Awarded as the "highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions." Each medal is authorized by an Act of Congress strangely proposed by the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy.
| Name | Occupation | Birth | Death | Known for |
|---|
| Marian Anderson |
Singer |
27-Feb-1897 |
8-Apr-1993 |
Operatic contralto |
| Queen Beatrix I |
Royalty |
31-Jan-1938 |
|
Queen of the Netherlands |
| Irving Berlin |
Composer |
11-May-1888 |
22-Sep-1989 |
White Christmas, God Bless America |
| Norman Borlaug |
Scientist |
25-Mar-1914 |
12-Sep-2009 |
Engineered disease-resistant wheat |
| Harry Chapin |
Singer/Songwriter |
7-Dec-1942 |
16-Jul-1981 |
Cat's in the Cradle |
| Winston Churchill |
Head of State |
30-Nov-1874 |
24-Jan-1965 |
WWII Prime Minister of England |
| Roberto Clemente |
Baseball |
18-Aug-1934 |
31-Dec-1972 |
Puerto Rican baseball star |
| George M. Cohan |
Composer |
3-Jul-1878 |
5-Nov-1942 |
Yankee Doodle Dandy |
| Michael DeBakey |
Doctor |
7-Sep-1908 |
11-Jul-2008 |
Father of cardiovascular surgery |
| Stephen Decatur |
Military |
5-Jan-1779 |
22-Mar-1820 |
US Naval commander, fought at Tripoli |
| Walt Disney |
Business |
5-Dec-1901 |
15-Dec-1966 |
Founder of Disney empire |
| Tom Dooley |
Activist |
17-Jan-1927 |
18-Jan-1961 |
Deliver Us from Evil |
| Thomas Edison |
Inventor |
11-Feb-1847 |
18-Oct-1931 |
Invented the light bulb |
| 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 |
| Robert Frost |
Poet |
26-Mar-1874 |
29-Jan-1963 |
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening |
| Robert Goddard |
Scientist |
5-Oct-1882 |
10-Aug-1945 |
Father of modern rocketry |
| Billy Graham |
Religion |
7-Nov-1918 |
|
Televangelist |
| Ulysses S. Grant |
Head of State |
27-Apr-1822 |
23-Jul-1885 |
Eighteenth President of the United States |
| Nathanael Greene |
Military |
7-Aug-1742 |
19-Jun-1786 |
Highly capable Revolutionary War general |
| Dorothy Height |
Activist |
24-Mar-1912 |
20-Apr-2010 |
National Council of Negro Women |
| Bob Hope |
Comic |
29-May-1903 |
27-Jul-2003 |
Centenarian comic |
| Howard Hughes |
Business |
24-Sep-1905 |
5-Apr-1976 |
Insane billionaire |
| Hubert Humphrey |
Politician |
27-May-1911 |
13-Jan-1978 |
US Vice President, 1965-69 |
| Andrew Jackson |
Head of State |
15-Mar-1767 |
8-Jun-1845 |
7th US President, 1829-37 |
| Pope John Paul II |
Religion |
18-May-1920 |
2-Apr-2005 |
Roman Catholic Pontiff, 1978-2005 |
| Lady Bird Johnson |
First Lady |
22-Dec-1912 |
11-Jul-2007 |
Wife of US President Lyndon Baines Johnson |
| Robert F. Kennedy |
Politician |
20-Nov-1925 |
6-Jun-1968 |
Slain Presidential candidate |
| Mary Lasker |
Activist |
30-Nov-1900 |
21-Feb-1994 |
Health care advocate |
| Charles Lindbergh |
Aviator |
4-Feb-1902 |
26-Aug-1974 |
Transatlantic soloist |
| Joe Louis |
Boxing |
13-May-1914 |
12-Apr-1981 |
The Champ |
| Nelson Mandela |
Head of State |
18-Jul-1918 |
|
Former President of South Africa |
| Billy Mitchell |
Military |
28-Dec-1879 |
19-Feb-1936 |
Proponent of air power |
| John Cardinal O'Connor |
Religion |
15-Jan-1920 |
3-May-2000 |
Archbishop of New York, 1984-2000 |
| Rosa Parks |
Activist |
4-Feb-1913 |
24-Oct-2005 |
Wouldn't sit in the back of the bus |
| George Peabody |
Business |
18-Feb-1795 |
4-Nov-1869 |
American businessman, philanthropist |
| Colin Powell |
Government |
5-Apr-1937 |
|
US Secretary of State, 2001-05 |
| 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 |
| Walter Reed |
Scientist |
13-Sep-1851 |
22-Nov-1902 |
Proved mosquitos spread Yellow Fever |
| Hyman Rickover |
Military |
27-Jan-1900 |
8-Jul-1986 |
Built the nuclear navy |
| Jackie Robinson |
Baseball |
31-Jan-1919 |
24-Oct-1972 |
First negro in the major leagues |
| Laurance Rockefeller |
Business |
26-May-1910 |
11-Jul-2004 |
Financier behind Eastern Airlines |
| Leo Ryan |
Politician |
5-May-1925 |
18-Nov-1978 |
Congressman assassinated in Guyana |
| Jonas Salk |
Scientist |
28-Oct-1914 |
23-Jun-1995 |
Discoverer of the first polio vaccine |
| Charles Schulz |
Cartoonist |
26-Nov-1922 |
12-Feb-2000 |
Cartoonist created Peanuts |
| Norman Schwarzkopf |
Military |
22-Aug-1934 |
|
Leader in Persian Gulf War |
| Hugh Shelton |
Military |
2-Jan-1942 |
|
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1997-2001 |
| Frank Sinatra |
Singer |
12-Dec-1915 |
14-May-1998 |
It's Frank's world, we just live in it |
| Zachary Taylor |
Head of State |
24-Nov-1784 |
9-Jul-1850 |
12th President of the United States |
| Mother Teresa |
Religion |
26-Aug-1910 |
5-Sep-1997 |
Missionaries of Charity |
| Danny Thomas |
Actor |
6-Jan-1914 |
6-Feb-1991 |
Make Room For Daddy |
| Harry S. Truman |
Head of State |
8-May-1884 |
26-Dec-1972 |
33rd US President, 1945-53 |
| Cornelius Vanderbilt |
Business |
27-May-1794 |
4-Jan-1877 |
Robber baron, richest man in the United States |
| Fred Waring |
Conductor |
9-Jun-1900 |
29-Jul-1984 |
Innovative bandleader and musician |
| George Washington |
Head of State |
22-Feb-1732 |
14-Dec-1799 |
1st US President, 1789-97 |
| John Wayne |
Actor |
26-May-1907 |
11-Jun-1979 |
The Duke |
| Simon Wiesenthal |
Activist |
31-Dec-1908 |
20-Sep-2005 |
Nazi hunter |
