1001 People Who Made America

Who are the pivotal figures in American history, the men and women who have helped shape us as a people and have influenced how we perceive ourselves as Americans? In this companion to his popular 1001 Events That Made America, Alan Axelrod looks into all areas of our collective past and highlights the famous as well as the infamous, the virtuous as well as the notorious, from the nation’s earliest days to the present.

Serving up history in lively, accessible bites, the book presents a Who’s Who in American politics, arts, science, business, religion, and pop culture, along with concise explanations of each figure’s historical significance. Featured personalities range from Jesse James to Al Capone, Harriet Beecher Stowe to Betty Friedan, George Washington to George W. Bush, Harriet Tubman to Martin Luther King, Jr., Stephen Foster to Elvis, John L. Sullivan to Muhammad Ali, Edwin Booth to Marlon Brando, Washington Irving to Thomas Pynchon, and John Jacob Astor to Bill Gates.

Packed with information and insight, 1001 People Who Made America gives readers a deeper understanding of what it means to be an American. The appealing design and easy-to-read format invite browsing and sharing.

Alan Axelrod is the author of two BusinessWeek bestsellers about great leaders, Patton on Leadership, and Queen Elizabeth I, CEO, as well as numerous other books on history, including 1001 Events That Made America, What Every American Should Know About American History, The Penguin Dictionary of American Folklore, and the Encyclopedia of the American West. A veteran of more than twenty years in publishing, he lives in Atlanta, Georgia.