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American History

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

Marie Curie - Pierre Curie
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23. Martin Luther

Martin Luther by Lucas Cranach the Elder. Wikimedia Commons/ Public Domain.

Martin Luther was the founder of the Protestant Reformation. He was a monk but became disillusioned with corruption inside the Roman Catholic Church, particularly regarding the selling of indulgences (people could pay money to the church in exchange for forgiveness of their sins, no questions asked). He set out to reform the Roman Catholic Church from within, but instead, he sparked a movement that created a major schism in Christendom, Protestantism.

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