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Roger Marshutz/Courtesy of Estee Stanley"The King" Elvis Presley is regarded as one of the most significant culture icons of the 20th century. To this day, he is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music.What exactly do we mean when we call someone "cool?" Most would struggle to describe it, but just about everyone knows "cool" when they see it. It is a distinctly American invention that finds its roots in African-American culture, Jazz, and the multitude of icons that the American fame machine has produced. A new exhibition and book, "American Cool," currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C., traces the origins of "cool." It also includes a look at the 100 "coolest" Americans of all time.To decide who made the list, curators Frank H. Goodyear III, the co-director of the Bowndown College Museum of Art, and Joel Dinerstein, the director of the American Studies program at Tulane University, engaged in a vigorous debate based on four criteria. Dinerstein explained to PBS Newshour: "First an originality of artistic vision as established through a signature style, which is to say their artistic vision cannot be separate from their personality. Second, that in a given historical moment, they were perceived as a cultural rebel. Third, that they have high profile recognition. Fourth, that they have a recognized cultural legacy."While the usual suspects are featured, including James Dean, Jimi Hendrix, and Hunter S. Thompson, there are many less obvious faces on the "cool" list as well. All are, however, what Dinerstein calls,"the successful rebels of American culture."The National Portrait Gallery shared a selection of the portraits with us here, but you can see the entire collection in the book or at the gallery until September 7th.
Long Island-native Walt Whitman was a poet, essayist, and journalist, best known for his seminal poetry collection "Leaves of Grass" (1855), which was criticized for its overt sexuality.Samuel Hollyer/Smithsonian's National Portrait GalleryWalt Whitman
