1.

George Washington: The Father of the Country

There may be no greater American than George Washington. Washington became the first
United States President in 1789 with his unanimous victory in the first American election. He
was also unanimously elected to a second term in 1793, the only president ever to garner 100
percent of the electoral votes. Washington was also the Commander-in-Chief of the First
Continental Army that fought the British when the country was not yet established.

His epic "Crossing of the Delaware" river to recover New York City is still considered one

of the greatest military moves in the history of warfare. At the time of the crossing, the British

had taken Boston and New York. The Continental Army was on the run and disorganized, but

Washington had a plan. He decided to take his troops across the Delaware River in the middle of

winter. This was a move that many military minds thought impossible, but not Washington. The

Americans were able to take New Jersey, and change the course of the war.

Another landmark moment for Washington was the winter at Valley Forge. In 1777,

Washington led an army of more than 11,000 troops into Valley Forge in Pennsylvania, where

the army suffered through a cold winter that claimed the lives of 3,000 men. When the spring

arrived, instead of a demoralized, beaten group of soldiers, the army emerged battle ready, and

able to continue the fight against the English in New York. The army was able to survive the

fierce winter because of the training, and preparedness of Washington's officers. Washington

earned the nickname, "The Father of His Country," because of his military intelligence, and his

concern for the people of the United States.

2. Henry Ford: The Founder of Ford Motor Company

Henry Ford was an American inventor who is credited with inventing the automobile assembly
line. German automaker, Karl Benz, is credited with inventing the first motor vehicle in the late
1880s, but Ford was the man who made it possible for everyday citizens to own one. Before Ford
came up with his assembly line process, cars were built one at a time by hand, which was a very
costly and inefficient method of production. Ford's assembly line revolutionized the way cars
were built, and his methods are still in use today.
 In 1886, Benz patented his Motorwagen, which was a four-wheel, two-passenger, self-

powered motor coach that was designed to replace the horse and carriage. These vehicles were

expertly crafted, but were available to only the wealthiest people of the time. Thanks to Ford,

that all changed in 1906. His Ford Motor Company, the first automobile company to use

assembly line techniques to build cars. transformed the automobile from an expensive curiosity

to a practical tool that could be used to transport people and goods easily and efficiently. His first

mass-produced product was the Model T. It remains one of the most sold vehicles ever, and was

the first to reach 15 million sales.

Ford's impact on the 20th Century cannot be overstated. At one time it was estimated that

nine out of 10 vehicles on American roads were Fords. His cars spurred the American economy

like no other single factor. The country's roadways were built in response to the great number of

vehicles Ford and subsequent American automakers produced. Additionally, Ford's vehicles

created a network of support industries such as parts, repair, and maintenance services. It also

caused a revolution in how goods were transported in the country. Henry Ford was a true

American icon.

3. Martin Luther King Jr.: Civil Rights Leader

Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most famous Americans ever. He was a pastor, and a
humanitarian, but is known mostly for being a civil rights activist. King was the leader of the
African-American Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 60s. His use of non-violent
protest to affect social change was based on his Christian beliefs. King was born Michael King,
but his father changed his name in honor of the German reformer, Martin Luther.

The white and the southern culture in the United States wanted nothing to do with social

change during the 60s. Segregation laws were in place that prohibited black Americans from

eating at the same restaurants as whites, or to ride in the same section on public buses with white

Americans. King led the famous 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott in reaction to Rosa Park's
refusal to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger as was required by law in Montgomery,

Alabama at the time.

King started his activism while serving as a Baptist minister for the Dexter Avenue Baptist

Church. He believed strongly in the Christian belief that loving thy neighbor as yourself, which

was a philosophy he used throughout his civil rights years. He was also a great speaker. His "I

Have a Dream" speech is regarded as one of the most famous oratory in American history. In it,

he speaks of how his dream is for white and black Americans to walk together hand in hand as

brothers. The speech also declared how it was his dream for all Americans to be judged, not by

the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

On October 14, 1964, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his involvement in

combating racial inequality in the United States. He was assassinated in April, 1968, in

Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 39.

4. Bill Gates: The Man behind Microsoft

Bill Gates is an American inventor, computer programmer, philanthropist, and businessman, who
was born in Seattle, Washington. He is reportedly worth nearly $80 billion, making him one of
the wealthiest people in the country. He founded, and was head of Microsoft Corporation for
years, and is still on the board for the computer software giant.

Gates was born to an upper-middle class family. His father was an attorney; his mother was

a banker, who worked for the United Way for many years. He is credited for being the father of

the modern computer, and for almost single-handedly starting the personal computer revolution.

He studied at Harvard University, but did not graduate because of his desire to develop new

software.

As a 13-year-old student at the Lakeside School, which was an exclusive college

preparatory school, Gates was introduced to computer programming. That year he developed a
program that allowed users to play tic-tac-toe against the computer. Gates was reportedly

fascinated by the computer's ability to reproduce software code. In 1975, Gates approached a

company called Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS). He convinced the owner

that he had written a program that would work with his platform. The owner of the company

bought into Gates innovations, and the two men reached an agreement to develop software for

MITS. The Microsoft Company was born.

Gates went on to develop the Windows operating system with then partner IBM

Corporation. The two companies had differences though, and their partnership ended quickly.

Gates left Microsoft in 2000, but remains on its board of directors. He remained active with the

company for several years before stepping down in February 2014, becoming Technical Advisor

for the firm.