Professor of history, University of California, Los Angeles

Most overrated:

Ronald Reagan. Supply-side economics is a myth. There has been no Reagan revolution, and the only significant legacy of his term will be the domestic and trade deficits, which will plague us for years to come.

Most underrated:

Harry Hopkins, adviser and assistant to Franklin D. Roosevelt. Hardly anyone seems to remember him anymore. Yet he played a large role in both easing the plight of millions of Americans during the Depression and forging the Grand Alliance that defeated the Axis in World War II.