# Who is the most famous person BORN in your state? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 11, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341 "2010-11-11T18:41:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/181 "2010-11-23T02:35:57Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Hmm, I live in Illinois (i.e., the “Land of Lincoln”) and was going to say “Abraham Lincoln,” then saw this and googled it up and sure enough. > > So, I got nothin’. WOW,swooosh eh RR 😉 … Please tell me there is a “general knowledge section” on the Illinois Bar exam. Wow…just wow. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/182 "2010-11-23T02:52:23Z")
Maryland / Nancy D’Alesandro Pelosi. She may not be _quite_ as famous as Francis Scott Key, or the immortal Babe. But I do believe her name is fairly well known these days. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/183 "2010-11-23T03:19:08Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > Would someone care to weed out the nobodies from [Wikipedia’s list of famous Rhode Islanders](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Rhode_Island) and present some good choices? For most famous within the US, I would say Richard Hatch. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/184 "2010-11-23T19:13:40Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Maryland / Nancy D’Alesandro Pelosi. She may not be _quite_ as famous as Francis Scott Key, or the immortal Babe. But I do believe her name is fairly well known these days. I seriously doubt that, world-wide, Nancy Pelosi is better-known than Frank Zappa. Do you think she beats him? > [@amarone](#): > > For most famous within the US, I would say Richard Hatch. Is that the best Rhode Island has to offer? :dubious: I’m going to have to go through that list myself as time permits later today. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/185 "2010-11-23T19:20:54Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > I guess it’s just the “international” part that trips me up. I doubt if most people outside the U.S. would recognize 50 American names. I mean, off the top of your head, name 50 Spaniards. I think “most famous in America” is a much better measure. I forgot to address this. Firstly: population of Spain approx. 46 million, population of US approx. 310 million. Spain has approx. 15% of the US population. So instead of 50, you would have to pick the top 8 most popular Spaniards. Secondly, if you asked me to name the top 8 most famous Spaniards, I might not know. But if you gave me a list of the top 8 most famous Spaniards, I bet you any amount of money I would know who all of them are. Being able to name them is much harder. I’m not saying that eveybody could name the 50 people in the list I hope to come up with, but I’m saying that a lot of people could recognize those names. And in any case, even if the person is fairly obscure, there is still a most famous person, even if the most famous person is not all that impressive (I’m looking at you, Rhode Island!) ---
**Author:** ![WreckingCrew](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wreckingcrew/32/4080_2.png) [@WreckingCrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WreckingCrew)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/186 "2010-11-23T20:17:53Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > Is that the best Rhode Island has to offer? :dubious: I’m going to have to go through that list myself as time permits later today. I once had the pleasure of being stuck behind James Woods at a Warwick, RI post office when he had many important things to mail. He also had some flunkies with him, to whom such tasks you think would fall. I also shook his hand outside a supermarket when his brother was running for mayor (his platform seemed to be “my brother is a movie star”) Other than that, I know of most of them, have met some of them and graduated High School with one. Nap Lajoie was so big that the Cleveland Indians were called the Naps for a decade. People should know Nathanael Greene, but don’t. Eh, how about Meredith Vieira? ---
**Author:** ![PeskiPiksi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@PeskiPiksi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeskiPiksi)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/187 "2010-11-23T21:45:51Z")
Anybody else think Laura Ingalls Wilder should beat at least Frank Lloyd Wright for Wisconsin? Isn’t she world famous? Her books have been translated into 40 different languages, inspired a long-running television show and two movies, plus a spin-off series of books. There are “Little House” museums all over the country. I don’t see how any American school child can get out of elementary school without having been exposed to her. Maybe some non-Americans can chime in on this one. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/188 "2010-11-23T21:49:56Z")
