This document lists and provides brief biographies of 25 famous Americans. It begins with short descriptions of the first few individuals - George Washington, the first US President; Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president who led the country during the Civil War; and author Mark Twain. The document then continues to discuss notable Americans from different fields including automaker Henry Ford, actor Humphrey Bogart, singer Billie Holiday, musician Elvis Presley, author Ernest Hemingway, actress Marilyn Monroe, president John F. Kennedy, musician Bob Dylan, boxer Muhammad Ali, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., astronaut Neil Armstrong, musician Jimi Hendrix, tennis player Billie Jean King, businessman Bill Gates, talk show

1. A short and catchy presentation
By : Nerissa R. Nacion
BLIS-3201

2. North America
 is a continent entirely within the Northern
Hemisphere and almost all within the Western
Hemisphere; it is also considered by some to be a
northern subcontinent of the Americas.

3. 25 Famous Americans
 There are literally millions of famous Americans, but here
are the most noteworthy ones according to us at
gapyear.com...

4. 1. George Washington (1732-1799)
 In 1789 Washington became the first president of the
United States. Even during his life time Washington
was labeled ‘father of his country’. Many observers
praised his horseman ship and great physical strength
– he privately opposed slavery.

5. 2. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
 Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States,
serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865.
Lincoln was from a poor family and was self educated.
During his time as president he led the United States
through the American Civil war, helped preserve
the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the
national government and modernized the economy.

6. 3. Mark Twain (1835-1910)
 Although better known by his pen name, Twain’s birth
name was actually Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He
was an American author and humorist made famous
by his ‘great American novel’ Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn. William Faulkner called Twain the
father of American literature.

7. 4. Henry Ford (1863-1947)
 Famous for being the founder of the Ford Motor
Company – whilst he did not invent the first
automobile, he did manufacture the first affordable
automobile. He became one of the richest and well
known people of the world. He ultimately
revolutionized transportation and American industry.

8. 5. Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957)
 In 1999 the American Film Industry labelled Bogart
the greatest male star in the history of American
Cinema. During his time as an actor he was widely
regarded as an American culture icon. His
performance is Casablancaraised him to the peak of
his profession.

9. 6. Billie Holiday (1915-1959)
 Born as Eleanora Fagan, Holiday had a rough
childhood. Her mother often worked away, she was
sent to Catholic reform school twice before the age of
14 and spent time in prison. She started singing in 1929
at various clubs in Harlem and by 1940 she was signed.
She is said to have changed the art of American pop
vocals forever; famous songs include God Bless the
Child and Don’t Explain.

10. 7. Elvis Presley (1935-1977)
 Often referred to as ‘the King’, Elvis was one of the
most important cultural icons of the 20th century. A
shy boy he was often bullied at school and told he
could not sing. He began to stand out more in his
junior year due to his appearances. His first recordings
were with Sun records in 1953 but his debut album was
released in 1956 which is famous for the single blue
suede shoes.

11. 8. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)
 Hemingway was an American author and journalist
who had a strong influence on 20th Century fiction. In
1954 he won the Nobel Prize in literature and to this
day many of his works are known as American classics.
Hemingway had four wives in his lifetime and
tragically committed suicide in 1961.

12. 9. Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962)
 Born as Norma Mortenson, Monroe spent much of her
childhood in foster homes. She started her career as a
model but was offered a film contract from twentieth
century-fox in 1946. She starred in a number of
successful motion pictures during the 1950’s and
became a major sex symbol. The film Some like it
Hot was one of her biggest successes for which she
received a Golden Globe Award.

13. 10. John F Kennedy (1917-1963)
 Often referred to as JFK, he was the 35th president of
the United States, serving from 1961 until his
assassination in 1963. At 43 years old he was the
second youngest president after Theodore Roosevelt
and as a Catholic he was the only non-Protestant
president. He was also the only president to win a
Pulitzer Prize. In 1961 JFK announced the goal of
landing a man on the moon.

14. 11. Bob Dylan (1941)
 Born as Robert Zimmerman he legally changed his
name to Bob Dylan in 1962. In 1959 Dylan enrolled at
the University of Minnesota where he discovered his
passion for American folk music. In the 1960’s Dylan
moved to NYC and signed a contract with Albert
Grossman. He is now known as an American
musician, singer-songwriter, music producer, artist,
and writer. He has been an influential figure in
popular music and culture for more than five decades.

15. 12. Muhammad Ali (1942)
 Ali is considered one of the greatest professional
heavy-weight boxers in sports history. He is not only
praised for his skills in the ring but for the values he
expresses out of it: religious freedom and racial justice.
Born Cassius Clay he changed his name to Muhammad
Ali at the age of 22 when he converted to the Nation of
Islam after he won World Heavy-Weight Champion in
1964. He later went on to become the first and only
three-time lineal World Heavyweight Champion.

