Rufus Porter

The amazing man you never heard of.  I visited the new Rufus Porter Museum in nearby Bridgton, Maine.  It is dedicated to the achievements of this local man.  Known mainly for his wall murals and portraits, Porter is most recognized as an artist who traveled from town to town offering his skills to decorate the walls of people's houses or capture a likeness of family members both in his signature primitive style.  What is often not known is he was also a prolific and creative inventor.  He founded Scientific American magazine, the oldest continuously published magazine in the world, in 1845.  His invention of the circulating pump led to the development of the technology still used in heart transplant surgery.  He was a creative genius but a really REALLY bad business man and although he patented many of his inventions he died relatively penniless in 1884.

For those interested, here is a link to a brief video of his life and work.