A former slave, Bass Reeves became the first black Deputy U.S. Marshall and tamed the Western badlands, making over 3,000 felony arrests. Fearless and formidable, legend has it that he was the inspiration for the Lone Ranger.

An orphan with very little formal education, Jones became one of the great American inventors, with over 60 patents. From engines and X-ray machines to movie theater sound systems and refrigeration, this genius made our modern way of life possible.