16. 13. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-
1968)
 MLK was an American clergyman, activist, and leader
in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is
best known for his role in the advancement of civil
rights in a non-violent manner and his speech ‘I Had a
Dream.’ MLK has since become a national icon in the
history of American progressivism. His assassination
in 1968 led to a wave of race riots across America.

17. 14. Neil Armstrong (1930 -2012)
 A famous American astronaut, Armstrong was the first
person to walk on the moon. Armstrong was a very
humble person and was referred to as a reluctant
American Hero. Before becoming an astronaut
Armstrong was an officer in the U.S Navy and served
in the Korean War.

18. 15. Jimi Hendrix (1942 – 1970)
 Hendrix is regarded as one of the most influential
electric guitarists in the history of pop music.
Although he only had 4 years of mainstream exposure
he is still one of the most celebrated American
musicians, singers and song-writers of the
20th century. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame in 1992 and into the UK Music Hall of
Fame in 2005.

19. 16. Billie Jean King (1943)
 King is a former World No.1 American professional
tennis player. She has won thirty nine Grand Slam
titles in her time. King was the USA’s captain in the
Federation cup for 3 years. At 29 years old she won the
battle of the sexes match against Bobby Riggs in 1973
as part of her stand up for sexual equality. In 1987 she
was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of
Fame.

20. 17. Bill Gates (1955)
 Bill Gates is the current chairman and former CEO of
the world’s largest personal-computer software
company, Microsoft. A Company he co-founded with
Paul Allen. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires
List, Gates is the world’s richest person this year – a
title he also held in 2007. Time magazine named Gates
one of the 100 people who most influenced the
20th century.

21. 18. Oprah Winfrey (1954)
 Born in to poverty, Winfrey had a hard time
throughout childhood. After landing a radio job and
co-anchoring the local evening news at the age of 19
she eventually got transferred to the daytime-talk show
arena. After boosting her 3rd place local Chicago talk
show to 1st place, she launched her own production
company. She is now the internationally recognised
talk show host, actress and producer you see today;
best known for her multi-award winning talk show:
The Oprah Winfrey Show.

22. 19. Monica Lewinsky (1973)
 Lewinsky is known for her affair with President Bill
Clinton, which took place while she worked in the
White House from 1995 – 1996. The affair became
known as the Lewinsky scandal and caused serious
repercussions such as Clinton’s impeachment. She
later created a line of handbags, became an advertising
spokesperson for a diet plan and obtained a masters
degree in psychology in London.

23. 20. Michael Jackson (1958-2009)
 The well known singer-songwriter, dancer and
business man, Michael Jackson is referred to as ‘The
King of Pop.’ The Guinness book of world records
recognised him as the most successful entertainer of
all time; he was a global figure in popular culture for
over 4 decades. MJ started off his career in the Jackson
5 and later became a solo act. His album Thiller is the
best selling album of all time.

24. 21. Britney Spears (1981)
 Britney is an American pop singer, dancer and actress.
After appearing in stage productions and TV shows as
a child she was signed to Jive records in 1997, shortly
after she was established as a pop icon and credited
with the revival of teen pop. She is best know for
tracks Baby one more time and Oop’s…I did it again; as
well as her personal struggles, such as shaving her
head in 2007. She made a comeback with the
album Circus and has since been an X Factor judge and
released her 8th album.

25. 22. Johnny Depp (1963)
 Depp is a much loved and swooned after actor, film
producer and musician. He became a teen idol in the
1980’s due to the TV series 21 Jump Street but later
turned to film. In 1990 he had a break through as
Edward Sissorhands and has since won best actor
awards such as the Golden Globe for Sweeny Todd and
Screen Actors Guild for Pirates of the Caribbean, as
well as ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ by People magazine.

26. 23. The Simpsons
 Everyone knows the longest-running American sitcom
the Simpsons. An animated cartoon created by Matt
Groening in 1989. The cartoon parodies American
culture, society, television and many aspects of
the human condition by following the lives of Homer,
Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie – a middle class
American family who live in the fictional town of
Springfield.

27. 24. Sarah Palin (1964)
 Palin is an American politician, commentator and author;
she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major
party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice
presidency. Palin was considered a potential candidate for
the 2012 presidential election until she announced in
October 2011 that she would not run Her book Going
Rogue has sold more than two million copies and since
January 2010, she has provided political commentary
for Fox News, and hosted a television show, Sarah Palin's
Alaska.

28. 25. Barack Obama (1961)
 Obama is the current and 44th President of the USA. He is
the first African-American to hold the office. Obama
became president in 2009 and 9 months later he was
named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. So far he has
become the first U.S. president to publicly supportsame-
sex marriage, ended U.S. military involvement in the Iraq
War, increased troop levels in Afghanistan, signed the New
START arms control treaty with Russia, ordered U.S.
military involvement in Libya, and ordered the military
operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden.

29. And that’s it, 25 very famous Americans. If you’re
heading to United States of America then make sure
you check out our info on the history and how to get
around when you’re there!

30. THANK YOU ! 