Father of free market economics, Adam Smith was one of many great philosophers of the 18th century Enlightenment period. His philosophies helped change the economy, putting an end to the long-standing feudal system. But outside of his well-known works, such as The Wealth of Nations, Smith remained private, even burning the paper trail of his life before he died. 

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Born in Italy on March 6, 1475, Michelangelo was destined to create outstanding and genius works of art. Although his family was of a lower class and discouraged him from pursuing a more noble career in the arts, Michelangelo followed his passion for art even as a young boy. And despite being well known for his paintings in the Sistine Chapel and his architecture, Michelangelo considered himself a sculptor above all else. 

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When Nicolaus Copernicus was born in 1473, scholars believed that the earth stood still, and the sun circled around it. Copernicus devoted his life to understanding the structure of our solar system, and found mathematical proof that the earth, in fact, orbits around the sun. Although he didn’t live to see his influence on astronomy, his findings opened the door to space travel, the discovery of other planets and galaxies...and even the chance of finding life outside of earth. 

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Jimmy Hoffa, born in Indiana in 1913, helped create the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and aimed to pave the way to the American Dream for laborers. But he also led a mysterious life, mingling with mobs and making enemies with dangerous men. This risky networking may have led to Hoffa’s disappearance.

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George Gallup is responsible for polling as we know it today. He was a pioneer of survey sampling and inventor of the Gallup poll. But since he was young, he was an entrepreneur. We look deeper into his passions for journalism and psychology, and how Gallup’s polling impacted—and continues to impact—society today. 

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