
| Eubie Blake |
Jazz Musician |
7-Feb-1883 |
12-Feb-1983 |
Ragtime jazz pianist |
| Norman Borlaug |
Scientist |
25-Mar-1914 |
12-Sep-2009 |
Engineered disease-resistant wheat |
| James Brady |
Government |
29-Aug-1940 |
|
White House Press Secy. shot by John Hinckley |
| L. Paul Bremer |
Government |
30-Sep-1941 |
|
Director of the Iraq Provisional Authority |
| William J. Brennan |
Judge |
25-Apr-1906 |
24-Jul-1997 |
US Supreme Court Justice, 1956-90 |
| Ellis O. Briggs |
Diplomat |
1-Dec-1899 |
Jun-1976 |
US Ambassador to South Korea, 1952-55 |
| Nancy Goodman Brinker |
Activist |
6-Dec-1946 |
|
US Ambassador to Hungary, 2001-03 |
| David Brinkley |
Journalist |
10-Jul-1920 |
11-Jun-2003 |
The Huntley-Brinkley Report |
| Edward Brooke |
Politician |
26-Oct-1919 |
|
US Senator from Massachusetts, 1967-79 |
| Manlio Brosio |
Diplomat |
10-Jul-1897 |
14-Mar-1980 |
NATO Secretary General, 1964-71 |
| Harold Brown |
Government |
19-Sep-1927 |
|
US Secretary of Defense, 1977-81 |
| David K. E. Bruce |
Diplomat |
12-Feb-1898 |
5-Dec-1977 |
US Ambassador to England, France, Germany |
| Bear Bryant |
Football |
11-Sep-1913 |
26-Jan-1983 |
Legendary Alabama head coach |
| Zbigniew Brzezinski |
Government |
28-Mar-1928 |
|
National Security Advisor, 1977-81 |
| William F. Buckley |
Columnist |
24-Nov-1925 |
27-Feb-2008 |
National Review |
| Warren Buffett |
Business |
30-Aug-1930 |
|
Billionaire in Omaha |
| Ralph Bunche |
Diplomat |
4-Aug-1904 |
9-Dec-1971 |
UN Mediator in Palestine 1948 |
| Ellsworth Bunker |
Diplomat |
11-May-1894 |
30-Sep-1984 |
US Ambassador to South Vietnam, 1967-73 |
| Carol Burnett |
Actor |
26-Apr-1933 |
|
The Carol Burnett Show |
| George H.W. Bush |
Head of State |
12-Jun-1924 |
|
41st US President, 1989-93 |
| James Cagney |
Actor |
17-Jul-1899 |
30-Mar-1986 |
New York tough guy |
| Benjamin S. Carson |
Doctor |
18-Sep-1951 |
|
Pediatric neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins |
| Johnny Carson |
Talk Show Host |
23-Oct-1925 |
23-Jan-2005 |
Longtime host of Tonight Show |
| Rachel Carson |
Scientist |
27-May-1907 |
14-Apr-1964 |
Mother of the environmental movement |
| Jimmy Carter |
Head of State |
1-Oct-1924 |
|
39th US President, 1977-81 |
| Rosalynn Carter |
First Lady |
18-Aug-1927 |
|
Wife of US President Jimmy Carter |
| Pablo Casals |
Cellist |
29-Dec-1876 |
22-Oct-1973 |
Spanish cellist and conductor |
| Vint Cerf |
Scientist |
23-Jun-1943 |
|
Co-Designed Internet's TCP-IP protocol |
| John H. Chafee |
Politician |
22-Oct-1922 |
24-Oct-1999 |
US Senator from Rhode Island, 1976-99 |
| Whittaker Chambers |
Author |
1-Apr-1901 |
9-Jul-1961 |
Accuser of Alger Hiss |
| Cesar Chavez |
Labor Leader |
31-Mar-1927 |
23-Apr-1993 |
Mastermind of the California grape boycott |
| Dick Cheney |
Politician |
30-Jan-1941 |
|
US Vice President, 2001-09 |
| Julia Child |
Chef |
15-Aug-1912 |
13-Aug-2004 |
Haute cuisine with a unique voice |
| Warren Christopher |
Government |
27-Oct-1925 |
18-Mar-2011 |
US Secretary of State, 1993-97 |
| Wesley Clark |
Military |
23-Dec-1944 |
|
Supreme Allied Commander, 1997-2000 |