> [@PeskiPiksi](#): > > Anybody else think Laura Ingalls Wilder should beat at least Frank Lloyd Wright for Wisconsin? Isn’t she world famous? Her books have been translated into 40 different languages, inspired a long-running television show and two movies, plus a spin-off series of books. There are “Little House” museums all over the country. I don’t see how any American school child can get out of elementary school without having been exposed to her. > > Maybe some non-Americans can chime in on this one. Non-American but I have lived in the US for 16 years. I have never heard of Wilder, but regard Frank Lloyd Wright as famous enough to be known internationally. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/189 "2010-11-23T23:22:25Z")
I’d go with Hank Williams, Sr., for Alabama. He spent most of his life here and most of his best known songs were written in and about Alabama. Keller may be more famous internationally but it’s hard to count as Alabamian somebody who only lived here for 8 (out of 88) years, and ditto Nat King Cole who moved to Chicago (taking his family with him IIRC) when he was 4. It’d be like counting Capote as a Louisianan (he was born in New Orleans). George Wallace is perhaps better known in America but I doubt he’s that well known outside of the U.S. or to most Americans under 40, while they would recognize several HW songs even if they didn’t know who he was. Courtney Cox and Charles Barkley would be on the short list for living Alabamians. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/190 "2010-11-23T23:30:02Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I’d go with Hank Williams, Sr., for Alabama. He spent most of his life here and most of his best known songs were written in and about Alabama. > > Keller may be more famous internationally but it’s hard to count as Alabamian somebody who only lived here for 8 (out of 88) years. The title of this thread is “Who is the most famous person BORN in your state?” (OP’s emphasis). ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/191 "2010-11-23T23:45:32Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > The title of this thread is “Who is the most famous person BORN in your state?” (OP’s emphasis). It also said “Extra points if the person became famous while still living in that state.” I think Hank’s extra points are enough to trump Helen. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/192 "2010-11-24T07:03:46Z")
There are so many from Ohio, including several Presidents. But I think Steven Spielberg is more famous than any other. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/193 "2010-11-24T08:23:22Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > I forgot to address this. > Firstly: population of Spain approx. 46 million, population of US approx. 310 million. Spain has approx. 15% of the US population. So instead of 50, you would have to pick the top 8 most popular Spaniards. > > Secondly, if you asked me to name the top 8 most famous Spaniards, I might not know. But if you gave me a list of the top 8 most famous Spaniards, I bet you any amount of money I would know who all of them are. Being able to name them is much harder. I’m not saying that eveybody could name the 50 people in the list I hope to come up with, but I’m saying that a lot of people could recognize those names. And in any case, even if the person is fairly obscure, there is still a most famous person, even if the most famous person is not all that impressive (I’m looking at you, Rhode Island!) Speaking as a non-American again, I’m quite sure I could easily come up with the names of 50 famous Americans - maybe even a few hundred. American culture is absolutely ubiquitous (especially in the English-speaking world), before you even get into people who discovered or invented things or were otherwise historically important. I imagine I could get to 100 famous Britons too. On the current list, I’m personally getting about 90% familiar, plus maybe another 5% of “well I THINK I’ve heard the name” ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/194 "2010-11-24T14:03:07Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > The title of this thread is “Who is the most famous person BORN in your state?” (OP’s emphasis). Then should I be choosing the most famous person BORN in the state I was BORN in? Or the one in which I’ve lived for most of my life? If so, I’m talking New York. Far more interesting people have been born there than in Maine. Stephen King is our face to the world? Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/195 "2010-11-24T18:22:13Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > I seriously doubt that, world-wide, Nancy Pelosi is better-known than Frank Zappa. Do you think she beats him? Worldwide? I bet the vast majority of residents of India and China have heard of neither one! Domestically, I’d bet a lot more people know who Pelosi is than who Zappa is, thanks to GOP agitprop if nothing else. But I’d bet the Babe is far better known worldwide than Pelosi, Zappa, or Phelps (_who??_) put together. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/196 "2010-11-24T19:24:56Z")
