The greatest Americans (Discovery Channel poll)
The top 3 according to 405 votes from people: Ronald Reagan · Martin Luther King Jr. · Abraham Lincoln. (Updated Nov 5, 2022.)
The ranking from The Greatest American, the 2005 Discovery Channel and AOL show in which about 2.4 million votes were cast. Ronald Reagan won ahead of Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr.
Top 20
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1
Ronald Reagan
1911-2004. Actor and 40th president; the winner.
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2
Martin Luther King Jr.
1929-1968. Minister and civil rights leader.
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3
Abraham Lincoln
1809-1865. 16th president.
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4
Benjamin Franklin
1706-1790. Author, printer, scientist and politician.
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5
George Washington
1732-1799. General and first president.
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6
George W. Bush
Born 1946. 43rd president, in office during the poll.
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7
Thomas Edison
1847-1931. Inventor.
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8
Bill Clinton
Born 1946. 42nd president.
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9
Albert Einstein
1879-1955. Physicist.
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10
Elvis Presley
1935-1977. Musician and actor, the King of Rock and Roll.
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11
Billy Graham
1918-2018. Evangelist minister.
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12
Oprah Winfrey
Born 1954. Talk show host and actress.
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13
Franklin D. Roosevelt
1882-1945. 32nd president.
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14
Rosa Parks
1913-2005. Civil rights activist; 22nd.
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15
Eleanor Roosevelt
1884-1962. First lady, activist and diplomat.
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16
John F. Kennedy
1917-1963. 35th president.
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17
Bill Gates
Born 1955. Co-founder of Microsoft.
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18
Muhammad Ali
1942-2016. Boxer; 21st.
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19
Walt Disney
1901-1966. Animator and film producer.
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20
Bob Hope
1903-2003. Actor and comedian.
Candidates
They don't make it into the top 20… yet. Vote for them to move them up.
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21
Thomas Jefferson
1743-1826. Writer and 3rd president.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
Is something missing?
Comments (13)
MLK Jr. in the top 3, good.
FDR got the US through the Depression and WWII, should be higher.
Nice to have the whole top list in one place.
These polls are always popularity contests, but fun to look at.
Billy Graham at #11, didn't expect that.
Benjamin Franklin is the most interesting founding father by far.
Oprah ahead of Jefferson. Interesting times.
Washington at four is way too low.
Where are Thomas Edison and the Wright brothers?
Lincoln should be first, no question.
Reagan at number one says more about 2005 than about history.
George W. Bush in the top 10 while he was still in office... it was an online vote, folks.
Elvis made the top 10, of course he did.