| Roberto Clemente |
Baseball |
18-Aug-1934 |
31-Dec-1972 |
Puerto Rican baseball star |
| Harlan Cleveland |
Government |
19-Jan-1918 |
30-May-2008 |
Futurist, diplomat |
| Van Cliburn |
Pianist |
12-Jul-1934 |
|
Piano prodigy |
| Clark Clifford |
Government |
25-Dec-1906 |
10-Oct-1998 |
US Secretary of Defense, 1968-69 |
| William T. Coleman, Jr. |
Government |
7-Jul-1920 |
|
US Secretary of Transportation, 1975-77 |
| Francis Collins |
Scientist |
14-Apr-1950 |
|
Human Genome Project |
| Denton Cooley |
Doctor |
22-Aug-1920 |
|
Pioneering heart surgeon |
| Joan Ganz Cooney |
Film/TV Producer |
30-Nov-1929 |
|
Producer of Sesame Street |
| Bill Cosby |
Comic |
12-Jul-1937 |
|
Comedy fixture, pudding industry shill |
| Jacques Cousteau |
Activist |
11-Jun-1910 |
25-Jun-1997 |
Oceanographer, environmentalist |
| Walter Cronkite |
Journalist |
4-Nov-1916 |
17-Jul-2009 |
America's most trusted newscaster |
| William J. Crowe, Jr. |
Government |
2-Jan-1925 |
18-Oct-2007 |
US Navy Admiral |
| Javier Pérez de Cuellar |
Government |
19-Jan-1920 |
|
UN Secretary General, 1982-91 |
| Justin Dart |
Business |
17-Aug-1907 |
26-Jan-1984 |
Drug store magnate |
| Justin Dart, Jr. |
Activist |
29-Aug-1930 |
22-Jun-2002 |
Father of the Americans with Disabilities Act |
| Doris Day |
Actor |
3-Apr-1924 |
|
The Man Who Knew Too Much |
| Michael DeBakey |
Doctor |
7-Sep-1908 |
11-Jul-2008 |
Father of cardiovascular surgery |
| Marlene Dietrich |
Actor |
27-Dec-1901 |
6-May-1992 |
The Blue Angel |
| C. Douglas Dillon |
Government |
21-Aug-1909 |
10-Jan-2003 |
US Treasury Secretary, 1961-65 |
| Joe DiMaggio |
Baseball |
25-Nov-1914 |
8-Mar-1999 |
Where have you gone |
| Walt Disney |
Business |
5-Dec-1901 |
15-Dec-1966 |
Founder of Disney empire |
| Bob Dole |
Politician |
22-Jul-1923 |
|
US Senator from Kansas, 1969-96 |
| Placido Domingo |
Singer |
21-Jan-1941 |
|
Tenorissimo! |
| James Doolittle |
Aviator |
14-Dec-1896 |
27-Sep-1993 |
Doolittle Raid against Tokyo in 1942 |
| Peter Drucker |
Business |
19-Nov-1909 |
11-Nov-2005 |
Management guru |
| John Foster Dulles |
Government |
25-Feb-1888 |
24-May-1959 |
Eisenhower's Secretary of State |
| Ariel Durant |
Historian |
10-May-1898 |
25-Oct-1981 |
The Story of Civilization |
| Will Durant |
Historian |
5-Nov-1885 |
7-Nov-1981 |
The Story of Civilization |
| Oscar Dystel |
Publisher |
31-Oct-1912 |
|
Bantam Books |
| T. S. Eliot |
Poet |
26-Sep-1888 |
4-Jan-1965 |
Author of "The Waste Land" |
| Duke Ellington |
Jazz Musician |
29-Apr-1899 |
24-May-1974 |
It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing |
| Ralph Ellison |
Novelist |
1-Mar-1914 |
16-Apr-1994 |
Invisible Man |
| John F. Enders |
Scientist |
10-Feb-1897 |
8-Sep-1985 |
Cultured the polio virus |
| James Farmer |
Activist |
12-Jan-1920 |
9-Jul-1999 |
Co-Founder, CORE |
| Dante Fascell |
Politician |
9-Mar-1917 |
28-Nov-1998 |
Congressman from Florida, 1955-93 |
| Arthur S. Flemming |
Government |
12-Jun-1905 |
7-Sep-1996 |
HEW Secretary, 1958-61 |
| Lynn Fontanne |
Actor |
6-Dec-1887 |
30-Jul-1983 |
English-American stage actress |
