Most Significant Historical Figures By State

Rosa Parks is listed among the most significant historical figures in Alabama.Rosa Parks became a leading civil rights activist. She took a seat against racial segregation on public buses in the 1950s.

Zelda Fitzgerald is a novelist, painter, and socialite from the roaring 1920s. She was the wife ofZelda Fitzgerald was a novelist, painter, and socialite of the roaring 1920s. She was the wife ofAlabama is listed among the most significant historical figures by state. The Great Gatsby is the work of author F. Scott Fitzgerald.F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby.

Zora Neale Hurston is a figure in this list.Zora Neale Hurston wrote the Harlem Renaissance book, Their Eyes Were Watching God.Their Eyes Were Watching God is a work by Zora Neale Hurston.

Helen Keller is on this list.Helen Keller acted as an activist, author, lecturer, and champion for the blind and hard of hearing.

Archie Van Winkle is in this list.Archie Van Winkle is a figure in this list.Sam Walton was a US Marine during the Korean War. He was the only Alaskan to get the Medal of Honor. He died in 1986.

Dick Wilmarth is listed.Dick Wilmarth was a miner and trapper from Red Devil. He won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 1973.

Cesar Estrada Chavez is in this list.Cesar Estrada Chavez was a civil rights activist and labor reformist. He co-founded the National Farm Workers Association.

Barry Goldwater is in this list.Barry Goldwater was a multi-term senator and Republican presidential nominee. He was the godfather of the libertarian movement.

Johnny Cash is in this list.Johnny Cash is a folk musician. His songs include "Walk the Line" and "Ring of Fire."

General Douglas MacArthur is in this list. General Douglas MacArthur was the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in the Pacific during World War II. He got the Japanese surrender in 1945.

Sam Walton is in this list.Sam Walton founded Wal Mart and Sam's Club stores.

Paul "Bear" Bryant is in this list. Paul "Bear" Bryant was one of the most celebrated college football coaches. He had 323 victories and six national championships at the University of Alabama.

Joe DiMaggio is in this list. Joe DiMaggio was a New York Yankees baseball player. He won three MVP awards and two batting championships. He once married Marilyn Monroe.

Robert Frost is in this list.Robert Frost is a 20th-century Pulitzer Prize-winning poet. Though his poetry feels New England, he was born and raised in San Francisco.

Jack London is in this list.Jack London was an adventurer and author of Call of the Wild.Call of the Wild is a work by Jack London.California appears in the list of most significant historical figures by state.

Scott Carpenter is in this list.Scott Carpenter was one of the original 7 US astronauts. He was the second American to orbit the earth.

Lon Chaney is in this list. Lon Chaney was a silent film-era actor. He starred in 157 films. He played the main characters in both The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925).The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a film Lon Chaney played.Lon Chaney played The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925).The Phantom of the Opera is a film Lon Chaney played.The Phantom of the Opera was released in 1925.

Florence Sabin is in this list.Florence Sabin was a pioneering scientist. She was the first woman elected to the National Academy of Sciences and held a full professorship at Johns Hopkins University.

Benedict Arnold is in this list.Benedict Arnold was a famous traitor of the Revolutionary War. He was George Washington's former best friend, and he betrayed Washington by siding with the British.

Noah Webster is in this list.Noah Webster wrote the famous Merriam-Webster dictionary, which came out in 1828.

John Brown is in this list.John Brown was a famous Civil War abolitionist. A song was widely sung about him.

Annie Jump Cannon is in this list.Annie Jump Cannon was an astronomer. She created the Harvard Classification Scheme, the first way to sort stars by temperature.

Henry Heimlich is in this list.Henry Heimlich is a surgeon and inventor. He created the anti-choking procedure, the Heimlich Maneuver.

Howard Pyle is in this list.Howard Pyle is a famous children’s book and magazine illustrator. His work includesHoward Pyle's works include The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood.Howard Pyle's works include The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, a King Arthur book series, and St. Nicholas magazine.Howard Pyle's works include The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, a King Arthur book series, and St. Nicholas magazine.Howard Pyle's works include The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, a King Arthur book series, and St. Nicholas magazine.

Jim Morrison is in this list.Jim Morrison is the lead singer of The Doors.

A. Phillip Randolph is in this list.A. Phillip Randolph was a civil rights activist and labor leader.

Martin Luther King Jr is in this list.Georgia is also included in the list of most significant historical figures by state.Flannery O’Conner led the 1960s American Civil Rights movement, championing non-violent civil disobedience.

Flannery O’Conner.He is one of the 20th century’s most praised short story writers.short story writers..

Barack Obama.Barack Obama became the first African American elected President of the United States.

Liliuokalani.Liliuokalani was the Hawaiian Island’s last reigning monarch.

Hiram L. Fong.Hiram L. Fong was the first Asian American and Chinese-American U.S. Senator.

