The Sweet 16 is upon us. After a second round that saw the higher seeds roll, it's now time to vote in the Business & Science region semifinals.
Your choices won't be easy. In one matchup, we have the Steve Jobs of his era taking on the first man to walk on the Moon. In the other, the one-time richest man in the world takes on the guys that, you know, made the whole airplane thing possible. #OHIOFTW
SWEET 16 VOTING: The Arts | Sports | Politics & Business
Your full bracket is here (PDF), while the vote totals for round two can be found here.
#1 Thomas Edison vs. #4 Neil Armstrong
Thomas Edison: Edison was born on the shores of Lake Erie, grew up and then went about revolutionizing everything he touched. He founded GE, which is now one of the largest and most-admired corporations on earth.
With over a thousand patents to his name, Edison left his mark on music, film, utility power and many other industries.
Edison clocked No. 16 "Jungle" Jack Hanna of the Columbus Zoo in the opening round, collecting 80% of the vote before going on to roll No. 8 Jack Warner, with 91% of the vote in the round of 32.
Neil Armstrong: There's only one first man to set foot onto the Moon and that man is Neil Armstrong. Armstrong's line upon completing the feat, “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” is eternal.
He was later honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, and the Congressional Gold Medal among many, many other awards.
Armstrong destroyed No. 13 George Steinbrenner in the first round, capturing 90% of the vote and followed that up with quick work on No. 5 Les Wexner, earning 90% of the vote again in the second round.
#2 John D. Rockefeller vs. #3 The Wright Bros.
John D. Rockefeller: A graduate of Cleveland's Central High School, Rockefeller built his first oil refinery in "The Flats" at the age of 20. Seven years later, he formed Standard Oil of Ohio, which quickly grew to over 100,000 employees.
Standard Oil grew so large that the Supreme Court found it a monopoly in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1911, splitting it up into 34 new companies, more than a few of which grew up to become massive corporations of their own.
No. 15 Larry Flynt, founder of Hustler, was no match for Rockefeller in the opening round, going down 1,259-142. In the second round, Rockefeller took care of No. 7 Dave Thomas of Wendy's fame, garnering 69% of the vote.
The Wright Bros: Thanks to Wilbur and Orville Wright, Ohio is known as the "Birthplace of Aviation" (eat it, North Carolina).
From their bicycle shop in Dayton, the two brothers designed and built the world's first successful airplane and later made the first controlled, powered and “sustained heavier-than-air human flight.”
The Wright brothers destroyed No. 14 Roger Ailes in the first round, taking 97% of the vote, and then wrecked William Procter, taking 94% of the vote in round two.