My thoughts on Arnold’s “ties”: Alabama: Helen Keller by far. It would be very difficult to find a group of five adults where no one had heard of her. It wouldn’t be hard at all to do so with Jesse Owens or Hank Williams. Arkansas: Bill Clinton. And this from a rather rabid Johnny Cash fan. Georgia: Martin Luther King. Just think of how many places in the US are named for him, and he is at least as prominent as Carter internationally. Illinois: Ronald Reagan is an icon internationally; I doubt most of my co-workers know who Miles Davis was. And it hurts to say that. Maryland: I don’t think you have a grasp of how famous Babe Ruth is. Along with Lincoln and John Wayne, he is usually ranked as the most recognized American. Massachusetts: One would have to take Franklin, though I see where you’re coming from. Michigan: Erma Bombeck once said: “Don’t confuse fame with success. Madonna is one; Helen Keller is the other.” Henry Ford is a colossus of history. Madonna is not. North Carolina: Billy Graham in a walkoff. Ohio: Thomas Edison. Spielberg is famous. Edison is an indispensible figure of history. Oklahoma: Brad Pitt. I’m not sure Will Rogers is THAT famous. YMMV. Oregon: Linus Pauling, and I really don’t think it’s particularly close between him and Groenig. Texas: I see where the conflict is, but Eisenhower is the most famous of these. The others I don’t have a clear pick for. Marilyn vs. Nixon and Wright vs. Orson are particularly intriguing. I do have to wonder what Deleware and New Hampshire have been up to for 300+ years. New Mexico’s choices just make me sad. Isn’t Barry Goldwater more famous than either of the singers you currently have chosen? ETA: I see you have Goldwater as a near-miss. If Nicks or Ronstatt were Madonna, I’d agree with you, but c’mon… ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/197 "2010-11-24T19:36:02Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > Oklahoma: Brad Pitt. I’m not sure Will Rogers is THAT famous. YMMV. I’ve never heard of Will Rogers, so I agree with you there. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/198 "2010-11-24T23:18:54Z")
> [@PeskiPiksi](#): > > Anybody else think Laura Ingalls Wilder should beat at least Frank Lloyd Wright for Wisconsin? I’m not convinced. I’m keeping her on the “doesn’t make the cut” list. > [@Sampiro](#): > > I’d go with Hank Williams, Sr., for Alabama. He spent most of his life here and most of his best known songs were written in and about Alabama. > Keller may be more famous internationally but it’s hard to count as Alabamian somebody who only lived here for 8 (out of 88) years, and ditto Nat King Cole who moved to Chicago (taking his family with him IIRC) when he was 4. The problem with Hank Williams is that he’s a country / western singer, and that type of music is really only well-known in the USA. Helen Keller is known outside the USA. I’m choosing the birth states of people because it’s too hard to figure out “where is a person _really_ from”, especially in today’s mobile society. To take Truman Capote, is he a Southerner or a New Yorker? > [@panache45](#): > > There are so many from Ohio, including several Presidents. > But I think Steven Spielberg is more famous than any other. Even Thomas Edison? > [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Then should I be choosing the most famous person BORN in the state I was BORN in? I guess the title of the OP should be changed to “Who is the most famous person born in each of the 50 states?” Your answer doesn’t have to relate to your state. > [@RTFirefly](#): > > Worldwide? I bet the vast majority of residents of India and China have heard of neither one! > > Domestically, I’d bet a lot more people know who Pelosi is than who Zappa is, thanks to GOP agitprop if nothing else. In India and China, I’ll grant that maybe most people have heard of neither. But in Western Europe (where I’m from), Frank Zappa will have a lot more name recognition than Nancy Pelosi. > [@](#): > > But I’d bet the Babe is far better known worldwide than Pelosi, Zappa, or Phelps (_who??_) put together. StusBlues seems to agree with you, but baseball is a purely american sport. I think outside of the USA a lot of people won’t have heard of Babe Ruth. You have convinced me to drop Michael Phelps though. StusBlues: great post. I’m revising my list based on some of your comments. A few places where I disagree with you: > [@StusBlues](#): > > Maryland: I don’t think you have a grasp of how famous Babe Ruth is. Along with Lincoln and John Wayne, he is usually ranked as the most recognized American. You mean, most recognized in the US, right? As I said previously, he’s a baseball player, which disqualifies him from people outside the US having heard of him. > [@](#): > > New Mexico’s choices just make me sad. Isn’t Barry Goldwater more famous than either of the singers you currently have chosen? > > ETA: I see you have Goldwater as a near-miss. If Nicks or Ronstatt were Madonna, I’d agree with you, but c’mon… I’m trying to take the international point of view again. I think more people outside the USA will know Stevie Nicks or Linda Ronstadt than Barry Goldwater. When all the dust has settled in this thread, I’m going to start another thread with polls on the states where there are several viable candidates. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/199 "2010-11-24T23:22:42Z")
