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{| class="toccolours" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 25em; clear: right"
{{primary sources|date=September 2011}}
|-
{{Infobox television
| colspan="2" style="font-size: larger; text-align: center;" | '''''The Greatest American'''''
|presenter = ]
|-
|country = United States
| align="center" colspan="2" | <!--] commenting out image with no source/bad FairUse claim--> <br /><small style="font-size: 91%;"></small>
|executive_producer = Jason Raff
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|runtime =
| '''Run time'''
|channel = ]
| 1 hour
|first_aired = {{start date|df=yes|2005|06|05}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
}}
| '''Host'''
'''''The Greatest American''''' was a four-part American ] hosted by ] 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 ] and the ] and reported on by the ].<ref>{{Citation|title=Greatest American|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0463820/|access-date=2020-04-09}}</ref>
| ]
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| '''Executive Producer'''
| Jason Raff
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| '''Country'''
| ]
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| '''Network'''
| ]
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| '''First aired'''
| ], ]
|}
'''The Greatest American''' was a four-part television series hosted by ] in which millions of Americans nominated and elected whom they thought was the greatest person in U.S. history. The competition was conducted by ] and the ] and reported on by the BBC.


] ] achieved the highest position. His son, ], 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.<ref name=jamie>{{cite news|first=Jamie|last=Wilson|title=The greatest American? Lincoln? Einstein? No - it's Ronald Reagan|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jun/28/usa.jamiewilson1|access-date=7 April 2020|date=27 June 2005|journal=]}}</ref>
Nominations were accepted through ], ]. The 7-hour-long series was broken into 4 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 5 nominees and pitted the studio audience supporters of each of the nominees and a person selected to represent each of the top 5 candidates against a panel of 3 celebrities. In the finale the top 5 "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 ]) phone number, through ]s from ]s, 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. The three states with the most votes being received were ], ], and ] (] 1st, 2nd, and 4th in population).


In detail, ] was the highest-ranked person of color, at number three, while ], at number nine, was the highest-ranked woman. ], at number six, had the highest status of any living American.
==The Top 25==
{{wrapper}}
|],<br/> the 40th ], introduced '']'' economic policy, and contributed to the ending of the ].]]
|-
|],<br/> president during the ] and wrote the ].]]
|-
|], a civil rights activist who promoted non-violent activism and equality.]]
|-
|],<br/> known to many as the "Father of the United States" was America's first president.]]
|-
|],<br/> one of the most famous founding fathers of the United States.]]
|-
|]<br/>is the current president, and was at the time of the ]; he ] during his first term.]]
|-
|]<br/>was president during a ].]]
|-
|]<br/>was dubbed the king of rock n' roll, and revolutionized American music.]]
|-
|]<br/> was dubbed the Queen of media and one of America's wealthiest.]]
|-
{{end}}


==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 ]) phone number, through ]s from ], 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. {{citation needed|date=April 2020}}


==Top twenty-five==
#] - 24% - named "Greatest American"
{{multiple image||direction=vertical||width=130|image1=Official Portrait of President Reagan 1981.jpg||caption1=1. ],<br /> 40th ] (1981–89).||image2=Abraham Lincoln head on shoulders photo portrait.jpg||caption2=2. ],<br /> 16th president of the United States (1861–65).||image3=Martin-Luther-King-1964-leaning-on-a-lectern.jpg||caption3=3. ], civil rights activist.||image4=Gilbert Stuart - George Washington (Lansdowne Portrait) - Google Art Project.jpg||caption4=4. ],<br /> 1st president of the United States (1789–97).||image5=Benjamin_Franklin_by_Jean-Baptiste_Greuze.png||caption5=5. ],<br /> author, inventor, statesman, and scientist.}}
#] - 23.5%
# ] (1911–2004), actor and 40th president
#] - 19.7% - named "Greatest African American" and "America's Greatest Preacher"
# ] (1809–1865), 16th president
#] - 17.7% - named "Greatest Founding Father"
# ] (1929–1968), minister and civil rights leader
#] - 14.9% - named "Greatest American Inventor"
#] - named "Greatest Living American" # ] (1732–1799), general and 1st president
# ] (1706–1790), author, printer, scientist and politician
#]
# ] (born 1946), 43rd president
#] - named "America's Greatest Entertainer"
# ] (born 1946), 42nd president
#] - named "Greatest Woman in American history" & "Greatest American Broadcaster"
# ] (1935–1977), musician and actor
#] - named "Greatest Disabled American"
# ] (born 1954), talk show host and actress
#]
# ] (1882–1945), 32nd president
#]
# ] (1918–2018), minister
#] - Named "Greatest American Filmmaker"
# ] (1743–1826), writer and 3rd president
#] - named "Greatest American Scientist," "America's Greatest Immigrant" & "Greatest Jewish American"
# ] (1901–1966), animator and film producer
#]
# ] (1879–1955), physicist (born in Germany)
#] - named "Greatest American Catholic"
# ] (1874–1931), inventor
#] - named "America's Greatest Humorist"
# ] (1917–1963), 35th president
#]
# ] (1903–2003), actor and comedian
#] - named "America's Greatest First Lady"
# ] (born 1955), businessman
#] - named "America's Greatest Athlete"
# ] (1884–1962), First Lady, activist and diplomat
#] - named "Greatest Muslim American"
# ] (born 1971), cyclist
#]
# ] (1942–2016), boxer
#] - named "America's Greatest Brothers"
# ] (1913–2005), civil rights activist
#]
# ], inventors and aviation pioneers
#] - named "America's Greatest Astronaut"
# ] (1863–1947), industrialist and businessman
# ] (1930–2012), astronaut


