1

Hedy Lamarr

Image: Geoffroy Berlioz

Best known for her 1930s–40s film career, Hollywood icon Hedy Lamarr also co-invented frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology to prevent enemy jamming in WWII. And if you think it’s no big deal, know it’s the basis for modern Bluetooth and Wi-Fi!

While largely overlooked as an inventor at her time, she was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.

2

Sybil Ludington

Image: Taylor Brandon

According to many historians, at just 16 years old, Sybil Ludington rode about 40 miles through the night in 1777 to alert American militia of a British attack on Danbury, Connecticut.

This would make her ride roughly twice as long as Paul Revere’s . While some scholars question the veracity of her story, a statue stands in her honor in Putnam County, New York.

3

Bass Reeves

Image: Pramod Tiwari

Born into slavery in 1838, Reeves became one of the first Black U.S. Deputy Marshals west of the Mississippi. He made over 3,000 arrests during his law enforcement career.

Many historians believe his exploits may have inspired the Lone Ranger character, although his name rarely appears in history textbooks.

4

Mary Edwards Walker

Image: David Trinks

A Civil War surgeon and suffragist, Walker treated soldiers on the front lines and was even captured as a prisoner of war.

In 1865, she became the first woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor. Her unorthodox dress style and fearless activism made her a striking figure in 19th-century America.

5

Clara Barton

Image: Kevin Paes

Known as the "Angel of the Battlefield," Barton provided medical care during the Civil War and later founded the American Red Cross in 1881.

Though once a household name, her legacy has faded compared to other, more widely remembered wartime figures.

6

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

Image: Chris Chow

A college professor turned Union colonel, Chamberlain famously held Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg, a pivotal moment in the Civil War.

He was awarded the Medal of Honor and later became governor of Maine, but his unexpected battlefield brilliance is often overlooked in Civil War discussions.

7

Robert Smalls

Image: Ian Hutchinson

In 1862, Smalls, a formerly enslaved sailor, seized a Confederate ship and delivered it to Union forces, securing freedom for himself and his crew.

He later served five terms in Congress, advocating for Black education and civil rights.

8

Harvey Wiley

Image: Diana Polekhina

Known as the "Father of the FDA," Harvey Wiley was a chief chemist in the late 1800s whose "Poison Squad" tested various food additives, leading to the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act.

This law laid the foundation for the FDA and led to the removal of many dangerous substances from consumer products. Notably, it prompted Coca-Cola to eliminate cocaine from its formula in the early 20th century.

9

George Washington Carver

Image: Dan Meyers

More than just being associated with peanuts, George Washington Carver developed numerous innovative crop rotation methods and created over 300 uses for peanuts, sweet potatoes, and other plants to help Southern agriculture recover after the Civil War.

10

Joe Medicine Crow

Image: Boston Public Library

The last war chief of the Crow Nation, Joe Medicine Crow, completed several traditional war deeds during WWII—including counting coup and stealing enemy horses —and earned both the Bronze Star and the French Légion d’honneur.

Part of his legacy was bridging Native American warrior traditions with modern military service, honoring both cultural heritage and patriotic duty.

1

Pan Am

Image: Rob Wilson

If a single name were to represent the airline industry in the 20th century, it would most likely be Pan Am. Founded as Pan American Airways in 1927, the company became an American icon , known for its many airline innovations , its distinctive blue logo, and the crisp white uniforms of its staff.

However, when the airline industry was deregulated in 1978, increased competition set the stage for Pan Am’s downfall. The company declined throughout the 1980s and ultimately declared bankruptcy in 1991.

2

Borders

Image: Araix Rand

Its huge stores were havens for book lovers, who could spend hours wandering its aisles, browsing and perusing its vast catalog of books , magazines , CDs , and more. But, alas, none of these stores had been profitable since the mid-2000s.

In 2011, after the company filed for bankruptcy, every single store was closed. Its trademarks were later purchased by its prominent rival, Barnes & Noble.

3

Circuit City

Image: Austin Distel

Starting its life as Wards Company in 1948, Circuit City became one of America’s most recognizable brands in the consumer electronics retail business . However, the turn of the century brought significant changes and financial difficulties, ultimately leading the company to file for bankruptcy in 2008.

4

Tower Records

Image: Lucía Garó

In a similar vein to Borders, Tower Records was a haven for music lovers who enjoyed the vast selection of music available in its stores. And, much like Borders, music stores have largely gone the way of the dodo.

Managerial blunders and the rise of internet piracy contributed to the company filing for bankruptcy twice—first in 2004 and again in 2006. Its assets were sold at auction to Great American Group, and the last store closed in December 2006.

5

Trans World Airlines (TWA)

Image: Ross Parmly

Pan Am was not the only major airline to disappear. The once-powerful TWA met the same fate, operating from 1930 until it was acquired by American Airlines in 2001 . It was once one of the "Big Four" domestic airlines in the United States, alongside United, Eastern, and the aforementioned American.

6

Blockbuster

Image: Bruno Guerrero

Another demise that hit hard for loyal customers was Blockbuster. While the VHS rental behemoth dominated the market throughout the ’90s and early 2000s —with over 9,000 stores and 84,000 employees—the lethal combination of the internet and piracy proved too much to withstand. As a result, the company gradually closed nearly all its stores, leaving only one remaining today in Bend, Oregon.

