Nikola Tesla
Born in the Austrian Empire, now Croatia, Nikola Tesla was an engineer, inventor, and futurist who migrated to the United States to work for Thomas Edison. He was so brilliant that he was able to perform integral calculus in his head! He eventually left his mentor and raised funds to pursue his own research and inventions.
Tesla’s groundbreaking work was inspired by the goal of making electricity available to the masses. He believed he could provide free, unrestricted, clean power from the earth, though it was never commercially feasible, and his dream remained unrealized. Nonetheless, he was undeniably one of the most significant innovators of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Helen Keller
Helen Keller, a political activist, lecturer, and author, is best remembered for being the first person who was deaf and blind to earn a bachelor’s degree in the arts. Her autobiography, “The Story of My Life,” and other notable essay collections, such as “Out of the Dark,” are some of her most well-known works.
In addition to her literary accomplishments, Keller wrote various published works on socialist and metaphysical topics. Her life has been an inspiration for numerous films, TV shows, and documentaries. In 1971, Keller was inducted posthumously into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame, and her birthplace is now a National Historic Landmark.
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway, an American author, gained global recognition and achieved prominence through his book “The Old Man and the Sea.” This work played a significant role in earning him the Nobel Prize in Literature. Throughout his career as a writer, Hemingway wrote seven novels, two non-fiction books, and six collections of short stories, all of which had a profound impact on future writers.
His published works, many of which were released posthumously, are considered classic examples of American literature. Although Hemingway enjoyed professional success as a writer, his personal life was plagued by continual struggles that ultimately contributed to his suicide in 1961.