I have always wanted to put a list together of the 10 most influential United States (or pre-US colonial) citizens. After the fold I will start with a list that I think should serve as a good starting point but I would like to hear what you think as well. If you disagree with my choices, please let me know why. If I am off the mark we will rearrange the list. [original post - 12/2005]
Update: Atlantic Magazine picks the top 100 most influential Americans. How did my choices compare? See below.

The key to this list is "influential." I am not looking for celebrity but rather accomplishment. Basically, who made the biggest difference?

Ten Most Influential United States* Citizens

1. George Washington (2)
2. Wilbur/Orville Wright [count as one](23)
3. Thomas Alva Edison (9)
4. Abraham Lincoln (1)
5. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (4)
6. Henry Ford (14)
7. Benjamin Franklin (6)
8. Martin Luther King Jr. (8)
9. Thomas Jefferson (3)
10. Alexander Graham Bell (24)

*Including citizens of the British Colonies prior to Independence

Update: The numbers in parenthesis after the name is where they ended up in the Atlantic list. I didn't do too bad generally. We had seven of the same picks out of ten. Obviously, I put a little more emphasis on the technical contributors while they were impressed by the political side (I picked the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell instead of Alexander Hamilton, John Marshall and Woodrow Wilson). I'll stick with my choices. We live in a technical society. Visit the link and tell me what you think.
[Link - Atlantic Magazine]