Paul Revere was a silversmith, engraving, early businessman, Sons of Liberty member, and American Revolutionary War patriot. He is most remembered for his nocturnal journey in April 1775 to warn the local army of the approaching British troops before the battles of Lexington and Concord, which was portrayed in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1861 poem 'Paul Revere's Ride.'

Revere was a rich, established, and popular Boston silversmith at the age of 41. He had assisted in the construction of an information and alert system to keep an eye on the British military. Revere previously worked as a Massachusetts militia officer, however, his service was terminated during the Penobscot Expedition, one of the most catastrophic actions of the American Revolutionary War, for which he has been exonerated. Revere returned to his silversmithing after the war. He utilized the proceeds from his flourishing company to fund his efforts in iron forging, copper bell, cannon casting, and copper bolt and spikes shaping. He was the first American to roll copper into strips used as covering on navy ships in 1800.