#10: Daniel Ellsberg (April 7, 1931 – June 16, 2023)
Military analyst Daniel Ellsberg worked for the RAND Corporation before leaking the Pentagon Papers to major newspapers in 1971. The documents exposed how several U.S. administrations had misled the public about the Vietnam War. The government charged him under the Espionage Act and accused him of betraying his country. During the trial, however, officials’ misconduct came to light, prompting the judge to dismiss all charges in 1973. Ellsberg later became one of America’s most influential whistleblowers.