Names included up to post 197. List one: my choices for US States (reflecting my biases - e.g. I don’t follow sports). Also I usually give preference to movie personalities vs. TV personalities because movie personalities are usually more known internationally. When there are multiple names, the ones I list first are my preferred candidate. List two: US territories since Colibri brought it up. List three: candidates that have been brought up and might, IMHO, be defensible. I’ve omitted a bunch of names that don’t come close. **List 1** State / Most famous person born in that state Alabama / Helen Keller Alaska / Curtis Montague Schilling Arkansas / William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton or John R. “Johnny” Cash Arizona / Linda Ronstadt or Stephanie Lynn “Stevie” Nicks California / Norma Jeane Baker aka Marilyn Monroe or Richard Milhous Nixon Colorado / William Harrison “Jack” Dempsey Connecticut / George Walker Bush Delaware / George Thorogood or Judge Reinhold Florida / James Douglas “Jim” Morrison Georgia / Martin Luther King or James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Hawaii / Barack Hussein Obama Idaho / Sarah Louise Palin Illinois / Ronald Wilson Reagan Indiana / Michael Joseph Jackson Iowa / Marion Mitchell Morrison aka John Wayne Kansas / Amelia Earhart Kentucky / Abraham Lincoln Louisiana / Louis Daniel Armstrong Maine / Stephen Edwin King Maryland / Frank Vincent Zappa or George Herman Ruth aka “Babe” Ruth Massachussetts / Benjamin Franklin or John Fitzgerald Kennedy Michigan / Henry Ford or Madonna Louise Ciccone Minnesota / Robert Allen Zimmerman aka Bob Dylan Mississippi / Elvis Aaron Presley Missouri / Samuel Langhorne Clemens aka Mark Twain Montana / Frank James “Gary” Cooper Nebraska / Marlon Brando New Hampshire / Franklin Pierce or Dan Brown or Ronald James Padavona aka Ronnie James Dio New Jersey / Francis Albert “Frank” Sinatra New Mexico / John Denver or Demi Gene Guynes aka Demi Moore or Geronimo or Alfred “Al” Unser New York / Franklin Delano Roosevelt aka FDR North Carolina / William Franklin “Billy” Graham or Andy Samuel Griffith North Dakota / Warren Minor Christopher or Angie Dickinson Ohio / Thomas Alva Edison or Steven Allan Spielberg Oklahoma / William Bradley “Brad” Pitt or William Penn Adair “Will” Rogers Oregon / Linus Carl Pauling or Matthew Abram “Matt” Groening or Raymond Clevie Carver Pennsylvania / Grace Patricia Kelly or Andrew Warhola aka Andy Warhol Rhode Island / James Howard Woods South Dakota / Sitting Bull or Thomas John “Tom” Brokaw Tennessee / Dolly Rebecca Parton or David Crockett Texas / Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower or Lyndon Baines Johnson aka LBJ or Howard Robard Hughes Utah / Roseanne Cherie Barr or Butch Cassidy or Jewel Kilcher Vermont / Joseph Smith Virginia/ George Washington Washington / William Henry “Bill” Gates III Washington, DC / Albert Arnold “Al” Gore West Virginia / Charles Elwood “Chuck” Yeager Wisconsin / George Orson Welles or Frank Lloyd Wright Wyoming / Paul Jackson Pollock **List 2** Territories American Samoa Canal Zone - John Sidney McCain Puerto Rico / José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón aka José Ferrer or Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez aka Benicio del Toro **List 3** Other suggestions that don’t quite make the cut IMHO Alabama / James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens or Hank Williams Arizona / Barry Morris Goldwater Delaware / Elisabeth Judson Shue Florida / Thomas Earl Petty aka Tom Petty Illinois / Miles Dewey Davis Kentucky / John Christopher “Johnny” Depp Nebraska / Gerald Rudolph Ford New Hampshire / Sarah Kate Silverman New Mexico / Jeffrey Preston “Jeff” Bezos or William Henry “Bill” Mauldin New York / Michael Jeffrey Jordan North Dakota / Louis Dearborn L’Amour or Philip Douglas “Phil” Jackson or Lawrence Welk Ohio / LeBron Raymone James Oklahoma / Troyal Garth Brooks or Mickey Charles Mantle Rhode Island / Meredith Louise Vieira or Howard Phillips “H. P.” Lovecraft South Dakota / Thomas Andrew Daschle Tennessee / Aretha Louise Franklin or Morgan Porterfield Freeman Vermont / Theodore Robert “Ted” Bundy Wisconsin / Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder Puerto Rico / Rita Moreno or Raúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay aka Raúl Juliá or Roberto Clemente Walker ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341/200 "2010-11-24T23:42:52Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > StusBlues seems to agree with you, but baseball is a purely american sport. I think outside of the USA a lot of people won’t have heard of Babe Ruth… > > You mean, most recognized in the US, right? As I said previously, he’s a baseball player, which disqualifies him from people outside the US having heard of him. I disagree with you on this. I think Babe Ruth was such a big star that his fame transcends that of his sport. While I can only talk for the UK (and maybe only myself) I would expect Babe Ruth to be a very well known name in the UK. A similar sportsman would be Michael Jordan - famous beyond his sport. On the other hand, Wayne Gretzky would be totally unknown to 99.9% of Brits. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-born-in-your-state/560341.md?page=11)