From rocket science to rock and roll, America has always fostered a climate of innovation—an environment that has enabled certain people to achieve success in many different fields. Louis Armstrong, Thomas Edison, J.P. Morgan, Linus Pauling, Elvis Presley, Theodore Roosevelt, Gloria Steinem, and Oprah Winfrey: all of these seemingly ordinary people served as change agents in American culture.
100 People Who Changed 20th-Century America provides a two-volume encyclopedia of the individuals whose contributions to society made the 20th century what it was. Comprising contributions from 20 academics and experts in their field, the thought-provoking essays examine the men and women who have shaped the modern American cultural experience—change agents who defined their time period as a result of their talent, imagination, and enterprise. Organized chronologically by the subjects’ birthdates, the essays are written to be accessible to the general reader yet provide in-depth information for scholars, ensuring that the work will appeal to many audiences.