Sacagawea.Sacagawea served as a Native American interpreter and guide on the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Ezra Pound.Ezra Pound was a 20th century American poet who faced trial for treason against the US as a fascist.

Gutzon Borglum.Gutzon Borglum designed Mount Rushmore and worked on it for 14 years.

Walt Disney. Walt Disney pioneered visual arts, creating Mickey Mouse and the Disney empire.

Ernest Hemingway.Ernest Hemingway was a prolific 20th century American author.

James Dean.James Dean was a 1950s actor who died tragically young in a car accident; people remember him for his work in Rebel Without A Cause.Rebel Without A Cause..

Wilbur Wright.Wilbur Wright was one half of the famous Wright brothers who invented the first airplane.

Buffalo Bill.Buffalo Bill was born William Frederick Cody, one of the most famous figures of the Old American West.

Pauline Esther Phillips.Pauline Esther Phillips was also known as Abigail Van Buren of the “Dear Abby” column, the most widely syndicated column in the world.

Grant Wood.Grant Wood painted “American Gothic.”

Gwendolyn Brooks.Gwendolyn Brooks was the first African American to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.Gwendolyn Brooks won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her work.Annie Allen..

Amelia Earhart. Amelia Earhart was the first American woman with a pilot’s license and the first to fly solo across the Atlantic.

Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali is considered one of the greatest boxers in American history.

Abraham Lincoln.Abraham Lincoln was a Civil War-era president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which ended slavery in the US.

Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong was a jazz musician, singer, and trumpet player.

Truman Capote.Truman Capote was a novelist famous for In Cold Blood.In Cold Blood.and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Huey P. Long AKA "The Kingfish".Huey P. Long was a populist senator whose expanded government services led to his death by assassination.

Dorothea Dix.Dorothea Dix served as the Union’s Superintendent of Female Nurses during the Civil War and fought for prison and mental health care reform.

Margaret Chase Smith.Margaret Chase Smith was the first woman to serve in both houses of the United States Congress and held the longest-serving female Senator in history.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was one of New England’s “Fireside Poets” and wrote “Paul Revere’s Ride.”

Spiro Agnew.Spiro Agnew was the Vice President of the US under Richard Nixon; he left office in disgrace after a long investigation.

John Wilkes Booth.John Wilkes Booth acted to assassinate President Lincoln.

Frederick Douglass.Frederick Douglass was a slave-born abolitionist leader.

Benjamin Franklin.Benjamin Franklin was an inventor, a brainiac, and a leader in the American Revolution.

Edgar Allan Poe.Edgar Allan Poe wrote macabre stories and poems, including “The Raven” and “The Telltale Heart.”

Susan B. Anthony.Susan B. Anthony was an activist and leader for women's suffrage.

Samuel Adams.Samuel Adams was the “Father of the American Revolution” who organized the Boston Tea Party.

Clara Barton.Clara Barton was a pioneering nurse during the American Civil War and founded the Red Cross.

Henry Ford.Michigan changed the American auto industry. It mass-produced cars and made them available to the middle class.

Charles Lindbergh.This aviator made the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic in 1927.

F. Scott Fitzgerald.He was a 1920s writer, author ofThe Great Gatsby..

Judy Garland.- Singer and actress.He was most famous forThe Wizard of Oz.

Charles Schulz.He created thePeanutscomic strip; people regard him as one of the most influential cartoonists ever.

Elvis Presley.He was an influential rock n’ roll singer from the 1950s and '60s.

Tennessee Williams.He wrote theCat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Glass Menagerie.

B.B. King.He is a famous guitarist and nicknamed “King of Blues.”

Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain).He wrote about the Gilded Age era, author ofTom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

Jesse James.He was an infamous outlaw and Wild West-era gang leader.

Maya Angelou.She is a renowned poet, author, and actress, famous for her autobiographical work,I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings..

Yogi Berra.He was a baseball player, catcher for the New York Yankees that won 10 World Series.

Martha Jane Canary (Calamity Jane).She was a frontierswoman, showman, and humanitarian.

Gary Cooper.He was a Western film star in over 100 movies.

Robert “Evel” Knievel.He is a famous motorcycle daredevil and held the world record for most broken bones (37).

Fred Astaire.He is an actor, singer, and dancer, famous for his stage and screen work with Ginger Rogers.

Malcolm X.He led the 1960s Black Power movement.

Susette La Flesche.She is a Native American writer and lecturer, spokesperson for Native American rights.

Pat Nixon.She was the wife of President Nixon and a philanthropist.

James E. Casey.He founded the United Parcel Service (UPS).

Sarah Josepha Hale.She was an author and journalist who edited the first periodical for American women,Ladies' Magazine,It wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

Alan Shepard.He was an American astronaut (one of the original NASA Mercury seven) and the first American to travel into space in 1961.

Frank Sinatra.- He was a singer and actor.He was one of theThese were the most influential musicians.They were of the 20th century.