| Betty Ford |
First Lady |
8-Apr-1918 |
8-Jul-2011 |
Former First Lady, founded Betty Ford Center |
| Gerald Ford |
Head of State |
14-Jul-1913 |
26-Dec-2006 |
38th US President, 1974-77 |
| Felix Frankfurter |
Judge |
15-Nov-1882 |
22-Feb-1965 |
US Supreme Court Justice, 1939-62 |
| Aretha Franklin |
Singer |
25-Mar-1942 |
|
R-E-S-P-E-C-T |
| John Hope Franklin |
Historian |
2-Jan-1915 |
25-Mar-2009 |
From Slavery to Freedom |
| Tommy Franks |
Military |
17-Jun-1945 |
|
Former C-in-C, US Central Command |
| Milton Friedman |
Economist |
31-Jul-1912 |
16-Nov-2006 |
1976 Nobel Prize for Economics |
| J. William Fulbright |
Politician |
9-Apr-1905 |
9-Feb-1995 |
Conceived the Fulbright Scholarships |
| R. Buckminster Fuller |
Architect |
12-Jul-1895 |
1-Jul-1983 |
Futurist, invented the geodesic dome |
| John Kenneth Galbraith |
Economist |
15-Oct-1908 |
29-Apr-2006 |
Modern economics renegade |
| John W. Gardner |
Administrator |
8-Oct-1912 |
16-Feb-2002 |
Founder of Common Cause |
| Arthur J. Goldberg |
Judge |
8-Aug-1908 |
19-Jan-1990 |
Supreme Court Justice, 1962-65 |
| Barry Goldwater |
Politician |
1-Jan-1909 |
29-May-1998 |
US Senator from Arizona, 1953-65, 1969-87 |
| Katharine Graham |
Publisher |
16-Jun-1917 |
17-Jul-2001 |
Washington Post publisher, 1966-79 |
| Martha Graham |
Dancer |
11-May-1894 |
1-Apr-1991 |
Innovator of modern dance |
| Ella T. Grasso |
Politician |
10-May-1919 |
5-Feb-1981 |
First woman elected governor of Connecticut |
| Gordon Gray |
Government |
30-May-1909 |
26-Nov-1982 |
Secretary of the Army, 1949-50 |
| Hanna Holborn Gray |
Educator |
25-Oct-1930 |
|
President, University of Chicago, 1978-93 |
| Alan Greenspan |
Economist |
6-Mar-1926 |
|
Federal Reserve Chairman, 1987-2006 |
| Pedro José Greer, Jr. |
Doctor |
15-Jun-1956 |
|
Gastroenterologist, RAND Trustee |
| Vartan Gregorian |
Educator |
8-Apr-1934 |
|
President of Carnegie Corporation |
| Andy Griffith |
Actor |
1-Jun-1926 |
3-Jul-2012 |
Laconic sheriff on The Andy Griffith Show |
| Philip C. Habib |
Diplomat |
25-Feb-1920 |
24-May-1992 |
US Ambassador to South Korea, 1971-74 |
| Fred Haise |
Astronaut |
14-Nov-1933 |
|
Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 13 |
| W. Averell Harriman |
Diplomat |
15-Nov-1891 |
26-Jul-1986 |
Ambassador to USSR, Governor of NY |
| George Russell Harrison |
Physicist |
14-Jul-1898 |
27-Jul-1979 |
Echelle spectrograph |
| Paul Harvey |
Radio Personality |
4-Sep-1918 |
28-Feb-2009 |
The Paul Harvey Show |
| Vaclav Havel |
Head of State |
5-Oct-1936 |
18-Dec-2011 |
Playwright President of Czechia |
| Stephen Hawking |
Physicist |
8-Jan-1942 |
|
Wheelchair-bound physicist |
| Dorothy Height |
Activist |
24-Mar-1912 |
20-Apr-2010 |
National Council of Negro Women |
| Herblock |
Cartoonist |
13-Oct-1909 |
7-Oct-2001 |
Editorial Cartoonist, The Washington Post |
| Christian Herter |
Politician |
28-Mar-1895 |
30-Dec-1966 |
US Secretary of State, 1959-61 |
| Charlton Heston |
Actor |
4-Oct-1923 |
5-Apr-2008 |
The Ten Commandments |
| A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. |
Judge |
