Why Famous:Chairman of the Federal Reserve during the Financial crisis of 2007–08.
As chairman, Bernanke supported the bailout of failing financial institutions in 2008, including the takeover of Bear Stearns by JPMorgan Chase and the $85 billion bailout of A.I.G.
During his tenure the Federal Reserve took unprecedented steps to implement quantitative easing, a process whereby the central bank purchased billions of dollars of mortgage-backed securities and long-term treasuries to stimulate economic growth.
Janet Yellen
Mario Draghi
Michael Spence
Milton Friedman
Paul Krugman
Vernon L. Smith