==Alphabetical list== ==Alphabetical list==
On 18 April 2005, AOL and The Discovery Channel announced the top 100 nominees.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Top 100|url=http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/greatestamerican/top100/top100.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050420194729/http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/greatestamerican/top100/top100.html|archive-date=2005-04-20|access-date=2021-05-29|work=]}}</ref>
On ],], AOL and The Discovery Channel announced the top 100 nominees.


The remaining April 18]], nominees: The remaining 75 nominees:
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ] (1928–2014), poet and writer
* ] (1820–1904), women's rights activist
* ] (1911–1989), actress and comedian
* ] (1847–1922), inventor and scientist
* ] (1925–2018), First Lady
* ] (1924–2018), 41st president
* ] (born 1946), First Lady
* ] (1835–1919), industrialist and philanthropist
* ] (1925–2005), comedian and talk show host
* ] (1924-2024), 39th president
* ] (the 1860s–1943), botanist and inventor
* ] (1930–2004), musician
* ] (1927–1993), labor leader and activist
* ] (born 1947), politician
* ] (born 1937), comedian
* ] (born 1962), actor
* ] (born 1958), comedian and talk show host
* ] (1818–1895), writer and abolitionist
* ] (1897–1937), aviator
* ] (born 1930), actor and film director
* ] (born 1953), politician
* ] (1890–1969), general and 34th president
* ] (born 1969), football player
* ] (born 1956), actor and film director
* ] (born 1944), politician
* ] (1921–2016), astronaut and politician
* ] (1757–1804), statesman and 1st Secretary of the Treasury
* ] (born 1956), actor
* ] (1926–2017), magazine publisher
* ] (1907–2003), actress
* ] (1907–1979), businessman, film producer, and aviator
* ] (1958–2009), musician
* ] (1955–2011), businessman and inventor
* ] (1908–1973), 36th president
* ] (born 1963), basketball player
* ] (1880–1968), author and activist
* ] (1929–1994), First Lady
* ] (1925–1968), politician
* ] (1951–2021), radio talk show host
* ] (1902–1974), aviator
* ] (born 1944), film director
* ] (born 1958), musician
* ] (1925–1965), civil rights activist
* ] (born 1950), psychologist and television personality
* ] (1926–1962), actress
* ] (born 1954), documentary filmmaker
* ] (1925–1971), soldier
* ] (1913–1994), 37th president
* ] (born 1961), politician (became 44th president after airing)
* ] (1913–1980), track and field athlete
* ] (1885–1945), general
* ] (1937–2021), politician and general
* ] (1952–2004), actor
* ] (born 1954), politician and diplomat
* ] (1919–1972), baseball player
* ] (1858–1919), writer, explorer, naturalist, and 26th president
* ] (1895–1948), baseball player
* ] (1934–1996), astronomer and writer
* ] (1914–1995), medical researcher
* ] (born 1947), actor and politician
* ] (1915–1998), musician and actor
* ] (1805–1844), religious leader
* ] (born 1946), film director
* ] (1908–1997), actor
* ] (born 1941), businesswoman, writer, and television personality
* ] (1856–1943), inventor
* ] (1976–2004), football player and soldier
* ] (1884–1972), 33rd president
* ] (born 1946), businessman (became 45th president after airing)
* ] (1822–1913), abolitionist
* ] (1835–1910), writer and humorist
* ] (1918–1992), businessman
* ] (1907–1979), actor
* ] (born 1975), golfer
* ] (1923–2020), aviator
{{div col end}}


==Other editions==
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==References==
==Facts about ''The Greatest American''==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
*


*Men: 85 (the Wright brothers are given a single entry)
*Women: 15
*Living nominees: 42
*African Americans: 16
*White Americans: 83
*Nominees by area: (halves are awarded if a nominee exceeded in two areas e.g. Eisenhower is under Military and U.S. Presidents)
**Television, Cinema and Radio: 23
**U.S. Presidents: 14.5
**First Ladies: 5
**Other Political Figures: 15.5
**Science: 9.5
**Sports: 8.5
**Music: 5
**Business and Industry: 5
**Aviators and Astronauts: 5
**Military: 4.0
**Literature: 3
**Religion: 2
**Publishers: 1
*Several of the 100 had considerable links to other countries:
**] was born in ], but had to flee the country when the Nazis rose to power. At various times of his life was also a citizen of ], ], and the ]. He was also offered the presidency of ] at one point.
**] lived in ] for the first 23 years of his life, immigrated to ], and later died and was buried there.
**] was also born in ]
**] lived for about 10 years in ] starting at about age 12 before returning to the US.
**] grew up in ] and immigrated to the U.S. aged 21
**] (Никола Тесла) was a ] born in the ] and immigrated to the U.S. aged 28
**] was born in the ], immigrated to the U.S. in 1908 aged 5, and became a U.S. citizen at age 17.