25-Feb-1928 |
14-Dec-1998 |
Chief Justice, 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals |
| Gordon Hinckley |
Religion |
23-Jun-1910 |
27-Jan-2008 |
President of the Mormon Church, 1995-2008 |
| Eric Hoffer |
Author |
25-Jul-1902 |
21-May-1983 |
The True Believer |
| Sidney Hook |
Philosopher |
20-Dec-1902 |
12-Jul-1989 |
Pragmatist |
| Bob Hope |
Comic |
29-May-1903 |
27-Jul-2003 |
Centenarian comic |
| John Howard |
Head of State |
26-Jul-1939 |
|
Prime Minister of Australia, 1996-2007 |
| Hubert Humphrey |
Politician |
27-May-1911 |
13-Jan-1978 |
US Vice President, 1965-69 |
| John N. Irwin II |
Diplomat |
31-Dec-1913 |
28-Feb-2000 |
US Deputy Secretary of State, 1970-73 |
| Henry "Scoop" Jackson |
Politician |
31-May-1912 |
1-Sep-1983 |
US Senator from Washington, 1953-83 |
| Jesse Jackson |
Activist |
8-Oct-1941 |
|
Rainbow Coalition |
| Jacob K. Javits |
Politician |
18-Mar-1904 |
7-Mar-1986 |
US Senator from New York, 1957-81 |
| Pope John Paul II |
Religion |
18-May-1920 |
2-Apr-2005 |
Roman Catholic Pontiff, 1978-2005 |
| Jasper Johns |
Painter |
15-May-1930 |
|
Neo-Dadaist painter of US Flag |
| Frank M. Johnson |
Judge |
30-Oct-1918 |
23-Jul-1999 |
11th Circuit Court of Appeals, 1981-99 |
| Kelly Johnson |
Engineer |
27-Feb-1910 |
21-Dec-1990 |
Lockheed Skunk Works plane designer |
| Lady Bird Johnson |
First Lady |
22-Dec-1912 |
11-Jul-2007 |
Wife of US President Lyndon Baines Johnson |
| Lyndon B. Johnson |
Head of State |
27-Aug-1908 |
22-Jan-1973 |
36th US President, 1963-69 |
| Barbara Jordan |
Politician |
21-Feb-1936 |
17-Jan-1996 |
Gave 1976 Democratic keynote speech |
| Robert E. Kahn |
Scientist |
23-Dec-1938 |
|
Co-Inventor, Internet's TCP-IP protocol |
| Max Kampelman |
Diplomat |
7-Nov-1920 |
|
US Ambassador to the CSCE |
| Helen Keller |
Activist |
27-Jun-1880 |
1-Jun-1968 |
Deaf and blind activist |
| Jack Kemp |
Politician |
13-Jul-1935 |
2-May-2009 |
American politican, football player |
| John F. Kennedy |
Head of State |
29-May-1917 |
22-Nov-1963 |
35th US President, 1961-63 |
| Ted Kennedy |
Politician |
22-Feb-1932 |
25-Aug-2009 |
US Senator from Massachusetts, 1962-2009 |
| Billie Jean King |
Tennis |
22-Nov-1943 |
|
Defeated Bobby Riggs in '73 Battle of the Sexes |
| Martin Luther King |
Activist |
15-Jan-1929 |
4-Apr-1968 |
Pacifist civil rights activist |
| Lane Kirkland |
Labor Leader |
12-Mar-1922 |
14-Aug-1999 |
AFL-CIO President, 1979-95 |
| Jeane Kirkpatrick |
Government |
19-Nov-1926 |
7-Dec-2006 |
Reagan's UN Ambassador |
| Lincoln Kirstein |
Author |
4-May-1907 |
5-Jan-1996 |
Co-Founder, New York City Ballet |
| Henry Kissinger |
Government |
27-May-1923 |
|
US Secretary of State, 1973-77 |
| Helmut Kohl |
Head of State |
3-Apr-1930 |
|
Chancellor of Germany 1982-98 |
| C. Everett Koop |
Government |
14-Oct-1916 |
|
US Surgeon General, 1982-89 |
| Fred Korematsu |
Activist |
30-Jan-1919 |
30-Mar-2005 |
Opposed internment camps |
| Irving Kristol |
Columnist |
22-Jan-1920 |
18-Sep-2009 |
Influential neocon |
| Melvin Laird |
Government |
1-Sep-1922 |
|
US Secretary of Defense, 1969-73 |
