10 individuals most important to America's future

Elon Musk

If you find it odd that half of this four person list is comprised of individuals born outside America it shouldn't. America has and always will be a melting pot of ideas, influences and people. English author J.K. Rowling is important to the future of this country for one simple fact, she can get children to read. Back in the 1990s J.K. Rowling began scribbling the beginnings of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone better known in America as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The book would be released in 1997.

The Wall Street Journal says that before Harry Potter landed in bookstores across America, no serious publisher would even publish a children's book. Promotional tie-ins of some sort would need to be released in order to make the book sell. Basically the author words (and illustrator's pictures) weren't worth as much as the paper they were printed on. Children simply didn't read, they played the Game Gear or Game Boy Pocket, but reading was taboo. Reading was for the geeks, the disenfranchised and the losers. Until three characters, Harry, Hermione and Ron, make reading cool. And addictive. And children began to bond with newfound friends all thanks to a single book.

Over a decade later the seven principal Harry Potter books have sold 450 million copies worldwide. The previously destitute Rowling is the richest woman in the UK, yes richer than the Queen of England by a mile. In fact Rowling's masterwork has sold so many copies that it has to be cited alongside three other best selling books, the Bible, the Torah and the Koran, when top ten lists are made by analysts. And Rowling's books have also spawned eight Harry Potter movies that have collectively become the highest grossing film series of all time. The second entry on that list is the 25 film James Bond series.

Rowling's words helped the economy, spurred creativity and created a lasting legacy that will be remembered long after she's gone.