December 2006

The Top 100 Influential Figures in American History

Who are the most influential figures in American history? We asked 10 eminent historians. The result, collected here, is The Atlantic’s Top 100. (More on America’s most influential filmmakers, musicians, critics, architects, and poets—and how we put these lists together—below.)

By NO BYLINE Writer

Was Walt Disney really more influential than Elizabeth Cady Stanton? John D. Rockefeller than Bill Gates? Babe Ruth than Frank Lloyd Wright? Let us know what you think. ... Ross Douthat explains how our panel came up with these selections here. Readers respond and offer their own nominations here. Explore more from The Atlantic on the most influential figures in American history right here—in the grid below.

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This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/12/the-top-100-influential-figures-in-american-history/5384/