| Edwin H. Land |
Inventor |
7-May-1909 |
1-Mar-1991 |
Polaroid Land Camera |
| Mary Lasker |
Activist |
30-Nov-1900 |
21-Feb-1994 |
Health care advocate |
| Estée Lauder |
Business |
1-Jul-1908 |
24-Apr-2004 |
Cosmetics magnate |
| Joshua Lederberg |
Biologist |
23-May-1925 |
2-Feb-2008 |
Genetic properties of bacteria |
| Herbert H. Lehman |
Politician |
28-Mar-1878 |
5-Dec-1963 |
Governor of New York, 1933-42 |
| John Lewis |
Politician |
21-Feb-1940 |
|
Congressman, Georgia 5th |
| John L. Lewis |
Labor Leader |
12-Feb-1880 |
11-Jun-1969 |
President, United Mine Workers, 1920-60 |
| Sol Linowitz |
Business |
17-Dec-1913 |
18-Mar-2005 |
Negotiated return of the Panama Canal |
| Jim Lovell |
Astronaut |
25-Mar-1928 |
|
Apollo 13 |
| Robert A. Lovett |
Government |
14-Sep-1895 |
7-May-1986 |
US Secretary of Defense, 1951-53 |
| Joseph Lowery |
Activist |
6-Oct-1921 |
|
Co-Founder of the SCLC |
| Clare Boothe Luce |
Politician |
10-Apr-1903 |
9-Oct-1987 |
Congresswoman, wife of Henry R. Luce |
| Alfred Lunt |
Actor |
12-Aug-1892 |
3-Aug-1977 |
American stage actor |
| Yo-Yo Ma |
Cellist |
7-Oct-1955 |
|
Cellist, The Silk Road Ensemble |
| Nelson Mandela |
Head of State |
18-Jul-1918 |
|
Former President of South Africa |
| Mike Mansfield |
Politician |
16-Mar-1903 |
5-Oct-2001 |
US Senator from Montana, 1953-77 |
| Thurgood Marshall |
Judge |
2-Jul-1908 |
24-Jan-1993 |
First black US Supreme Court justice |
| John J. McCloy |
Military |
31-Mar-1895 |
11-Mar-1989 |
World Bank, Warren Commission |
| John McCone |
Government |
4-Jan-1902 |
14-Feb-1991 |
CIA Director, 1961-65 |
| George McGovern |
Politician |
19-Jul-1922 |
|
US Senator from South Dakota, 1963-81 |
| Robert McNamara |
Government |
9-Jun-1916 |
6-Jul-2009 |
US Secretary of Defense, 1961-68 |
| Margaret Mead |
Anthropologist |
16-Dec-1901 |
15-Nov-1978 |
Coming of Age in Samoa |
| George Meany |
Labor Leader |
16-Aug-1894 |
10-Jan-1980 |
AFL-CIO President, 1955-79 |
| Karl Menninger |
Psychiatrist |
22-Jul-1893 |
18-Jul-1990 |
The Human Mind |
| Angela Merkel |
Politician |
17-Jul-1954 |
|
Chancellor of Germany |
| Robert H. Michel |
Politician |
2-Mar-1923 |
|
Congressman from Illinois, 1957-95 |
| James A. Michener |
Novelist |
3-Feb-1907 |
16-Oct-1997 |
South Pacific |
| Harvey Milk |
Politician |
22-May-1930 |
27-Nov-1978 |
Openly gay SF city supervisor |
| Edgar Mitchell |
Astronaut |
17-Sep-1930 |
|
6th to walk on the Moon |
| George J. Mitchell |
Politician |
20-Aug-1933 |
|
US Senator from Maine, 1980-95 |
| Jean Monnet |
Diplomat |
09-Nov-1888 |
16-Mar-1979 |
Worked to unify Europe |
| Sonny Montgomery |
Politician |
5-Aug-1920 |
12-May-2006 |
Congressman from Mississippi, 1967-97 |
| Gordon Moore |
Business |
3-Jan-1929 |
|
Co-founder of Intel, laid down Moore's Law |
| Rita Moreno |
Actor |
11-Dec-1931 |
|
West Side Story, Electric Company |
| Samuel Eliot Morison |
Historian |
9-Jul-1887 |
15-May-1976 |
Rear Admiral and naval historian |
| Daniel Patrick Moynihan |
Politician |
16-Mar-1927 |
26-Mar-2003 |
US Senator from New York, 1977-2001 |
| Lewis Mumford |
