A popular state politician, Carl Albert was majority whip and majority leader in the federal government's House of Representatives. He became House Speaker in 1971 and retired six years later. Birthplace: McAlester.
Woody Guthrie was a noted folk singer and guitarist. One of his most famous songs is "This Land Is Your Land." Birthplace: Okemah.
Lynn Riggs wrote the play "Green Grow The Lilacs." This play was adapted into the famous musical "Oklahoma!" A museum devoted to the author is located at Claremore. Birthplace: Claremore.
Noted preacher and former faith healer, Oral Roberts constructed Oral Roberts University in Tulsa. His televised programs on religion and faith were very popular at one time. Birthplace: Ada.
An extremely popular humorist and rope-trick artist, Will Rogers set the nation to laughing with his syndicated newspaper column during the early part of this century. His famous, and often misquoted, epitaph is "I joked about every prominent man in my lifetime, but I never met one I didn't like." Birthplace: Oologah.
Maria Tallchief was the first American ballerina of international importance. She danced for, and was married to, New York City Ballet Director George Balanchine. Tallchief started the Chicago City Ballet in 1980. Birthplace: Fairfax.
Perhaps the greatest athlete of the first half of the twentieth century, Thorpe won both the pentathlon and decathlon in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. His medals were taken away due to his having played semi-pro sports, and they were only returned after a lengthy battle by his family in the Seventies. Thorpe played both professional baseball and football. A native American, he was the star of the Canton Bulldogs football team which was comprised almost entirely of American Indians. Birthplace: Prague.
