My Top Ten Influential Famous People Quiz

Answer: Gave His life as a ransom for many

In Matthew 20:28 (KJV) of the Bible, it says, "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." These words were spoken by Jesus about Himself. He gave his life as a ransom, meaning he died so that others could live. There is no greater inspiration than this, sacrificing for others.

I believe that Jesus was the Son of God per the Bible as in John 20:31a (KJV), "These things are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is Christ, the Son of God." I also believe he lived a perfect life and died for the sins of everyone. It says in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us..." In other words, He did nothing wrong, yet willingly died for me. This is truly an inspiration.

Answer: Coach who made players follow rules

Mike Krzyzewski (aka Coach K) was the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils basketball team from 1980 until 2022. During his time as the coach, Duke won five national titles, made 13 Final Four appearances, won 15 ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) championships, and won 13 regular ACC titles. He is regarded as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time. In 2006, he was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

Despite his record, he did not let players get away with breaking rules. In the 2010s, he suspended Grayson Allen for tripping a player on the other team intentionally. He inspired me because he did what he believed was right, even when it wasn't easy.

Answer: Evangelist

William Franklin Graham Jr was born on November 7, 1918, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Graham became a born-again Christian when he was sixteen. He preached his first sermon while in college at the Florida Bible Institute. In 1944, he started a radio program called "Songs in the Night." George Beverly Shea was the director of radio ministry. At age 29, he became president of Northwestern Bible College in 1948. At the time, he was the youngest president of any college or university in the United States.

He held his first Billy Graham Crusade in September 1947 in Michigan. Graham was also a Civil Rights advocate. He openly declared in a crusade in South Africa in 1973 that "apartheid is a sin." In 2005, he preached his last crusade after doing over 400 live crusades. He passed away on February 21, 2018, at his home in North Caroline at the age of 99. Reverend Billy Graham did not just preach the Gospel; he lived what he preached. He is an inspiration to me because he lived his life according to his faith, no matter what other people thought. He also lived his life above reproach.

Answer: Mork

Robin McLaurin Williams was born on July 21, 1951, in Chicago, IL. In the mid-1970s, he started doing stand-up comedy in San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. During this time, he also put out comedy albums. In 1978, he guest-starred on "Happy Days" as an alien named Mork. Gary Marshall was so impressed with Williams that he created a spinoff series for Mork called "Mork and Mindy." The series ran from 1978 to 1982.

Williams also starred in several movies during his lifetime. He did both comedies and dramas, showing his wide range of talent. He has been known for his improvisational skills. He ended his life on August 11, 2014, at age 63. He had found out he had Lewy Body Dementia. Some people focus on how he died; I think we should remember how he lived. Despite a lifetime of depression issues, he always tried to make others happy. He did not want others to feel the sadness he felt. He inspired me because he always wanted others to feel the happiness he never felt. As a fellow person with depression, I also do not want anyone to feel the sadness I have ever felt.

Answer: Deaf advocate and actress

Marlee Matlin became deaf when she was about 18 months old. As a little girl, she loved watching "The Wizard of Oz," but back then, there were no closed captions. She could see what they did, but had no idea what they were saying or singing. She wanted to be an actress like the people she saw on TV. In the 1970s, she was able to meet Henry Winkler when he came to a theatrical performance she was in. Winkler ignored Marlee's mother's request to tell Marlee she didn't have a chance to be an actress since she couldn't hear.

In 1987, she won the Oscar for playing Sarah in "Children of a Lesser God." She was 21 years old, and the first Deaf person to win an Oscar. She became an advocate for getting all TVs equipped with closed captioning. She refused to go on Entertainment Tonight until they started using closed captioning. In 1988, she helped campaign in the Deaf President Now movement at Gallaudet University.

She inspired me because she never let being Deaf stop her from achieving her goals. In 1994, she even played Carrie Buck in the TV movie "Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story." Carrie Buck was a hearing woman.

Answer: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Maya Angelou was a poet, actress, writer, and Civil Rights activist. In 1969, she wrote "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." It is one of her seven autobiographies, and takes place between the ages of 3 and 16.

