Founded by Charles Taze Russell (born 1852), a former Congregationalist. Given the name Jehovah's Witnesses in 1931, to differentiate from the then "Watchtower" organization. Originally called the Dawn Bible Students and the Laymen's Home Missionary Movement.
Russell started out as a manager of several men's furnishing stores, and was known to hate organized religions. If fact most of his life was spent denouncing them.
At the age of 18 Russell organized a bible class in Pittsburgh, which he was elected as Pastor of in 1876. He founded the "Herald of the Morning" Magazine (1879), which turned into today's "Watchtower". Russell it seems was more interested in money making than his "Flock's" faith, charging a $1.00 a pound for his "Miracle Wheat", which the US government proved was of lower quality than the standard wheat available. His wife left him because of his questionable ethics, and he balked on paying her alimony, until once again the governement (courts) had to step in.
Today the Jehovah's Witnesses corporation "Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society", makes a great deal of money selling food, wood for furniture and other items of sustanence, as well as running a Bible School, "Gilead" and other enterprises.
The group is noted for failed prophecies of the end of the world (the last one in 1975), caused the group to lose tens of thousands of members.
Their belief system is based on Arius of Alexandria (336 AD), and profess that Jehovah is God's only true name, God is not a Trinity, the Trinity is a pagan idea, Jesus is not God, Jesus is lesser than the Father, Jesus "was" Michael the Archangel, the incarnate Jesus had only one nature, Jesus died on a stake not a cross, Jesus did not complete the work of Salvation, Jesus did not physically rise from the dead, Jesus will not return at the second coming in physical form, the Holy Spirit is not a person, but a force, nor is He God, Salvation is through works, hell does not exist, there is no conscious existence after death, Annihilationsim is true, there are two peoples of God, false prophets are not recognizable, and they have the collective ability to prohecise.
Thank you.