The original self-made man forged America’s industrial might and became one of the nation’s greatest philanthropists.

21 Harry Truman

An accidental president, this machine politician ushered in the Atomic Age and then the Cold War.

22 Walt Whitman

He sang of America and shaped the country’s conception of itself.

23 Wright Brothers

They got us all off the ground.

24 Alexander Graham Bell

By inventing the telephone, he opened the age of telecommunications and shrank the world.

25 John Adams

His leadership made the American Revolution possible; his devotion to republicanism made it succeed.

26 Walt Disney

The quintessential entertainer-entrepreneur, he wielded unmatched influence over our childhood.

27 Eli Whitney

His gin made cotton king and sustained an empire for slavery.

28 Dwight Eisenhower

He won a war and two elections, and made everybody like Ike.

29 Earl Warren

His Supreme Court transformed American society and bequeathed to us the culture wars.

30 Elizabeth Cady Stanton