a
-
Spiro Agnew
Governor, U.S. Vice President / 1918 - 1996
Spiro Agnew was twice elected U.S. vice president under Richard Nixon, but resigned from his second term after being charged with bribery, conspiracy and tax fraud.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1918-1996)
Governor, U.S. Vice President
-
Buzz Aldrin
Astronaut / 1930 -
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin was one of the first people to walk on the moon. He and flight commander Neil Armstrong made the Apollo 11 moonwalk in 1969.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1930-)
Astronaut
-
Mordecai Anielewicz
Military Leader / 1919 - 1943
Mordecai Anielewicz organized Jews to fight off the Germans during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943.
See full bio
(1919-1943)
Military Leader
b
-
Vernon J. Baker
Military Leader / 1919 - 2010
Vernon Baker was a highly decorated soldier and the only living black WWII veteran to earn the Congressional Medal of Honor.
See full bio
(1919-2010)
Military Leader
-
Mary Ann Bickerdyke
Activist, Nurse / 1817 - 1901
American nurse Mary Ann Bickerdyke worked actively to improve conditions for wounded soldiers during the American Civil War.
See full bio
(1817-1901)
Activist, Nurse
-
Florence Blanchfield
Nurse / 1884 - 1971
Army nurse Florence Blanchfield is best known for her struggle to attain full military rank, and for equal rights in the military.
See full bio
(1884-1971)
Nurse
-
Pappy Boyington
Military Leader, Journalist / 1912 - 1988
The U.S. government awarded Pappy Boyington a Medal of Honor for his service in World War II as a Marine Corps pilot. He shot down 28 Japanese planes.
See full bio
(1912-1988)
Military Leader, Journalist
c
-
Buffalo Bill Cody
Theater Actor, Folk Hero, Military Leader / 1846 - 1917
Hunting and killing over 4,000 buffalo earned Buffalo Bill Cody his nickname, and his status as an Old West legend was cemented with his traveling Wild West show.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1846-1917)
Theater Actor, Folk Hero, Military Leader
-
Alvin C. York
Folk Hero, Warrior / 1887 - 1961
Alvin C. York was an American war hero during WWI. He received a Congressional Medal of Honor and his story was told in the film Sergeant York.
See full bio
(1887-1961)
Folk Hero, Warrior
d
-
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.
General, Pilot / 1912 - 2002
Pilot and officer Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr. was the first African American general in the U.S. Air Force.
See full bio
(1912-2002)
General, Pilot
-
Moshe Dayan
Military Leader, Political Leader / 1915 - 1981
Israeli military leader and statesman Moshe Dayan fought for Israel's independence, and became a chief architect of the Camp David Accords.
See full bio
(1915-1981)
Military Leader, Political Leader
-
Anton Denikin
General / 1872 - 1947
Anton Denikin was Lieutenant General who led the anti-Bolshevik forces (Imperial Russian Army) on the southern front during the Russian Civil War (1918-1920).
See full bio
(1872-1947)
General
e
-
Heinrich Eberbach
General, Warrior / 1895 - 1992
Heinrich Eberbach was a German General der Panzertruppen in the German Army of World War II.
See full bio
(1895-1992)
General, Warrior
-
Dwight D. Eisenhower
General, U.S. President, Journalist / 1890 - 1969
Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States, promoted Atoms for Peace at the United Nations General Assembly in order to ease Cold War tensions.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1890-1969)
General, U.S. President, Journalist
g
-
James Garner
Film Actor, Television Actor / 1928 -
James Garner is an actor known for his lead role in the TV show Maverick and for films such as Murphy’s Romance and Decoration Day.
See full bio
(1928-)
Film Actor, Television Actor
-
Hermann Göring
General, Warrior, Political Leader / 1893 - 1946
Hermann Göring was a leader of the Nazi Party. He was condemned to hang as a war criminal in 1946 but took his own life instead.
See full bio
(1893-1946)
General, Warrior, Political Leader
h
-
Alex Haley
Journalist, Author / 1921 - 1992
Alex Haley was an American writer whose works of historical fiction and reportage depicted the struggles of African Americans.
See full bio
(1921-1992)
Journalist, Author
-
Charles Hamilton
Entrepreneur, Writer / 1914 - 1996
Charles Hamilton was an autograph dealer, handwriting expert and author of works like Great Forgers and Famous Fakes.
See full bio
(1914-1996)
Entrepreneur, Writer
j
-
Andrew Jackson
Lawyer, Judge, U.S. President, U.S. Representative / 1767 - 1845
Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States. He is known for founding the Democratic Party and for his support of individual liberty.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1767-1845)
Lawyer, Judge, U.S. President, U.S. Representative
-
Daniel James Jr.
General, Pilot / 1920 - 1978
Daniel James, an alumni of the famous Tuskegee Institute, was the first African-American four-star general in the U.S. Air Force.
See full bio
(1920-1978)
General, Pilot
-
John Paul Jones
Military Leader / 1747 - 1792
John Paul Jones was an American naval hero in the American Revolution. He was renowned for his victory over British ships of war off the east coast of England.
See full bio
(1747-1792)
Military Leader
k
-
John Kerry
U.S. Representative / 1943 -
Senator John Kerry has supported free trade, expansive foreign and military policy and education spending. In 2004, he was a democratic presidential nominee.
See full bio
(1943-)
U.S. Representative
-
Ed Koch
Mayor / 1924 - 2013
Ed Koch was an outspoken attorney, author and media commentator who was the mayor of New York City from 1977 to 1989.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1924-2013)
Mayor
l
-
Louis L'Amour
Author / 1908 - 1988
Louis L'Amour was a prolific and hugely popular writer of mostly Western novels and short stories.
