According to the U.S. government, "The Presidential Medal of Freedom is given by the president of the United States to honor individuals who have made great contributions to either the United States or the world."
I decided to go through the list and pick out any of the bigger and more famous names out since 2002.
What's even more interesting is to see which President picked who.
1. Julia Child
2. Dave Thomas
3. Charlie Daniels
4. Bill Cosby
5. John Paul II
6. Rita Moreno
7. Estée Lauder
8. Arnold Palmer
9. Muhammad Ali
10. Carol Burnett
11. Aretha Franklin
12. B.B. King
13. Ben Carson
14. Anthony Fauci
15. Tony Blair
16. Stephen Hawking
17. Sidney Poitier
18. Chita Rivera
19. Warren Buffett
20. Angela Merkel
21. Bob Dylan
22. Loretta Lynn
23. Oprah
24. Tom Brokaw
25. Meryl Streep
26. Stevie Wonder
27. Stephen Spielberg
28. Emilio Estefan
29. Gloria Estefan
30. Barbra Streisand
31. James Taylor
32. Stephen Sondheim
33. Robert Redford
34. Robert De Niro
35. Tom Hanks
36. Cicely Tyson
37. Diana Ross
38. Bruce Springsteen
39. Ellen DeGeneres
40. Lorne Michaels
41. Bill Gates
42. Melinda French Gates
43. Michael Jordan
44. Kareem Abdul-Jabar
45. Elvis
46. Babe Ruth
47. Antonin Scalia
48. Mariano Rivera
49. Tiger Woods
50. Rush Limbaugh
51. Gary Player
52. Annika Sörenstam
53. Simone Biles
54. Steve Jobs
55. John McCain
56. Denzel Washington
57. And Megan Rapinoe
