Top 10: American Icons

Top 10: American Icons

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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."

    Jimmy, Jordan and more...


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