Marquis Who’s Who Curates List of Most Influential People Over 125 Years
To celebrate its quasquicentennial, Marquis Who’s Who highlights the most influential public figures since 1898
UNIONDALE, NY, December 19, 2023, Marquis Who’s Who (MWW), the world’s leading biographical publisher, is proud to announce the individuals selected for the second half of 2023’s Maker’s List by releasing its list of the Most Influential People Over 125 Years. The Maker’s Lists are curated by a selection committee and compiled by MWW Maker’s List administrator Lisa Diamond with an aim to recognize both established and emerging leaders in their respective fields.
“As Marquis Who’s Who celebrates its 125th anniversary in the publishing arena, it has become increasingly significant to document and share diverse biographies for the historical record,” said Lisa Diamond, administrator of the Maker’s List. “The extent of cultural, socioeconomic, scientific and academic endeavors would not be properly recorded were it not for scholars committed to amassing biographical data points of those individuals responsible for worldly progress.” Diamond continued, “The founding of Marquis Who’s Who in 1898 by Albert N. Marquis promoted the value of the biographical prototype that continues to endure today.”
The Most Influential People Over 125 Years list includes representatives of the past 13 decades, such as:
- Taylor Swift – Recognized for her global cultural prominence, Swift is a singer-songwriter who is the highest-grossing female performer of all time. The recipient of 12 Grammy Awards, 40 American Music Awards and 111 Guinness World Records, she is well-regarded for seamlessly transitioning between musical genres and has been studied extensively in academic circles in light of her literary, cultural and sociopolitical significance. Swift embarked on the Eras Tour in 2023, an ongoing concert tour that included 151 shows across five continents, which birthed “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” a concert film described as a cinematic tribute to Swift’s music. She leverages her platform to advocate for artists’ rights and women’s empowerment.
- Jeff Bezos – Bezos is acclaimed as the founder, executive chairman, and former president and chief executive officer of e-commerce and cloud computing giant Amazon. Initially founding Amazon as an online bookstore in 1994, he steadily diversified the service, adding online sales of music, videos and consumer goods, as well as artificial intelligence applications. Today, Amazon is considered one of the most influential economic forces across the globe. Bezos also founded Blue Origin, an aerospace manufacturer and spaceflight services company, and co-founded Altos Labs, a biotechnology company. He is considered the third-wealthiest individual in the world.
- Martin Luther King Jr. – Counted among the foremost civil rights leaders, King remains an integral part of the civil rights movement. Emphasizing equity and inclusion for people of color, he led nonviolent resistance such as marches and peaceful protests, culminating in his speech, “I Have a Dream,” during the March on Washington and his receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality. Since 1986, Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been observed as a federal holiday, memorializing his contributions to the fight against racism and the promotion of American progressivism.
- Walt Disney – Disney rose to prominence after developing the character Mickey Mouse in the late 1920s, setting a precedent for the production of cartoons in the American animation industry. With such titles as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Pinocchio” and “Fantasia,” among others, Disney pioneered the “Golden Age of Animation” in the 1930s, his name remaining an unwavering presence in popular culture to the present day. Disney also lent his expertise to the amusement park industry with the opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and The Walt Disney Company has since expanded to become among the world’s largest conglomerates in visual media and entertainment.
- Susan B. Anthony – Assuming a fundamental role in the women’s suffrage movement during the late 1800s, Anthony was a women’s rights activist and social reformer. Credited with securing the tenets of women’s rights that were later adapted into the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, colloquially known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, she became the first woman citizen to be memorialized on U.S. coinage when her portrait was displayed on the 1979 dollar coin. Anthony was well-regarded as an orator, giving speeches across the nation and lobbying Congress for effective change for women. She co-founded the American Equal Rights Association and edited the organization’s newspaper, “The Revolution,” which disseminated the ideologies behind women’s rights and equality.
The full Most Influential People Over 125 Years list can be accessed via the following URL:
https://marquiswhoswho.com/makers-list-2023/
About Marquis Who’s Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Marquis celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2023, and Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who’s Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
