Who Was The Greatest American?

Stumpy,
Mine's 1946, so I must be up there
with good old uns!!

You guys make me feel like a kid, and I was born in 1954.

Emmanuel.

You are a kid, emmanuel,
I don't know how you take all that Guinness
at your age!!!

Looks like I'm in the middle of the older guys here, born September 13, 1942.
Cheers - Jay

Jay,
you act so much younger than some of us guys,
perhaps that San Antone, sunshine
makes you look younger,
Cheers Texan buddy!

Hi ethan and akll the other wrinklies

I shade you by three years or probably two and a half to be accurate.

I was born on 31st August 1943.

As a point of fact John Ford died on my 30th birthday

and Princess Diana also died on my birthday.

Regards

Arthur

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Originally posted by ethanedwards@Jun 10 2005, 03:36 PM
Jay,
you act so much younger than some of us guys,
perhaps that San Antone, sunshine
makes you look younger,
Cheers Texan buddy!

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Hey ethan -
Yeah, we're getting a lot of sun right now and our temperatures here in S.A. are about average - mid 90s - approaching 100s as we get into July and August. I don't think any of that helps me act younger, though. Actually, sometimes I wonder how I got in my sixties. It just seems a short time ago that I was in my thirties and forties.
I imagine your weather there is somewhat cooler, my English buddy. It's this time of year I kinda yearn for a cooler climate.
Cheers - Jay

Jay come on up to Minnesota. We just started getting warm weather. Its in the lower 80's. Today it only got to the upper 60's though. They are talking upper 70's the rest of the week. But if you want cool weather, come on up when winter is here. Thats when things get fun!!

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Originally posted by Stumpy@Jun 9 2005, 04:44 PM
In considering lists like this, one must remember the "generation gap" that exists.

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Our son, Christopher, and and smokey's boy, Alex are in that group with Robbie. Saturday evening we were camping out with the Cub Scouts, and Christopher said something about John Wayne, and all the kids looked at him with a blank stare and said, "Who's John Wayne??" He replied, "He's the best movie star ever!" and went on to tell the story of the Duke coming out of his house early one morning to retrieve the newspaper (sans toupee ), and the neighbor boy, not accustomed to seeing him that way, asked, "Golly, Mr. Wayne, what happened to your hair?" to which the Duke answered, "The Indians got it! :o " (thanks, Chilibill, for originally sharing that story!).

Chester

I think those votings are not so important as long as you know yourself who is the greatest, those votings on the greatest are just dont right.

For example about an year here in Holland there was also a huge television show about who was the greatest dutch person. Everyone would have expected William of Orange to win who was the founding father of our nation or Michiel de Ruyter our greatest naval hero to win.

But unfortunately Pim Fortuyn won, a dutch politician who was shot about 3 years ago won, that is in mine view just bullshit.
I mean in 30 years everyone will have forgotten him.

cya Jwfan

I just saw the list of the 100 nominees, I am no American but I really miss some persons of the list, for example Robert. E. Lee, cause he is I think here in Europe together with Patton the most famous American military commander.

I see to few historical persons on the list, and for example Schwarzenegger dont belongs on the list.

cya Jwfan

You know JWFan,

That's a good point. Those two should have been listed over a majority of those others on that silly list. I can't believe some of those people on that list. There are others I guess should have made that list as well. If you really think about it, I think it is next to impossible to name the greatest American. I could be on that list myself, I think of myself as a great American, and others here on the board like chilibill, chester & the mrs., Kevin, Stumpy and many others so how do you choose a greatest American?

I mean, Sitting Bull could be a great one since he was a native American. And what about Christopher Columbus, who discovered America? I could go on and on.

Cheers B)

hi hondo,

Columbus was Portugese and discovered South America.
The British Henry Hudson in service of the dutch WIC discovered the north, so he would claim the title more.

But you are right about how to choose the greatest American, when I think of America, I think of John Wayne, Indians and Mc Donalds.
I think the greatest American would be George Washington or someone like Lincoln but no Oprah Winfrey

cya Danny

This list is like a 100 best movies list. It's open to everyone's interpretation of what titles (or in this case) whice people are chosen. Since that's the case, I have a choice for two all time best Americans and both are Soldiers-soldiers.

They are: General Robert Edward Lee (The most beloved American General of all time) and 2nd Lieutenant and Medal of Honor Recipient: Audie Leon Murphy. Audie was a born and raised Texan, and was born near San Antonio.

I think if this list were to be anywhere an accurane one, I think that there should be several catagories to choose from a pool of 100 (from each catagory)

Ex:

100 best soldiers.
100 best politicians (IF we could find enough ""best politicians""
100 best scientists.
100 best inventers.
100 best Doctors.
100 best actors.
100 best musicians.
100 best sports figures.
100 best businesspeople.

Carl,

Maybe we could cut that down to a top 25 or even better a top 10 of those categories. But that is very good. When SI made their list of top athletics, I could never figure how some of them made the list because of the wide range field, and Ali the top sports athletic in the century, I don't agree with but he is a great one. So getting a list like that is in my opinion is very difficult.

Cheers B)

Hi

Speaking as a 'foriegner' perhaps the best way to decide the greatest of anything is to arrange your greats in decades in a list brought down to say three or four contestants on each list. The winners of each decade go on to the semi finals .That way you would have cut out the also rans and would be left with possibly twenty winners who would then go into the final, I think that way you would have a truly representative greatest of all winner.

When you look at the contests to find the greatest of anything today only the young vote and that is why the winners are all post war or later.

Regards

Arthur

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Originally posted by arthurarnell@Jun 25 2005, 10:47 AM
When you look at the contests to find the greatest of anything today only the young vote and that is why the winners are all post war or later.

That's exactly right, Arthur. The "generation gap" in play. We can see it on IMDB's list of "greatest" movies.

I am still perplexed and perturbed at how Oprah made it into the top 5 Greatest Americans on the Discovery Channel. I will challenge anybody to explain to me just what she has done that is so great that she would be a better choice then a past president, war hero, ect....... That just boggles my mind

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Originally posted by SXViper@Jun 25 2005, 02:38 PM
I am still perplexed and perturbed at how Oprah made it into the top 5 Greatest Americans on the Discovery Channel. I will challenge anybody to explain to me just what she has done that is so great that she would be a better choice then a past president, war hero, ect....... That just boggles my mind

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Lol I agree 100% she along with Jerry Springer were two of the worst imports to the UK from the USA.

Hi Hondo, personally i'd have tons of trouble in coming up with even a few names in most of those catagories adn then they would all stilll be only MHO ;-)) Just really too many possible candidates that could be chosen from.

I agree with everything you all said though. Also, I can't fathom Oprah Winfrey being in the top 100. I think she was placed there partly because of the thing she did last year or earlier this year when she "gave" away cars to everyone in her audience. It turns out that she really did not give anything away rather that it did not cost her a penny to do so. It was an ingenious marketing ploy on her part though. All those people with the "free" cars still had to pay taxes on them. I doubt the taxes on them were more than a few thousand bucks though. ;-))

I have to give her credit though, I did watch many-a-good show of hers (in years past) and if anyone chose Jerry Springer as a choice in the top 100, they definately need to see a shrink. If it came to having to have a springer in the top 100, then my choice would be Heinrich Springer, and he aint even an American.