Historian |
19-Oct-1895 |
26-Jan-1990 |
Technics and Civilization |
| Edward R. Murrow |
Journalist |
25-Apr-1908 |
27-Apr-1965 |
The epitome of broadcast journalism |
| Stan Musial |
Baseball |
21-Nov-1920 |
|
St. Louis Cardinals |
| Ed Muskie |
Politician |
28-Mar-1914 |
26-Mar-1996 |
US Senator from Maine, 1959-80 |
| Richard Myers |
Military |
1-Mar-1942 |
|
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2001-05 |
| Gaylord Nelson |
Politician |
4-Jun-1916 |
3-Jul-2005 |
Founded Earth Day in 1970 |
| Jack Nicklaus |
Golf |
21-Jan-1940 |
|
Golf legend, Winner of 18 Majors |
| Reinhold Niebuhr |
Religion |
21-Jun-1892 |
1-Jun-1971 |
Prominent historical/political theologian |
| Paul Nitze |
Diplomat |
16-Jan-1907 |
19-Oct-2004 |
US cold warrior |
| Sandra Day O'Connor |
Judge |
26-Mar-1930 |
|
US Supreme Court Justice, 1981-2006 |
| Georgia O'Keeffe |
Painter |
15-Nov-1887 |
6-Mar-1986 |
American abstract and landscape painter |
| Tip O'Neill |
Politician |
9-Dec-1912 |
5-Jan-1994 |
Speaker of the House, 1977-87 |
| Jesse Owens |
Track and Field |
12-Sep-1913 |
31-Mar-1980 |
Four track and field medals in 1936 Olympics |
| David Packard |
Business |
7-Sep-1912 |
26-Mar-1996 |
Co-Founder of Hewlett Packard |
| Arnold Palmer |
Golf |
10-Sep-1929 |
|
Won 61 PGA tournaments |
| Rosa Parks |
Activist |
4-Feb-1913 |
24-Oct-2005 |
Wouldn't sit in the back of the bus |
| Norman Vincent Peale |
Religion |
31-May-1898 |
24-Dec-1993 |
The Power of Positive Thinking |
| Gregory Peck |
Actor |
5-Apr-1916 |
12-Jun-2003 |
To Kill A Mockingbird |
| Claude Pepper |
Politician |
8-Sep-1900 |
30-May-1989 |
Congressman from Florida, 1963-89 |
| William J. Perry |
Government |
11-Oct-1927 |
|
US Secretary of Defense, 1994-97 |
| Norman Podhoretz |
Author |
16-Jan-1930 |
|
Prominent neocon author |
| Sidney Poitier |
Actor |
20-Feb-1927 |
|
In The Heat Of The Night |
| Colin Powell |
Government |
5-Apr-1937 |
|
US Secretary of State, 2001-05 |
| Leontyne Price |
Singer |
10-Feb-1927 |
|
Operatic soprano |
| Martha Raye |
Actor |
27-Aug-1916 |
19-Oct-1994 |
Monsieur Verdoux |
| Nancy Reagan |
First Lady |
6-Jul-1921 |
|
Wife of US President Reagan |
| Ronald Reagan |
Head of State |
6-Feb-1911 |
5-Jun-2004 |
40th US President, 1981-89 |
| Elliot Richardson |
Government |
20-Jul-1920 |
31-Dec-1999 |
Refused to fire Watergate Special Prosecutor |
| Hyman Rickover |
Military |
27-Jan-1900 |
8-Jul-1986 |
Built the nuclear navy |
| Chita Rivera |
Dancer |
23-Jan-1933 |
|
Anita in West Side Story on Broadway |
| Lord Robertson |
Politician |
12-Apr-1946 |
|
NATO Secretary General, 1999-2003 |
| Frank Robinson |
Baseball |
31-Aug-1935 |
|
MVP for both AL and NL |
| Mary Robinson |
Head of State |
21-May-1944 |
|
President of Ireland, 1990-97 |
| Sir Robert Robinson |
Chemist |
13-Sep-1886 |
8-Feb-1975 |
Researcher of alkaloids |
| Nelson Rockefeller |
Politician |
8-Jul-1908 |
26-Jan-1979 |
Ford's Vice President |
| Norman Rockwell |
Painter |
3-Feb-1894 |
8-Nov-1978 |
Saturday Evening Post artist |
| Fred Rogers |
TV Personality |
20-Mar-1928 |
27-Feb-2003 |
