9. Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was a printer, a diplomat, a philosopher, an inventor, a student of ocean currents and electricity, the founder of America’s first lending library, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a member of the Constitutional Convention, a humorist, and much more. His influence remains felt today through his breakthroughs in electricity, including his invention of the lightning rod to protect buildings and other structures. The Franklin stove and bifocal eyeglasses, both of his invention, remain common in American life. And the homely philosophy of Poor Richard’s Almanac remain a common source of humor and inspiration.