eBay

An avid supporter of commerce and innovation, Ben Franklin was constantly seeking new ways to bring the benefits of business to the common man. In 1755 Ben began an auctioning site known as pBay, or Philadelphia Bay (the auctioning stage of pBay was located on the shores of the Philadelphia Bay). The mission of this organization was to allow the everyday man to sell and bid on an endless variety of goods and services. Though pBay was absolutely opposed to slave trading, as was Benjamin Franklin, the charter of pBay specifically allowed (and encouraged) the trade of cadavers. This got Ben Franklin the nickname "the Corpse Capitalist." Although pBay was restricted to just the greater Philadelphia population, Ben Franklin's great-grandson Earnest took the concept and expanded the scope, creating the website eBay, which has remained popular to this day.