Alan B. Shepard, Jr. lived twice as long as many people expected. The first American in space, he lit America’s enthusiasm to rally behind the space program.
It’s unusual to find someone who not only retains his or her early views but builds a whole superstructure of philosophical meaning atop them. Ayn Rand was such a person.
Best known for An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith is credited with establishing the discipline of political economics.