01of 18
Rush Limbaugh
From left: Rush Limbaugh and First Lady Melania Trump at the State of the Union.MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Year:2020
02of 18
Elvis Presley
SNAP/REX/Shutterstock
Year:2018
Jack Soden, CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises and Graceland, accepted the award.
03of 18
George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth
MPI/Getty Images
04of 18
Michael Jordan
Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Year:2016
“There is a reason you call somebody the ‘Michael Jordan of …,’ " the formercommander-in-chief quipped during the ceremony, as he explained how the retired superstar athlete’s name became synonymous with excellence. “He is the definition of somebody so good at what they do that everybody recognizes him,” Obama added. “That’s pretty rare.”
05of 18
Ellen DeGeneres
Olivier Douliery/ABACA/AP
“Again and again,Ellen DeGenereshas shown us that a single individual can make the world a more fun, more open, more loving place — so long as we just keep swimming,” the aide concluded.
06of 18
Steven Spielberg
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Year:2015
07of 18
Oprah Winfrey
Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Year:2013
08of 18
Gloria Steinem
ImageCatcher News Service/Corbis via Getty Images
09of 18
Maya Angelou
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Year:2010
10of 18
Sandra Day O’Connor
Year:2009
11of 18
Aretha Franklin
Douglas A. Sonders/Getty Images
Year:2005
12of 18
Muhammad Ali
Chuck Kennedy/MCT/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
13of 18
Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball onI Love Lucy.CBS Photo Archive/Getty
Year:1989
″Lucille Ball was a national treasure who brought laughter to us all,″ Bush said at the time (theAssociated Press reported). ″She was like everyone’s next-door neighbor, only funnier.″
Gary Morton, Ball’s husband, accepted the award on her behalf.
14of 18
Frank Sinatra
Bettmann Archive
Year:1985
“Francis Albert Sinatra and his impact on America’s popular culture are without peer,” he added.
15of 18
Mother Teresa
16of 18
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Year:1977
17of 18
Apollo 11 Astronauts
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Year: 1969
18of 18
Walt Disney
Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
Year:1964
source: people.com
