Great people who almost remained in obscurity

Can you think of someone who everyone knows but almost just became a footnote?

Dwight Eisenhower comes to mind. It’s been awhile since I read the biography so the specifics escapes me but I remember he was a really good football coach and the army wanted to keep him in his current location so he could keep coaching. I forget the reason why but he had to go above and beyond to get the army to reallocate him to somewhere where he could make the most out of his career.