Who is your greatest American?

#1

Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 8:56pm

I heard that a while ago in Britain, they had a big poll to find the 100 Greatest Britons - the winner being Winston Churchill. John Lennon, Princess Diana, and Shakespeare were in there as well, I think.
So who would your vote for Greatest American go to?

#2

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 8:57pm

Ronald Reagan.

I think that's who I'd pick right now. (It was between him and Ann Coulter - I'm kidding)

Hm.....need to think on this.

#3

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 8:58pm

Watson and Crick are certainly up there

#4

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 8:58pm

Albeeeeeeee.
Sondheimmmmm.
Jimmmmm.

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Vary My Days.

#5

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 8:59pm

Eddison
Rockafeller
Ford

#6

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 8:59pm

Benjamin Franklin.

The man was quite possibly the best ever American diplomat, not to mention a great scientist, businessman, politician, writer, community activist, satirist, political thinker, and statesman. There's probably a bunch of things I'm missing, but he seemed to contribute something amazing to every field he touched.

Updated On: 11/4/04 at 08:59 PM

#7

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:01pm

Was it Ford's anti-Semitism you liked West?

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Twitter @NamoInExile Instagram none

#8

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:02pm

No, I'm actually rather fond of Jews. I like his anti-union stature, the way he interviewed some people, and overall what he did for us by way of transportation and the assembly line.

#9

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:02pm

Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Alva Edison
Martin Luther King
Samuel Clemens
Benjamin Franklin
Eleanor Roosevelt
Barbara Jordan
Helen Keller
Theodore Geissel
Wiliam Faulkner
Abraham Lincoln
Henry David Thoreau
Frank Lloyd Wright
George Burns/Gracie Allen
Harvey Milk
Randy Shilts

#10

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:02pm

Michelle Kwan.

Just kidding...this is very difficult and not to mention impossible for me to pick one.

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"I've got to get me out of here This place is full of dirty old men And the navigators and their mappy maps And moldy heads and pissing on sugar cubes While you stare at your books."

#11

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:04pm

George Burns?
Might as well put Matt Groening up there...

#12

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:04pm

I think that some people may be surprised with this answer:

Susan B. Anthony. Not the greatest, but she deserves to be up there.

#13

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:05pm

I picked George Burns because I happen to think entertainers provide a very valuable function - and Mr. Burns covered more bases over a longer period of time than I could think of.

#14

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:12pm

In no particular order...

Thomas Jefferson
Abraham Lincoln
Eli Whitney
Thomas Alva Edison
Bob Hope

Wow, this IS hard!

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Sunchips: Best Kept Secret in the chip aisle!!

#15

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:14pm

McArthur

#16

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:16pm

Dorothy Day

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Twitter @NamoInExile Instagram none

#17

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:17pm

Del Close

#18

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:19pm

Great list, DGrant - but I'm ashamed to say I haven't heard of Theodore Geissel, Henry David Thoreau or Randy Shilts. Perhaps I could possibly have a mini-education?

Updated On: 11/4/04 at 09:19 PM

#19

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:21pm

I'm not DGrant, but i'm pretty sure Theodore Geissel was Dr. Seuss' real name. HTH!!

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Sunchips: Best Kept Secret in the chip aisle!!

#20

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:25pm

Yes, Theodore is Dr. Seuss

Henry David Thoreau was an existentialist writer in the late 1800's (closely associated with Ralph Waldo Emmerson) whose most famous work is probably Walden. There's also a nice little play entitled, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, if you're interested.

Randy Shilts was a gay journalist whoose prominent works were And The Band Played On (about the onslaught of the AIDS crisis) and Conduct Unbecoming (about gays in the military.) He also wrote the first serious biographical work on Harvey Milk.

Updated On: 11/4/04 at 09:25 PM

#21

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:26pm

Mr. F. Namo

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BSoBW2: I punched Sondheim in the face after I saw Wicked and said, "Why couldn't you write like that!?"

#22

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:27pm

Undi - excellent women!

Namo - I certainly appreciate the dedication Ms. Day had, but the Catholic angle is interesting.

#23

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:29pm

I love Dr. Seuss! I volunteered at a hospital over the summer and when I would read kids I would always recommend that we read a seuss ook together before we read something else...(unless they had already read all the Seuss books we had in the hospital library,which made me muy happy)

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You aren't feeling overwhelmed are you?

#24

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:30pm

Elvis freaking Presley

#25

re: Who is your greatest American?

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:32pm

Westopher - if you're going to go that route, I'd go with Ray Charles.