Of the top , three are in people's lifetimes. Of the bottom 5 only one is. Of the risers, 2 out of three are. None of those falling had any living historian around for their life. Of thenotable names, 6 of the seven are again in historian's lifetimes.

It is an old rule of history that it takes at least 50 or more years to get the full story, with modern practices it is more like 75 to 100 years.

Of Presidents elected since 1932, only Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush miss the lists. Perhaps the list is more playing to the crowd than a good analysis of the past.