Posted on 05/04/2006 9:23:49 AM PDT by pissant
If you dust off your old reference books and look up the word "icon," you'll discover that accurate synonyms include "symbol" and "representation." A national icon is someone who, by the mere mention of their name, will remind people of their country. Whether they like it or not, they are representatives of their nation to the rest of the world.
That said, these were the criteria used to compile this list:
Only real people can be on the list. No fictional characters, automobiles, or structures can be included (we therefore will not address Homer Simpson, the 1967 Mustang or the Statue of Liberty); Every list member must be American. Even though Charlie Chaplin and Arnold Schwarzenegger have had a great impact on American cinema, they must be excluded; Not only must these people have benefited from massive media attention, they also need to have had a colossal influence in their field of expertise on the international scene.
Many people deserve a spot on this list. Neil Armstrong was on the frontlines of space exploration, Babe Ruth was a sports legend, and Clint Eastwood certainly made his mark on the silver screen, but these people don't automatically make us spontaneously think America as much as the following 10 personalities. So without further delay, here are the top 10 American icons.
Number 10
Ronald Reagan -- Best known for his role as the 40th President of the United States, Reagan started out as a radio announcer and Hollywood actor, having made over 50 films. He got involved in World War II by making training films for the Air Force. Later, he realized politics was his calling and in 1947 became President of the Screen Actors Guild. He changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican and was elected Governor of California in 1966. He served in this capacity for two terms.
Soon after taking over the White House in 1981 for the first of his two terms, a deranged Jodie Foster admirer tried to assassinate him to impress the famous actress. Reagan survived the attack and took it upon himself to confront Communism dead-on. Some experts claim that it was Reagan's extreme military expenditures that bankrupted the Soviet Union and put an end to the Cold War. As leader of the Free World during those years when his country turned to obstinate commercialism, he showed the world what America is all about.
Best quote: "America is too great to dream small dreams."
Number 9
Ernest Hemingway-- Born July 21, 1899, Hemingway is considered the greatest American fiction writer of the 20th century. He was an ambulance driver during World War I and a war correspondent during the Spanish Civil War and World War II. He wrote about his experiences as an American expatriate in Paris during the 1920s, hunting in Africa, and fishing off Cuba.
His direct and sparse way of writing became his trademark, which has often been imitated and parodied. His works have earned him both the Pulitzer and the Nobel Prize. He supposedly committed suicide while struggling with a bout of depression, but he still remains one of the most prominent literary ambassadors America has ever had.
Best quote: "All things truly wicked start from an innocence."
Number 8
Frank Sinatra-- The single most popular crooner of all time, Frank Sinatra had early ambitions of becoming a journalist. By the time he was working as a sports reporter, a second career in singing was taking off. Before long, he was touring with a big band orchestra and embarking on a solo career in 1942. He was a bona fide sensation, selling records faster than they could be printed. In the late '50s, Ol' Blue Eyes formed the "Rat Pack," an unofficial entertainment group, with Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford. A suave charmer, he loved the ladies and had a reputation for living fast. Regarded as the greatest entertainer of the 20th century, Sinatra deserves his status as American icon.
Best quote: "A friend is never an imposition."
Number 7
James Dean-- Andy Warhol referred to Dean as "the damaged but beautiful soul of our time." James Dean was a kid from the Midwest who was going places. He studied acting and law in California but quit after getting a taste of the real thing on a TV show. He then moved to New York, where he acted on Broadway and got more guest appearances on television.
His soft, unforced acting impressed Warner Brothers and he was signed to a contract with the movie studio. He made three movies before his 1955 death in a car crash, two of which were released after his passing. East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant were not only critical and financial successes, but they showcased a new kind of actor that people had never seen before. Dean became more than an idol; he became a legend.
Best quote: "Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today."
Number 6
Michael Jordan-- Here's a man who lives the American Dream. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Michael Jordan attended the University of North Carolina and proved that he truly was the best basketball player that ever lived by taking his team to the NCAA championship. He was soon drafted into the NBA as a guard for the Chicago Bulls. He led his team to six league championships and won the MVP award five times.
