From Benedict Arnold to John Thune: How History Gets Written
Thune is at a crossroads: He can be remembered as one of American history’s greatest men or as the second Benedict Arnold.
Vince Coyner | March 16, 2026
From 1776 to today, the total number of Americans is estimated to have been around 600 million. That’s about twice what the population is today. One wonders how many historical figures most Americans can name. There are, of course, the obvious ones like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and MLK, who are probably at the top of the list for most Americans. They were all known for having done great things.
Most of the rest no one remembers. According to Grok
The average American can likely freely name 10–30 historical figures without much prompting—mostly U.S. presidents, Founding Fathers, major civil rights icons, and a few global names like Einstein, Hitler, or Napoleon—depending on education, age, and interest in history.
Sure, guys like Victor Davis Hanson and Al Franken could probably rattle off thousands, but for the mere mortals among us, a hundred or two probably tops us out.
There is one name, however, that, while it likely doesn’t come up in the first go around for most Americans, is certainly known by a majority: Benedict Arnold.
Arnold was a brilliant general and a true American hero. In fact, the United States might never have succeeded in defeating the British had it not been for him. He was the second in command to the feckless and incompetent General Horatio Gates at Saratoga in September of 1777. At the time, the Americans were on the ropes. They had lost New York, just taken another beating at Brandywine, and were in the process of losing their capital, Philadelphia, for the second time in less than a year.
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https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/03/from_benedict_arnold_to_john_thune_how_history_gets_written.html
