The Greatest American was a four-part American television series hosted by Matt Lauer in 2005. The show featured biographies and lists of influential persons in U.S. history, and culminated in a contest in which millions in the audience nominated and voted for the person they felt was the "greatest American". The four-part competition was conducted by AOL and the Discovery Channel and reported on by the BBC.
President Ronald Reagan achieved the highest position. His son, Ronald Reagan Jr., commented to the network that "I'm sure he would be very honored to be in the company of these great gentlemen." In total, the American public cast over 2.4 million votes during the nomination process.
In detail, Martin Luther King Jr. was the highest-ranked person of color, at number three, while Oprah Winfrey, at number nine, was the highest-ranked woman. George W. Bush, at number six, had the highest status of any living American.
Nominations Nominations were accepted through 31 January 2005. The seven-hour-long series was broken into four episodes: The first episode counted down the top 100 and introduced the top 25 nominees in alphabetical order. The second episode featured biographies of the top 25 nominees as well as commentaries from influential people such as celebrities and politicians. The third episode, called "The Great Debate", introduced the top five nominees and pitted the studio audience supporters of each of the nominees and a person selected to represent each of the top five candidates against a panel of three celebrities. In the finale, the top five "Greatest Americans" were announced as well as what percentage of the votes each had received. Votes were taken through a toll-free (if calling from a land line) phone number, through text messages from cellphones, and through online voting. Voters were allowed to vote three times per voting method, so anyone had a chance of voting at least nine times.
Top twenty-five
rank name lifespan known for 1 Ronald Reagan 1911–2004 actor, 40th president 2 Abraham Lincoln 1809–1865 16th president 3 Martin Luther King Jr. 1929–1968 minister, civil rights Leader 4 George Washington 1732–1799 general, 1st president 5 Benjamin Franklin 1706–1790 author, printer, scientist, politician 6 George W. Bush born 1946 43rd president 7 Bill Clinton born 1946 42nd president 8 Elvis Presley 1935–1977 musician, actor 9 Oprah Winfrey born 1954 talk show host, actress 10 Franklin D. Roosevelt 1882–1945 32nd president 11 Billy Graham 1918–2018 minister 12 Thomas Jefferson 1743–1826 Writer, 3rd president 13 Walt Disney 1901–1966 animator, film producer 14 Albert Einstein 1879–1955 physicist 15 Thomas Alva Edison 1874–1931 inventor 16 John F. Kennedy 1917–1963 35th president 17 Bob Hope 1903–2003 actor, comedian 18 Bill Gates born 1955 businessman 19 Eleanor Roosevelt 1884–1962 first lady, activist, diplomat 20 Lance Armstrong born 1971 cyclist 21 Muhammad Ali 1942–2016 boxer 22 Rosa Parks 1913–2005 civil rights activist 23 The Wright Brothers 1867 & 1871 – 1912 & 1948 inventors, aviation pioneers 24 Henry Ford 1863–1947 industrialist, businessman 25 Neil Armstrong 1930–2012 astronaut
Alphabetical list On 18 April 2005, AOL and The Discovery Channel announced the top 100 nominees.
The remaining 75 nominees:
Maya Angelou (1928–2014), poet and writer Susan B. Anthony (1820–1904), women's rights activist Lucille Ball (1911–1989), actress and comedian Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922), inventor and scientist Barbara Bush (1925–2018), First Lady George H. W. Bush (1924–2018), 41st president Laura Bush (born 1946), First Lady Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919), industrialist and philanthropist Johnny Carson (1925–2005), comedian and talk show host Jimmy Carter (1924–2024), 39th president George Washington Carver (the 1860s–1943), botanist and inventor Ray Charles (1930–2004), musician César Chávez (1927–1993), labor leader and activist Hillary Clinton (born 1947), politician Bill Cosby (born 1937), comedian Tom Cruise (born 1962), actor Ellen DeGeneres (born 1958), comedian and talk show host Frederick Douglass (1818–1895), writer and abolitionist Amelia Earhart (1897–1937), aviator Clint Eastwood (born 1930), actor and film director John Edwards (born 1953), politician Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), general and 34th president Brett Favre (born 1969), football player Mel Gibson (born 1956), actor and film director Rudolph Giuliani (born 1944), politician John Glenn (1921–2016), astronaut and politician Alexander Hamilton (1757–1804), statesman and 1st Secretary of the Treasury Tom Hanks (born 1956), actor Hugh Hefner (1926–2017), magazine publisher Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003), actress Howard Hughes (1907–1979), businessman, film producer, and aviator Michael Jackson (1958–2009), musician, king of pop Steve Jobs (1955–2011), businessman and inventor Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973), 36th president Michael Jordan (born 1963), basketball player Helen Keller (1880–1968), author and activist Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929–1994), First Lady Robert F. Kennedy (1925–1968), politician Rush Limbaugh (1951–2021), radio talk show host Charles Lindbergh (1902–1974), aviator George Lucas (born 1944), film director Madonna (born 1958), musician Malcolm X (1925–1965), civil rights activist Phil McGraw (born 1950), psychologist and television personality Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962), actress Michael Moore (born 1954), documentary filmmaker Audie Murphy (1925–1971), soldier Richard M. Nixon (1913–1994), 37th president Barack Obama (born 1961), politician (became 44th president after airing) Jesse Owens (1913–1980), track and field athlete George S. Patton (1885–1945), general Colin Powell (1937–2021), politician and general Christopher Reeve (1952–2004), actor Condoleezza Rice (born 1954), politician and diplomat Jackie Robinson (1919–1972), baseball player Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), writer, explorer, naturalist, and 26th president Babe Ruth (1895–1948), baseball player Carl Sagan (1934–1996), astronomer and writer Jonas Salk (1914–1995), medical researcher Arnold Schwarzenegger (born 1947), actor and politician Frank Sinatra (1915–1998), musician and actor Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805–1844), religious leader Steven Spielberg (born 1946), film director James Stewart (1908–1997), actor Martha Stewart (born 1941), businesswoman, writer, and television personality Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), inventor Pat Tillman (1976–2004), football player and soldier Harry S. Truman (1884–1972), 33rd president Donald Trump (born 1946), businessman (became the 45th and 47th president after airing) Harriet Tubman (1822–1913), abolitionist Mark Twain (1835–1910), writer and humorist Sam Walton (1918–1992), businessman John Wayne (1907–1979), actor Tiger Woods (born 1975), golfer Chuck Yeager (1923–2020), aviator
Other editions Other countries have produced similar shows, see also: Greatest Britons spin-offs
References
External links The Greatest American page on The Discovery Channel