The 100 Greatest Brooklynites: 50 to 41
“Billions and billions”—just the thought of it cracks us up. Though the Bensonhurst-born Sagan was a Johnny Carson punchline, he was also a hugely influential astronomer, known not only for his scientific discoveries but also for his facility in communicating them to the general public: his Cosmos TV series is the most-watched PBS program in PBS history. Take that, Ken Burns! (Who was also born in Brooklyn.)