Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790), from the USA, was notable in many fields - writer, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, eminent in the American Enlightenment and physics, and as an inventor, for such creations as the lightning rod and bifocals.  He was known as "The First American" for his campaigning for colonial unity. He was the first US Ambassador to France. He was seen as "the most accomplished American of his age and the most influential in inventing the type of society America would become." He was first president of the The Academy and College of Philadelphia and was the first secretary of the American Philosophical Society. From 1785 to 1788, he served as governor of Pennsylvania. He initially owned and dealt in slaves but later became one of the most prominent abolitionists.

It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.