The Smithsonian has published their list of the 100 most influential people of all time. Admittedly, the list relied upon ranking algorithms that only apply to the internet age. That said, among the 100 people are the following:
- Abraham Lincoln
- Andy Warhol
- Elvis Presley
- George Washington
- Franklin Roosevelt
- Neil Armstrong
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Frederick Douglass
- Eleanor Roosevelt
- Sarah Palin
- Hellen Keller
- Thomas Jefferson
- Frank Sinatra
- Michael Jackson
- Mark Twain
- Walt Disney
- George W. Bush
- Henry Ford
- Jackie Robinson
- Babe Ruth
- Steve Jobs
- Muhammad Ali
Sports figures, entertainers, authors, and symbols of Americana such as Andy Warhol and Elvis Presley were on the list. Curiously, Barrack Obama was absent and this has many on the political left riled up.
They believe that George W. Bush should not have made the list, but the name drawing their ire is the woman they freely allow to be marred with misogynist remarks: Sarah Palin.
However, it is an indication that Palin remains a force in the US political scene since being picked as McCain’s 2008 running mate. She was the earliest leader of what would rapidly become the Tea Party movement which has reshaped the American political scene.
This doesn’t meant that President Obama isn’t relevant as the sitting president. As the nation’s first Black president, it would seem a given he too would be on the list.