Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986), better known as
L. Ron Hubbard (, ) and often referred to by his initials,
LRH, was an American author and the founder of the
Church of Scientology. In 2014, Hubbard was cited by the Smithsonian magazine as one of the ten most influential religious figures and one of the 100 Most Significant Americans of all time. After establishing a career as a writer, becoming best known for his
science fiction and
fantasy stories, he developed a system called
Dianetics which was first expounded in book form in May 1950. He subsequently developed his ideas into a wide-ranging set of doctrines and practices as part of a
new religious movement that he called
Scientology. His writings became the guiding texts for the Church of Scientology and a number of affiliated organizations that address such diverse topics as
business administration,
literacy and
drug rehabilitation. The Church's dissemination of these materials led to Hubbard being listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most translated and published author in the world.