They Who Earned the Name of Father

While not all of these great men throughout history were actually biological fathers, they each made such significant contributions to the world that they were given the title of "Father" in their respective fields. Many only achieved their accomplishments through hours of sweat, toil, and perseverance as they nurtured their "babies", and each deserves a little recognition on this Father's Day.

Johann Sebastian Bach: The Father of Music

Hailed as one of the greatest composers of all time, Bach came from a long history of outstanding musicians. Though he was orphaned at the young age of ten, his relatives took an interest in his life and nurtured his love of music. He was soon hailed as a child prodigy and awarded a scholarship to an exclusive school. He mastered the keyboard, the organ, and the harpsichord and could play a variety of other instruments.

Bach began composing music at a young age, completing over 1000 works, and was to become one of the main influencers of the Baroque period. He also became father to 20 children, four of which followed his passion and became well known musicians.

George Washington: Father of the United States of America

As Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, George Washington came into the Revolutionary War at a time when the colonists were suffering defeat after defeat. He not only helped them achieve victory, but he saved them from exactly what they had sought to escape while in England.

He was offered the position as "King of the New World", but he responded, "I didn't fight a war with King George III to become King George I." Instead, he became the first President and helped to establish a nation "...under God, indivisible, with justice, for all."

James Madison: The father of the United States Constitution

James Madison was a humble man, who, though he was more influential in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution than any other person, insisted that it was the "work of many heads and many hands." He also became the fourth President of the United States. He is one of only three Presidents who were unable to have children: however, his hard work and dedication to the Constitution's development earned him the title of "Father". 

Albert Einstein – Father of Modern Physics

Einstein was a genius who actually came up with the theory of relativity at the age of sixteen. At that time, it was not well accepted, and physicists actually held book burnings in protest.

At the age of twenty-six, he published four papers which brought him world-wide fame as a scientist almost overnight. He came up with never before heard theories about relativity, gravity, and photoelectronics, invented a refrigerator, and came up with the theory behind the science of the atomic bomb.

Few know that it was Einstein who wrote Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 encouraging him to begin work on the atomic bomb when he feared the rise of power in Nazi Germany.

On March 25,1945, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Einstein wrote Roosevelt once again, warning him of the tremendous cataclysmic destruction that would occur if the atomic bomb were actually used. However, Roosevelt died on April 12, and the letter was never read, a fact that Einstein regretted for much of his lifetime.

Alexander Fleming: The Father of Penicillin

After World War I, Alexander Fleming resolved that he would find an anti-bacterial agent. He has seen so many poor soldiers suffering and dying from infectious wounds. While studying the properties of a bacterium, he discovered the antibiotic penicillin quite by accident. After years of careful study he recognized the magnitude of the discovery he had made, and it was mass produced after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

And can you imagine life today without this amazing discovery?

J.R.R. Tolkien- Father of Modern Fantasy Literature

Most of us have seen or heard of the epic trilogy Lord of the Rings. This has become a popular film that has attracted even more attention than the novels from which it was taken, written by J.R.R. Tolkien.

What you may not know about Tolkien is that he was born and spent the first few years of his life in a South African village. His father was on the search for diamonds there, but he died and Tolkien, his mother and younger brother moved back to England.

Tolkien became an English writer, poet, professor, and philologist who wrote many novels, but became famous mostly through the renowned success of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series. Few other writings up until this time were written in high fantasy, and Tolkien inspired many other writers in this field. C.S. Lewis, another well known English author, was Tolkien's closest friend.

J.R.R. Tolkien volunteered for military service in World War I and had a true romantic love story of his own with young Edith Bratt, whom he married. They had four children to which Tolkien was very dedicated and wrote detailed letters each Christmas entitled, "Letters from Father Christmas." These were actually more of his best works of high fantasy involving characters and stories that he created solely for his children's enjoyment.

The Wright Brothers: The Fathers of Aviation

These two fun-loving brothers were only a few years apart in age and had a fascination for all things that moved. They owned a bicycle business, but soon began to experiment with kites and other flying machines until they became the first humans to invent and fly an airplane with controls.

Neither married or had children, but they gave their lives to continue their experiments and the development of aircraft.

Alexander Graham Bell: The Father of the Telephone

Alexander Bell was an inventor from birth, it seemed, and had a heart for the deaf. He gave instruction in Visible Speech, working to help the deaf learn to speak properly. One of his pupils, Mabel Hubbard, eventually became his wife. 

Alexander fatefully met Thomas Watson, and they discovered that they shared an interest as inventors. Together they worked to bring about the world's first telephone, an invention that has forever changed our world and allowed spoken communication across even the greatest distances. 

Henry Ford: Father of Mass Production

Most only know him as a maker of the Ford Model T; however, Ford really is famous for the method of making these vehicles that he introduced to the world. He was the first to implement the assembly line, which allowed manufacturers to produce much more quickly than before. 

Henry Ford was actually a pioneer for the entire manufacturing industry. He established the "five a day" wage, more than doubling the current rate, calling it "wage motive." And it worked. Although it was highly criticized, he soon had the best mechanics and workers flocking to him for work, lowering his training costs and increasing productivity. 

Ford had a son, Edsel, and they worked together in the family business for years. 

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