Charles Addams.He created The Addams Family.

Joseph Campbell.He founded Campbell’s Soup.

William Hanna.He is an animator and producer who cofounded Hanna-Barbera cartoons and created shows likeThe Jetsons, The Flintstones, and Yogi Bear..

Conrad Hilton.He founded the Hilton Hotels chain.

Lucille Ball.She was an actress and comedian.

Norman Rockwell.He is a famous painter of Americana.

Lou Gehrig.He played 2,130 consecutive baseball games; he died from ALS, often called “Lou Gehrig’s disease.”

Teddy Roosevelt.He was the 26th president of the United States and founder of the National Parks system.

Herman Melville.He wroteMoby Dick..

Caleb Bradham.He created Pepsi-Cola, which started as a treatment for indigestion.

Nina Simone.She is a singer, composer, and Civil Rights activist.

Andrew Jackson.He was the 7th President of the United States.

Peggy Lee.She was a well-known jazz/pop singer of the 20th century who provided vocals for Disney'sLady and the Tramp..

Lawrence Welk.A musician and television host emceed the Lawrence Welk Show.The Lawrence Welk Show.It ran from 1951 to 1982.

Eric Sevareid.A journalist worked with Ed Murrow as one of "his boys." He reported on the WWII Fall of Paris when Germany captured the city.

Thomas Edison.He invented over 1,000 patents. He is most famous for the light bulb and the phonograph.

Ulysses S. Grant.He was a Civil War general and the 18th President of the US.

Annie Oakley.She became the first American female superstar and exhibition sharpshooter.

Woody Guthrie.He was a folk singer and poet. He was a prominent voice of 20th-century America.

Mickey Mantle.He was a famous baseball player for the New York Yankees.

Chief Joseph.He was the leader of the Nez Perce tribe. He led a war in 1877 to take back lost territory.

Raymond Carver.He is a writer and poet. He revived the American short story during the 1980s.

Louisa May Alcott.She authored the novel Little Women.Little Women.Pennsylvania appears in the list of Most Significant Historical Figures By State.

Robert Fulton.He invented the first commercially successful steamboat.

Arnold Palmer.He was one of the biggest golf stars ever. People named a drink after him.

Daniel Boone.He was a pioneer of the American West. He served as a captain in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.

H.P. Lovecraft.He wrote 20th-century horror and science fiction.

Nicholas Brown.He was a key figure in ratifying the American Constitution. He founded Brown University.

Mary McLeod Bethune.She was the child of former slaves. She became the founder of the National Council of Negro Women and vice president of the NAACP.

Dizzy Gillespie.He was a composer and an innovative jazz player.

Crazy Horse.He was a legendary warrior of the Lakota tribe. He led many fights against white settlers taking Lakota land.

Gladys Pyle.She became the first woman elected to the US Senate.

Davy Crockett.He was a politician and frontiersman. He is famous for defending the Alamo for Texan Independence.

Cordell Hull.He served as the longest-serving Secretary of State, holding the post for 11 years under Franklin Delano Roosevelt during World War II.

Mary Kay Ash.She founded Mary Kay cosmetics.

Dwight D. Eisenhower.Texas features as the 34th president of the United States during the post-WWII 1950s.

Buddy Holly.He was one of the fathers of rock n’ roll.

Butch Cassidy.He was the “Robin Hood of the West.” He led a gang in one of history's most successful bank robberies.

Philo Farnsworth.He invented electric television.

Calvin Coolidge.He was the 30th president of the United States.

Stephen Douglas.He was a US Senator. He opposed Lincoln in the 1860 Presidential Election. Though he lost, he stayed a popular politician who pushed for popular sovereignty and popular will.

Joseph Smith.He was a religious leader. He founded Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint Movement.

Thomas Jefferson.He was a Founding Father. He was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence and the 3rd President of the United States.

Nat Turner.He was a preacher. He led the most effective slave rebellion in US history. He later became an icon of rebellion during the 1960s black power movement.

George Washington.Founding Father, famed Revolutionary War general, and first U.S. President.

Bing CrosbyActor, comedian, musician. He became the first multimedia star in history.

Jimi HendrixInfluential guitarist of the 1960s.

Pearl S. BuckPulitzer prize winning author and novelist.

Katherine JohnsonMathematician. Her calculations helped NASA's first manned spaceflights.

Booker T. WashingtonEducator, author, orator, and African-American civil rights leader in the late-19th and early-20th centuries.

John BardeenTwo-time Nobel Prize Physicist and co-inventor of the transistor.

Joseph McCarthyUS Senator led a subversive campaign against government, film, and society members he claimed were Communists or sympathizers.

Orson WellesInfluential actor and director.

Jackson PollockInfluential abstract expressionist painter.

WashakieLeader of the Shoshone people during the mid-19th Century.

Robert R. WilsonPhysicist. He led the Manhattan Project and designed the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.