Mister Rogers |
| William P. Rogers |
Government |
23-Jun-1913 |
2-Jan-2001 |
US Secretary of State, 1969-73 |
| Ludwig Mies van der Rohe |
Architect |
27-Mar-1886 |
17-Aug-1969 |
The Glass Skyscraper |
| Abe Rosenthal |
Journalist |
2-May-1922 |
10-May-2006 |
NY Times Executive Editor, 1977-86 |
| Walt Rostow |
Government |
7-Oct-1916 |
13-Feb-2003 |
National Security Advisor, 1966-69 |
| Mstislav Rostropovich |
Cellist |
27-Mar-1927 |
27-Apr-2007 |
Cellist and conductor |
| Donald Rumsfeld |
Government |
9-Jul-1932 |
|
US Secretary of Defense, 1975-77 and 2001-06 |
| Dean Rusk |
Government |
9-Feb-1909 |
21-Dec-1994 |
US Secretary of State, 1961-69 |
| Bill Russell |
Basketball |
12-Feb-1934 |
|
Boston Celtics, five time MVP |
| Albert Sabin |
Biologist |
26-Aug-1906 |
3-Mar-1993 |
Developed oral polio vaccine |
| William Safire |
Columnist |
17-Dec-1929 |
27-Sep-2009 |
NYT columnist, language maven |
| Jonas Salk |
Scientist |
28-Oct-1914 |
23-Jun-1995 |
Discoverer of the first polio vaccine |
| Norman Schwarzkopf |
Military |
22-Aug-1934 |
|
Leader in Persian Gulf War |
| Brent Scowcroft |
Government |
19-Mar-1925 |
|
National Security Advisor to Ford and GHWB |
| Rudolf Serkin |
Pianist |
28-Mar-1903 |
8-May-1991 |
Czech-American piano prodigy |
| John Shalikashvili |
Military |
27-Jun-1936 |
23-Jul-2011 |
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1993-97 |
| Albert Shanker |
Labor Leader |
14-Sep-1928 |
22-Feb-1997 |
American Federation of Teachers |
| Harry W. Shlaudeman |
Diplomat |
17-May-1926 |
|
US Ambassador to Nicaragua, 1990-92 |
| Sargent Shriver |
Activist |
9-Nov-1915 |
18-Jan-2011 |
First Director of the Peace Corps |
| George Shultz |
Government |
13-Dec-1920 |
|
US Secretary of State, 1982-89 |
| Beverly Sills |
Singer |
25-May-1929 |
2-Jul-2007 |
Soprano at the New York City Opera |
| Jean Kennedy Smith |
Diplomat |
20-Feb-1928 |
|
US Ambassador to Ireland, 1993-98 |
| Kate Smith |
Singer |
1-May-1907 |
17-Jun-1986 |
God Bless America |
| Margaret Chase Smith |
Politician |
14-Dec-1897 |
29-May-1995 |
US Senator from Maine, 1949-73 |
| Merriman Smith |
Journalist |
10-Feb-1913 |
13-Apr-1970 |
UPI correspondent, reported Kennedy's death |
| Edward Steichen |
Photographer |
27-Mar-1879 |
25-Mar-1973 |
Photo-Secessionist |
| John Steinbeck |
Novelist |
27-Feb-1902 |
20-Dec-1968 |
The Grapes of Wrath |
| Jimmy Stewart |
Actor |
20-May-1908 |
2-Jul-1997 |
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington |
| Robert S. Strauss |
Diplomat |
19-Oct-1918 |
|
US Ambassador to Russia, 1991-92 |
| Jack Swigert |
Astronaut |
30-Aug-1931 |
27-Dec-1982 |
Command Module Pilot on Apollo 13 |
| Helen B. Taussig |
Doctor |
24-May-1898 |
20-May-1986 |
Mother of pediatric cardiology |
| Edward Teller |
Physicist |
15-Jan-1908 |
9-Sep-2003 |
Father of the Hydrogen Bomb |
| George Tenet |
Government |
5-Jan-1953 |
|
CIA Director, 1997-2004 |
| Mother Teresa |
Religion |
26-Aug-1910 |
5-Sep-1997 |
Missionaries of Charity |
| Dave Thomas |
Business |
2-Jul-1932 |
8-Jan-2002 |
Founder of Wendy's Hamburgers |
| Lowell Thomas |
