November 23, 2014 – Smithsonian magazine used complex computer analysis to compile their latest list of the most significant figures in American history. The ranking algorithm was applied to a data set of 15 million scanned books and more than 840,000 Wikipedia pages devoted to individuals. The magazine organized the results into 10 categories.
Developers of the algorithm, Stony Brook University computer science professor Steven Skiena and Google engineer Charles B. Ward define significance as “the result of social and cultural forces acting on the mass of an individual’s achievement.” The rankings account for not only what the individuals did, but also how they are remembered by others and the value others place on their accomplishments.
Link: Smithsonian