In 1993, at the age of 30, he gave up basketball for baseball and became associated with the Chicago White Sox. After playing in the minors, he returned to the Bulls in 1995 where he continued to dominate the court. He bought the Washington Wizards in 2000 and joined the team on the court in the 2001-2002 season. Also a savvy businessman, Air Jordan's fortune was estimated at $408 million in 2002.
Best quote: "I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying."
Number 5
Martin Luther King, Jr. -- He had a dream. Always a gifted student and orator, he decided as a child that he would become a Baptist minister. While studying at Crozer Theological Seminary after having attended Morehouse College, he heard about a pacifist in India named Mahatma Gandhi, and became enamored with Gandhi's methods of peaceful protest. As a pastor in Montgomery, Alabama, he became aware of the palpable civil rights violations that plagued the South in the 1950s.
Openly supporting Rosa Parks and her refusal to relinquish her seat to a white bus passenger made him a target for his opponents and his house was bombed. But that just served to fuel his desire to see segregation terminated. He became a national advocate for civil liberties and inspired a nation to change its ways. His assassination in 1968 only proved that he was on the right track.
Best quote: "If a man hasn't found something he will die for, he isn't fit to live."
Number 4
John Wayne-- Born Marion Michael Morrison, the "Duke" was forced to leave college after an injury put an end to his football playing days. He had been working odd jobs at Fox Studios when he was finally noticed by executives. After a lead role in a major production failed to make him a star, he began to appear in low-budget films. The movie that put him on the map was 1939's Stagecoach , directed by John Ford, with whom Wayne would have a long professional relationship. The Duke became famous for playing tough guys in westerns and war pictures. He is the personification of the American of those days, a private and honest man of action.
Best quote: "I never trust a man that doesn't drink."
Number 3
Elvis Presley-- Since his death, he's been spotted at grocery stores, gas stations and diners; irrefutable evidence that his fans will love him eternally and still can't seem to accept his passing. On January 8, 1935, Elvis was lucky enough to survive his birth, which his twin brother regrettably failed to do. Growing up in a poor and religious home in Tupelo, Mississippi, he taught himself how to play the guitar.
After graduating from high school, he recorded a song for his mother, which attracted the attention of a small-time producer. Elvis then recorded a couple of rockabilly singles, which became local hits. After he signed with a national label and did a few television appearances, he finally shocked the nation in 1956 as a performer on The Ed Sullivan Show -- the nation had never heard, or seen, anything like it before. Although he also became a star on the silver screen with roles in Blue Hawaii and Roustabout , he will always be known as the King of Rock 'n' Roll. He was found dead on August 16, 1977, at his Memphis estate, known as Graceland.
Best quote: "I don't know anything about music. In my line you don't have to."
Number 2
Marilyn Monroe-- Marilyn Monroe proved that where there's a will, there's a way. Née Norma Jean Mortenson, she overcame a childhood of abuse in foster homes, worked as a swimsuit model, and eventually became one of the most famous movie stars of all time. Her life was often regarded as a fairytale and her legendary marriage to baseball great Joe DiMaggio was the hallmark of this perception.
Her performances in films like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Some Like It Hot confirmed she had as much talent as she did beauty. She even allegedly had affairs with President Kennedy and his attorney general, Bobby Kennedy. Her tragic death on August 5, 1962 was ruled a suicide by overmedication, which only intensified her perpetual allure and legendary status.
Best quote: "Sex is a part of nature. I go along with nature."
Number 1
John Fitzgerald Kennedy -- The Kennedy clan is often considered the only Royal family the United States has ever had. What makes it so is not their wealth or political role, but rather the aura of nobility surrounding them. JFK was the embodiment of this. A Navy officer during World War II, he became a congressman in 1947 and a U.S. senator in 1952. Nine years later, he led the Democratic Party to the White House, becoming the 35th American president. His term in office was often dubbed the New Frontier since it was an era of change. He put an end to segregation, established the Peace Corps, and masterminded the resolution of the Cuban missile crisis. Unfortunately, he is often best remembered for his assassination in November 1963. For all his youthful energy and magnetism, he represented the quintessence of America.
