With rapid changes occurring during our present day, many have always pondered the thought,

"How did America become this way?" Taking a step back, we are able to analyse the past,
understand the present, and connect the dots leading into the future. Many people in history left
behind stories and clues that have given us knowledge on how America became "Land of the
Free", the place where many people dream to go for a better life.
Benjamin Franklin was a scientist, ambassador, philosopher, statesman, writer, businessman
and outstanding free thinker and wit. Franklin is often referred to as "America's Renaissance
Man" and he played a pivotal role in building a united American identity during the American
Revolution. He played a key role in encouraging the diverse colonies to join together in the war
of independence. He later served as American ambassador to France and helped to establish the
new U.S foreign status. Franklin was also a polymath, who amongst other achievements showed
lightning could conduct electricity.
Thomas Edison was one of the most prolific inventors of all times and a businessman who
developed and made commercially available many key inventions of modern life. His Edison
Electric company was a pioneering company for delivering DC electricity directly into people's
homes. He filed over 1,000 patents for a variety of different inventions. Crucially, he used mass-
produced techniques to make his inventions available at low cost to households across America.
He helped to initiate the electricity revolution by inventing the electric light bulb and providing
one of the first domestic electricity networks in the world. His most important inventions
include: the electric light bulb, the phonograph, the motion picture camera, the electric car and
the electric power station.
Henry Ford was an industrialist who changed the face of automobile manufacturing in
America, becoming an example of American Capitalism. He lent his name to "Fordism" -
efficient mass production. Henry Ford astonished the industrial world by offering a daily wages
of $ 5 a day, which was a very good salary. It solved the problem of labor mass exodus and
encouraged the best workers to come and work for Ford. Through paying high wages, Ford was
able to encourage the highest level of labor productivity. He also revolutionized mass car
production. His Ford assembly lines were so efficient that they reduced the cost of family cars
making them available to average workers for the first time.
Bill Gates changed the world through technological innovation, wise business strategy and
aggressive business tactics, and by charities. He has donated billions of dollars, and he continues
to do it up to this day. He dropped out of Harvard to pursue his entrepreneur carrier and so he
and his partner Paul Allen built the world's largest software business, Microsoft. It has
completely changed the world, as 90% of the computers we use today, use the Windows
Operating System made by Microsoft, and computers are actually the driving force of the world
today as almost everything is done by them.

Join the parts of the sentences.

1. Thomas Edison was a) to make his inventions available at low cost

2. Bill Gates together
with Paul Allen
3. He used mass-produced
techniques
4. Benjamin Franklin played
5. His company was
6. Bill Gates changed
7. He signed a bill
8. Henry Ford
b) to ban the importation of slaves into the USA
c) the world through technological innovation
d) astonished the industrial world by offering a very high
salary at his times
e) one of the most prolific inventors and a businessman
f) a key role in encouraging the diverse colonies to join together
in the war for independence
g) a pioneering company for delivering DC electricity in people’s
homes
h) built the world’s largest software business