She writes very candidly about events that happened during those years. The bird in the cage is a metaphor for resisting racism. She was a lovely woman. When I met her, she spoke with grace and humility, yet with authority. She never made me feel less than her, despite how famous she was.

She was not only a writer and an advocate, but she also acted. She has done dramatic roles such as Nyo in the 1971 miniseries "Roots," as well as comedic roles such as May in the 2006 movie, "Madea's Family Reunion."

She was an inspiration to me because when I met her, she did not act like she was better than me. I interpreted for her in ASL when she was at my college, and she treated me like an equal. When I couldn't even speak when I met her before the event, she urged me to come over and introduce myself. She did not let anyone treat her like she was less than them, nor did she treat others that way.

Answer: Deaf and Blind, graduated with honors from Radcliffe

Helen Keller was born hearing and seeing, but when she was around 19 months old she got sick. The illness left her deaf and blind. She used home signs to communicate (that is, signs she made for things herself, not actual ASL signs). When she was seven years old, Anne Sullivan came to the Keller house to help Helen. Sullivan taught her Braille and the ASL alphabet. Helen did not understand and thought it was a game until one day Sullivan spelled "water" into one of Helen's hands while cool water poured out on her other hand. Suddenly, Helen Keller understood. Then she wanted to know the names of everything, including herself.

She wrote several books, including her autobiography, "The Story of My Life." In 1900, she went to Radcliffe College of Harvard University. She graduated "cum laude" with special honors in both English and German. Helen Keller never let being differently abled stop her.

Helen Keller was an inspiration because, as a child (when I could still hear and had only known one Deaf person), I read "The Miracle Worker" in school. I came home from school and told my parents I had to learn sign language right away because if Helen Keller were Deaf, and I knew one other person who was, "there could be others." Now, I cannot hear, but I am fluent in ASL. I have many friends who are Deaf and have been part of the Deaf World for a long time. It all started because I loved reading about Helen Keller.

Answer: American poet

Robert Frost was an American poet, perhaps best known for his poem, "The Road Not Taken." In the poem, the narrator talks about coming to a fork in the road (in the woods), and he had to decide what to do. Ultimately, he chooses "to take the road less traveled."

Frost had a tragic life. He lost his father when he was eleven. His mother died just five years later. Frost went to Harvard for two years, but had to withdraw due to illness. His sister died in 1929, and nine years before that, he had to put her in a mental hospital. In 1947, his daughter was also put in a mental hospital, as depression ran in the family. Frost himself suffered from depression. Frost and his wife had six children, four of whom died while Frost was still alive. Frost lost his wife in 1938 to heart failure. The year before that, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Frost overcame tragedy to become one of the greatest American poets of all time.

Robert Frost is an inspiration because he is my favorite poet. I have written four poetry books as an adult, and continue to write.

Answer: Author

Judy Blume has published more than two dozen novels since writing her first book in 1969, "The One In the Middle is the Green Kangaroo." Many of her novels are geared toward young adults and have been controversial as they deal with topics like menstruation and teen sex. She has also written the Fudge series of books. The first book in that series was the 1972 book, "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing."

Blume's books were a slice of life. Older children and teenagers enjoyed them because they were relatable. Blume is one of the reasons I became a writer. In 2023, she was also named one of the "100 most influential people in the world" by "Time" magazine.

Answer: Advocate and actress

Alison Arngrim is perhaps best known for playing Nellie Oleson on the 1974 TV series, "Little House on the Prairie." In 2006, she tied with Danielle Spencer for a TV Land Award for "Character Most in Need of a Time-Out" for her role as Nellie. She has openly discussed her brother molesting her as a child.

Arngrim has done advocacy work to help other children not have to go through what she went through. She also does AIDS advocacy work, having lost many people to AIDS, including her good friend Steve Tracy, who played her husband, Percival, on "Little House on the Prairie."

She is an inspiration because she does not just talk about her problems. She actively tries to help others so no one has to deal with the horrors she went through.