Best quote: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
Need to ditch a few of these and add George Patton, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Ben Franklin.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy -- The Kennedy clan is often considered the only Royal family the United States has ever had. What makes it so is not their wealth or political role, but rather the aura of nobility surrounding them. JFK was the embodiment of this. A Navy officer during World War II, he became a congressman in 1947 and a U.S. senator in 1952. Nine years later, he led the Democratic Party to the White House, becoming the 35th American president. His term in office was often dubbed the New Frontier since it was an era of change. He put an end to segregation, established the Peace Corps, and masterminded the resolution of the Cuban missile crisis. Unfortunately, he is often best remembered for his assassination in November 1963. For all his youthful energy and magnetism, he represented the quintessence of America.
Best quote: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
This man certainly has benefited posthumously from overwhelmingly great PR. He gave some good speeches, but other being a great champion of the space program, I can think of no postive accomplishment.
Plus he left us his brother Ted as senator-for-life!
I give him credit for being patriotic, despite his general ineptitude. Too bad the party he left behind became anti-american, pro-communist and pro-terrorist. He's turning in his grave.
Yes he was patriotic, certainly more than any Dem today. But he really started the Viet Nam war in earnest, which ultimately led to the Dem Party becoming the far left entity it is today. Ironic huh?
It's not that the left hates war. It's that the left hates the idea of America winning. Todays democrats are the most vile and disgusting group of traitors in our history.
My favorite quote from JFK is "Ich bin ein Berliner"
Apparently there was a doughnut being made in Berlin at the time that was called the Berliner. And since he used the word ein in that sentence he basically said
"I am a doughnut"
Screw that. GEORGE WASHINGTON is the greatest.
Maybe he just doesn't symbolize America TO FOREIGNERS as well - which is what I guess the gist of this thing is.
That said,
"they also need to have had a colossal influence in their field of expertise on the international scene."
What great influence did James Dean ever have? He made a few forgettable movies and then died. Martyr complex.
Marilyn Monroe, many more but mostly known for her alleged sexiness. She had no good movies.
These 2 are THE most over-rated "stars" of the screen, perhaps. And they both have 1 thing in common - they died during their careers, in the same era. I don't get why their faces are the 2 always plastered on sides of buildings, billboards, posters, art, as if they were the top movie stars of all time. BS.
There are just too many.
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Humphrey Bogart
Clark Gable
Thomas Edison
The Mercury astronauts
FDR
The Wright Brothers
Muddy Waters
Bob Dylan
Henry Ford
Andy Warhol
etc.
He was a MARTYR. It's the martyr complex. Just like Lincoln.
George Washington, Babe Ruth, Lucille Ball, Jimmy Stewart, and in a different sense, Al Capone and Lucky Luciano
Nice. I did not know that.
Are you kidding? We've only had one president since who could be said to be more conservative. He probably wouldn't be allowed in the GOP today for being to conservative. He reversed the trend of ever-increasing tacxation, by giving the biggest tax cut in history.
I would put Ben Franklin as the number 1 Icon. George Washington #2. Ronald Reagan #3.
For entertainers:
Louie Armstrong, Mark Twain, Hemmingway, John Wayne, Elvis, Bogie, Sinatra, Clint Eastwood, & Dylan in no particular order.
I'd leave out Warhol and Gable, but not a bad list.
Indeed. Lucille Ball HAS to be on the list.
And Edward G Robinson.
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
Johnny Carson
The American GI
James Cagney
Jackie Onassis
Rogers and Hammerstein
Jimmy Stewart
Grace Kelly
Herman Melville
Billy Graham
Howard Hughes
etc.
Miles Davis
Dizzy Gillespie
Andrew Carnagie
Robert E Lee
Norman Rockwell
Alexander Hamilton
Rocky Marciano
Liz taylor
Bob Hope
Bing Crosby
Ralph Lauren
Farrah Fawcett/Cheryl Tiegs/Lauren Hutton, a/k/a The All-American Girl
Frank Lloyd Wright
Rock Hudson
Truman Capote
Jesse Owens
Mark Spitz
Lance Armstrong
Davey Crockett
Pocohontas
Chief Sitting Bull
Crazy Horse
Geronimo
Lewis and Clark
General Douglas MacArthur
Harry Truman
Amelia Earhart
You win! Gotta add Laurel and Hardy and the Three Stooges though!
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