See full bio
(1908-1988)
Author
-
Bernard Law Montgomery
General, Writer, Government Official / 1887 - 1976
Bernard Law Montgomery led the British Eighth Army in North Africa during World War Two and oversaw British participation during the D-Day invasion.
See full bio
(1887-1976)
General, Writer, Government Official
-
T. E. Lawrence
Military Leader, Spy / 1888 - 1935
T. E. Lawrence was a British Army officer during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule. He became known as Lawrence of Arabia, based on the 1962 film.
See full bio
(1888-1935)
Military Leader, Spy
-
Norman Lear
Producer, Pilot, Television Producer, Screenwriter / 1922 -
Norman Lear wrote popular, long-running sitcoms including All in the Family and The Jeffersons. His work addressed racial and political issues in the U.S.
See full bio
(1922-)
Producer, Pilot, Television Producer, Screenwriter
-
Jessica Lynch
1983 -
Former Army soldier Jessica Lynch was held captive by Iraqi soldiers at Saddam Hospital in Nasiriya then rescued by U.S. troops. A media firestorm followed.
See full bio
(1983-)
m
-
Lee Marvin
Film Actor / 1924 - 1987
Actor Lee Marvin’s appeared in about 70 films, including Hell in the Pacific and The Dirty Dozen, between 1951 and 1986.
See full bio
(1924-1987)
Film Actor
-
John McCain
Military Leader, U.S. Representative / 1936 -
John McCain is a military hero and Republican U.S. Senator defeated by Barack Obama in the 2008 United States presidential election.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1936-)
Military Leader, U.S. Representative
-
Stanley McChrystal
General, Political Leader / 1954 -
Stanley A. McChrystal led the Joint Special Operations Command in Iraq during the Persian Gulf Wars and was top Commander of American forces in Afghanistan.
See full bio
(1954-)
General, Political Leader
-
Thomas H. Moorer
Military Leader, Political Leader / 1912 - 2004
Thomas H. Moorer was a U.S. Navy admiral and naval aviator who later served as chief of naval operations (1967-70), and then as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1970-4).
See full bio
(1912-2004)
Military Leader, Political Leader
-
Audie Murphy
Actor / 1925 - 1971
The most decorated U.S. soldier of World War II, Audie Murphy returned home a hero and became an actor, starring in his own story, To Hell and Back.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1925-1971)
Actor
-
John Murtha
Anti-War Activist, U.S. Representative / 1932 - 2010
John Murtha was appointed to the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election to fill a vacancy caused by the death of GOP Rep. John P. Saylor.
See full bio
(1932-2010)
Anti-War Activist, U.S. Representative
r
-
Eddie Rickenbacker
Race Car Driver, Business Leader, Pilot / 1890 - 1973
During his lengthy career, Eddie Rickenbacker (1890–1973) went from racecar driver to WWI flying ace to president of Eastern Airlines.
See full bio
(1890-1973)
Race Car Driver, Business Leader, Pilot
-
Tom Ridge
Governor, U.S. Representative, Government Official / 1945 -
Tom Ridge is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2003–2005).
See full bio
(1945-)
Governor, U.S. Representative, Government Official
-
Jason Robards
Film Actor, Theater Actor / 1922 - 2000
Jason Robards Jr. was an intense stage and film actor, and a frequent interpreter of Eugene O'Neill's work. He starred in the 1960 television production The Iceman Cometh, and later starred in films like Philadelphia and Magnolia.
See full bio
(1922-2000)
Film Actor, Theater Actor
-
Erwin Rommel
General / 1891 - 1944
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was one of German's most popular generals during World War II, and gained his enemies' respect with his victories as commander of the Afrika Korps. Implicated in a plot to overthrow Hitler, Rommel took his life in 1944.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1891-1944)
General
s
-
Clarence Sasser
Medical Professional, Military Leader / 1947 -
Army medic Clarence Eugene was awarded the Medal of Honor for treating wounded Vietnam soldiers amidst gunfire despite having been shot in both legs himself.
See full bio
(1947-)
Medical Professional, Military Leader
-
Telly Savalas
Film Actor, Television Actor, Singer, Talk Show Host / 1922 - 1994
Telly Savalas was an American actor best known for his role as a tough, New York City detective in the 1970’s television series Kojak.
See full bio
(1922-1994)
Film Actor, Television Actor, Singer, Talk Show Host
-
Rod Serling
Anti-War Activist, Television Personality, Author, Screenwriter / 1924 - 1975
Emmy Award–winning television and film writer Rod Serling created and hosted the sci-fi fantasy series The Twilight Zone and co-wrote Planet of the Apes.
See full bio
(1924-1975)
Anti-War Activist, Television Personality, Author, Screenwriter
-
Sargent Shriver
Activist, Legal Professional, Military Leader, Diplomat / 1915 - 2011
Sargent Shriver was a political administrator and diplomat perhaps best known for designing the U.S. Peace Corps, which was established in 1961. Shriver served as first director of the organization from its inception until 1966.
See full bio
(1915-2011)
Activist, Legal Professional, Military Leader, Diplomat
w
-
Wesley Clark
General / 1944 -
Wesley Clark is a military leader who rose to the top tier of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and was NATO Supreme Allied Commander.
See full bio
(1944-)
General
-
Hoyt Wilhelm
Baseball Player / 1923 - 2002
Hoyt Wilhelm was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher known for his knuckleball and who set a pitching record.
See full bio
(1923-2002)
Baseball Player
y
-
Chuck Yeager
Military Leader, Pilot / 1923 -
A World War II fighter pilot ace, Chuck Yeager was the first to break the sound barrier when he flew the Bell X-1 rocket 670 mph in level flight in 1947.
See full bio
(1923-)
Military Leader, Pilot