10 Italian Americans Who Changed History
Since Their Large-Scale Influx from the Homeland in the Late 19Th Century, Italian Americans Have Rendered Their Distinct Pattern on the Cultural Fabric with...
Since their large-scale influx from the homeland in the late 19th century, Italian Americans have rendered their distinct pattern on the cultural fabric with their food, fashions, expressions and mores.
Many have gone on to prominence in sports, academia and public service, overcoming perceptions of their limitations along the way, while a select few have even moved mountains while carving out their own trailblazing path for posterity.
Frank Sinatra
People may remember Frank Sinatra for hits like "My Way," his Oscar-winning performance in From Here to Eternity and his adventures with the Rat Pack. More than that, the proud son of Italian immigrants arguably did more than any other individual to shape the course of American entertainment and popular culture after World War II. He became the first bona fide teen idol, remaking classic songs with his distinct imprint, as well as the first singer to find sustained success on the big screen. By the time Ol' Blue Eyes formed his own record label in 1960, he also packed enough clout to help drive John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign. Altogether, the 150 million-plus records sold, 11 Grammy Awards and Presidential Medal of Freedom give an idea of his outsized impact over nearly 60 years in the public eye.
Mother Cabrini
Born outside Milan in 1850, Francis Xavier Cabrini heeded the request of Pope Leo XIII and moved to the U.S. in the late 1880s to serve the millions of Italian immigrants who were flocking to its shores. She founded her first American orphanage in upstate New York in 1890 but refused to stay put, fielding calls to help the abandoned, sick and destitute across the country and around the world. Naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1909, Mother Cabrini died in one of her own hospitals in Chicago eight years later, leaving behind a legacy of more than five dozen schools, orphanages and hospitals built. She became the first U.S. citizen to be canonized in 1946, fittingly finding her place in the firmament as the patron saint of immigrants.
Maya is a hardware enthusiast who tests and reviews smart home devices, smartphones, wearables, and audio gear. She focuses on practical consumer value and build quality.