==Comments and criticisms==

* Many viewers and media commentators{{Fact|date=February 2007}} have criticized the shortlist as being extremely ], with only a handful of ] politicians, athletes, innovators and entertainers making the cut. ], ] and ] are the only three females in the Top 25.
* Much criticism has been made{{Fact|date=February 2007}} of the overselection of entertainers, and a bias towards recent times at the expense of those who lived in the 18th or 19th centuries.
* Others have complained <ref></ref> about the selection of the then recently deceased Ronald Reagan as the Greatest American, ahead of Abraham Lincoln, often called the Greatest President, George Washington, the first leader of the country, and ], author of the ]. Some criticism was leveled at the biased voting in the final five, which allowed votes to be split between Washington, Lincoln, King, and Franklin and partisan votes allowed Reagan to win, critics argue that if the voting was runoff based Reagan would not have placed as high.
* Others have complained about the inclusion of Bill Clinton who was ] by the House (though acquitted by the Senate). George W. Bush was selected as the "Greatest Living American" despite an approval rating below 50% at the time, however the ranking was also reflected by an end of year Gallup poll, finding Bush to be the most admired living man in America. The fact that Gallup also found Bill Clinton to be the second most admired living man in America was also consistent with the Greatest American poll..
* There were objections{{Fact|date=February 2007}} to many candidates being eligible because of the country in which they were born. For example, ], ], ], ] and ], were born in ], ], ], ] (Serbian) and ] respectively. All 5 were naturalized U.S. citizens, though Einstein was only naturalized well after his major contribution to science.

] also appeared on the Canadian version of the show, '']'', ''and'' the original British program, '']'', where he ranked ninth and fifty-seventh place respectively. The ], ], and founder of the ] was born in ], ] in ], before moving to ], ] in ]. Three years later, Bell relocated to ], ] to continue his research into ] ]. He became a ] citizen of the United States, though he maintained an estate and laboratory in Canada, and where he would place the first telephone call in 1876, between Brantford and Paris Ontario. He died and was buried in Canada, though his tombstone bears the prominent line "citizen of the United States." Thus, all three countries make a claim to him.

== References ==

<references/>

==External links==
*
*
*
{{Countries' greatest people TV series}} {{Countries' greatest people TV series}}


] {{DEFAULTSORT:Greatest American}}
]

] ]
] ]
] ]
]

Latest revision as of 22:23, 29 December 2024

This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources.
Find sources: "The Greatest American" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
2005 American TV series or program
The Greatest American
Presented byMatt Lauer
Country of originUnited States
Production
Executive producerJason Raff
Original release
NetworkDiscovery Channel
Release5 June 2005 (2005-06-05)

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

1. Ronald Reagan,
40th president of the United States (1981–89).2. Abraham Lincoln,
16th president of the United States (1861–65).3. Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights activist.4. George Washington,
1st president of the United States (1789–97).5. Benjamin Franklin,
author, inventor, statesman, and scientist.
  1. Ronald Reagan (1911–2004), actor and 40th president
  2. Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), 16th president
  3. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968), minister and civil rights leader
  4. George Washington (1732–1799), general and 1st president
  5. Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), author, printer, scientist and politician
  6. George W. Bush (born 1946), 43rd president
  7. Bill Clinton (born 1946), 42nd president
  8. Elvis Presley (1935–1977), musician and actor
  9. Oprah Winfrey (born 1954), talk show host and actress
  10. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32nd president
  11. Billy Graham (1918–2018), minister
  12. Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), writer and 3rd president
  13. Walt Disney (1901–1966), animator and film producer
  14. Albert Einstein (1879–1955), physicist (born in Germany)
  15. Thomas Alva Edison (1874–1931), inventor
  16. John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), 35th president
  17. Bob Hope (1903–2003), actor and comedian
  18. Bill Gates (born 1955), businessman
  19. Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962), First Lady, activist and 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, inventors and aviation pioneers
  24. Henry Ford (1863–1947), industrialist and 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:

Other editions

Other countries have produced similar shows, see also: Greatest Britons spin-offs

References

  1. Greatest American, retrieved 9 April 2020
  2. Wilson, Jamie (27 June 2005). "The greatest American? Lincoln? Einstein? No - it's Ronald Reagan". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  3. "The Top 100". Discovery Channel. Archived from the original on 20 April 2005. Retrieved 29 May 2021.

External links

Countries' greatest people TV series and media polls
Categories: