L. Ron Hubbard

L. Ron Hubbard (1911–1986) was an American writer best known for science fiction and for founding the Church of Scientology. Born in Tilden, Nebraska, he began publishing fiction in the 1930s and later wrote the novel *Battlefield Earth* (1982). In 1950 he published *Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health*, which introduced ideas that developed into Scientology; the Church of Scientology was established in 1953. Hubbard served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. In later years he lived largely out of public view while continuing to write and oversee Scientology organizations. He died in 1986 in California.