Journalist |
6-Apr-1892 |
29-Aug-1981 |
With Lawrence in Arabia |
| Juan Trippe |
Business |
27-Jun-1899 |
3-Apr-1981 |
Founder of Pan-Am |
| Desmond Tutu |
Religion |
7-Oct-1931 |
|
Archbishop of Cape Town |
| Mo Udall |
Politician |
15-Jun-1922 |
12-Dec-1998 |
Congressman from Arizona, 1961-91 |
| Alvaro Uribe |
Head of State |
4-Jul-1952 |
|
President of Colombia, 2002-10 |
| Cyrus Vance |
Government |
27-Mar-1917 |
12-Jan-2002 |
US Secretary of State, 1977-80 |
| John Vessey |
Military |
29-Jun-1922 |
|
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff 1982-85 |
| John von Neumann |
Mathematician |
28-Dec-1903 |
8-Feb-1957 |
Computing pioneer, inventor of Game Theory |
| DeWitt Wallace |
Business |
12-Nov-1889 |
30-Mar-1981 |
Founder of Reader's Digest |
| Vernon Walters |
Government |
3-Jan-1917 |
10-Feb-2002 |
US Ambassador to the UN, 1985-89 |
| Sam Walton |
Business |
29-Mar-1918 |
5-Apr-1992 |
America's richest man, founded Wal-Mart |
| Earl Warren |
Judge |
19-Mar-1891 |
9-Jul-1974 |
US Chief Justice, 1953-69 |
| Thomas J. Watson, Jr. |
Business |
14-Jan-1914 |
31-Dec-1993 |
CEO of IBM, 1956-71 |
| Edgar Wayburn |
Activist |
17-Sep-1906 |
5-Mar-2010 |
Conservationist, Sierra Club president |
| William Webster |
Government |
6-Mar-1924 |
|
FBI Director 1978-87, CIA Director 1987-91 |
| Albert C. Wedemeyer |
Military |
9-Jul-1897 |
17-Dec-1989 |
Victory Program |
| Caspar Weinberger |
Government |
18-Aug-1917 |
28-Mar-2006 |
Iran-Contra figure pardoned by Bush |
| Eudora Welty |
Author |
13-Apr-1909 |
23-Jul-2001 |
The Optimist's Daughter |
| Byron White |
Judge |
8-Jun-1917 |
15-Apr-2002 |
US Supreme Court Justice, 1962-93 |
| E. B. White |
Author |
11-Jul-1899 |
01-Oct-1985 |
Charlotte's Web |
| Elie Wiesel |
Activist |
30-Sep-1928 |
|
Anti-Holocaust and human-rights activist |
| Simon Wiesenthal |
Activist |
31-Dec-1908 |
20-Sep-2005 |
Nazi hunter |
| Thornton Wilder |
Novelist |
17-Apr-1897 |
7-Dec-1975 |
The Bridge of San Luis Rey |
| Ted Williams |
Baseball |
30-Aug-1918 |
5-Jul-2002 |
Cryonically preserved .400 hitter |
| Edmund Wilson |
Author |
8-May-1895 |
12-Jun-1972 |
Axel's Castle |
| James Q. Wilson |
Scholar |
27-May-1931 |
2-Mar-2012 |
The Moral Sense |
| John Minor Wisdom |
Judge |
17-May-1905 |
15-May-1999 |
5th Circuit Court of Appeals, 1957-77 |
| Albert Wohlstetter |
Author |
19-Dec-1913 |
10-Jan-1997 |
Nuclear strategist |
| John Wooden |
Basketball |
14-Oct-1910 |
4-Jun-2010 |
Winningest-ever college basketball coach |
| Walter B. Wriston |
Business |
3-Aug-1919 |
19-Jan-2005 |
CEO of Citibank, 1967-84 |
| Andrew Wyeth |
Painter |
12-Jul-1917 |
16-Jan-2009 |
American painter, Christina's World |
| Chuck Yeager |
Aviator |
13-Feb-1923 |
|
Test pilot, first to break speed of sound |
| Andrew Young |
Politician |
12-Mar-1932 |
|
Mayor of Atlanta, 1982-90 |
| Muhammad Yunus |
Business |
28-Jun-1940 |
|
Banker to the Poor |
| Elmo R. Zumwalt |
Military |
29-Nov-1920 |
2-Jan-2000 |
US Chief of Naval Operations, 1970-74 |
| Fritz Zwicky |
Astronomer |
14-Feb-1898 |
8-Feb-1974 |
Astrophysicist at CalTech |