7

Amoco

Image: Markus Spiske

The first name on this list to disappear not due to financial difficulties but because of a merger, Amoco was a giant in the oil and gas industry. Founded in 1910, it became the largest natural gas producer in North America by the late ’90s .

In 1998, it merged with British Petroleum in a $61 billion deal. Existing service stations were rebranded under the BP name, and the Amoco brand gradually faded from view.

8

Compaq

Image: ThisisEngineering

In the ’90s, Compaq was a major player in the computer industry and, at one point, the largest supplier of PC systems in the US . However, as the century came to an end, lower-cost competitors like Dell began attracting consumers and chipping away at Compaq’s market share. In 2002, the company merged with Hewlett-Packard, and the Compaq name gradually faded away.

9

Woolworths

Image: Kay Enn

The original five-and-dime store, Woolworths, was a pioneer in the retail industry in the late 1800s . It managed to survive—and even thrive—through most of the 20th century, but by 1989, it had entered a steady decline.

Following a 1993 restructuring that led to the closure of half its 800 stores, the rest gradually shut down. While the Woolworths retail brand and name have disappeared, the company rebranded as the Venator Group in 2001 and shifted its focus to its footwear division. Today, you might know it as Foot Locker.

10

Howard Johnson’s

Image: Francesca Saraco

The last name on our list is a familiar one, especially to travelers. The iconic Howard Johnson’s began as a single ice cream stand outside Boston, Mass., before expanding to over 1,000 restaurants. In the 1950s, the chain introduced motor lodges at nearly 300 of its locations.

Howard Johnson’s was sold to Marriott in the 1980s, and most of its restaurants gradually shut down. The last remaining location, in Lake George, N.Y., closed its doors in 2017.

1

Mourning Dove

Image: Anish Lakkapragada

The melancholic name of the mourning dove comes from its sad call , which the casual listener might mistake for an owl. Mourning Doves inhabit a wide range of open habitats, including suburbs and urban parks.

Their call is generally referred to as the "perch coo," a song sung by an unmated male from a perch. These birds have other well-known nicknames, such as "turtle doves" and "rain doves."

2

Northern Mockingbird

Image: Tyler Jamieson Moulton

More than just mockers, mockingbirds are expert singers, continuously adding new imitations of other birds' songs to their repertoires and sometimes mimicking unnatural sounds, such as car alarms. Northern mockingbirds may learn up to 200 different sounds.

These medium-sized, long-tailed gray songbirds prefer open habitats with a scattering of shrubs and small trees. They eat a wide variety of fruits, invertebrates, and even small vertebrates, such as lizards.

3

White-breasted Nuthatch

Image: Patrice Bouchard

You can recognize this bird by its white face and underside, bluish back and wings, dark crown, nasal "yank-yank" call, and its habit of creeping down tree trunks headfirst.

The name "nuthatch" is derived from "nut hacker," reflecting the bird's method of opening up nuts by jamming them into a crevice and then hammering at them.

4

Downy Woodpecker

Image: Joshua J. Cotten

The smallest woodpecker in North America, the Downy Woodpecker is a stubby-billed, black-and-white bird that inhabits deciduous woods and tree-filled urban and suburban parklands. It forages on trees, shrubs, and large weeds for insects and other arthropods.

The "downy" in this bird's common name refers to the soft, white feathers of its long, white back stripe . The "woodpecker" part refers to the fact that this bird pecks bark, looking for termites hidden underneath it.

5

House Finch

Image: Patrice Bouchard

Originally found only in the West, the House Finch was introduced to the eastern U.S. in 1939, when a few individuals were released from a pet store. The word "finch" comes from the German idiom fink , which refers to a lively or cheerful person —a description that certainly fits this active and gregarious songbird. The term "house" refers to the bird’s tendency to hang around human dwellings.

6

Song Sparrow

Image: Patrick Fobian

Song Sparrows, as their name suggests, sing a cheerful and recognizable song. Although these birds can be found in a wide range of habitats, their favorite spots are often close to streams and other sources of fresh water.

The English word "sparrow" derives from the Anglo-Saxon word spearwa . This term means "flutterer," an apt description for this active songbird.

7

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Image: Joshua J. Cotten

The only hummingbird that regularly breeds in the eastern U.S. is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. The male's metallic-looking red throat, or "gorget," explains the first part of the name. And the hummingbird part comes from the humming sound their wings make as they fly.

8

Blue Jay

Image: David Bridle

The "bullies" of the birdfeeder, Blue Jays' name comes from the bird's noisy, garrulous nature. This term has also been applied to other birds of the same family, which are generally gregarious as well.

Before approaching a feeder, Blue Jays often give harsh calls that sound like those of hawks, perhaps to scare off other birds that might compete for access to the bird seed.

9

Tufted Titmouse

Image: Paul Crook

These curiously named birds form longer-lasting family units than many other songbirds, with their younglings sometimes even hanging around for a second year to help raise younger siblings. The "titmouse" name has nothing to do with rodents, but instead comes from an Old English phrase meaning "small bird."

10

Spotted Towhee

Image: Anish Lakkapragada

Spotted Towhees are members of the sparrow family. These birds have dark heads and backs, white spots on their wings, rusty sides, and striking red eyes. Their song is a simple trill.

The name "towhee" is a simulation of the bird's call and it was coined in 1731 by the naturalist and bird artist, Mark Catesby.