Socrates was a Greek Philosopher, he was a well known figure in Athens. Socrates showed the World a new way of thinking. We only know of his life through the writings of his students, Plato and others, rather than writing books and recording his thoughts himself, he orally passed on his thoughts to many young people of his time, one of which is Plato. He found out that he was wise when told that the Oracle of Delphi had revealed to one of his friends that Socrates was the wisest man in Athens, he didn't boast about this, but wanted to prove the Oracle wrong. So Socrates started asking everyone he could find, "what was truly worthwhile in life" he felt that if any one knew the answer to this then they must surely be wiser than him, but instead everyone that he asked, all pretended to know something they clearly did not know. So finally he realized that the Oracle must be right after all, and that he was the wisest man in Athens because he alone was prepared to admit his own ignorance rather than pretend to know something he did not know. Socrates felt strongly about his beliefs, that he lived by them and also died for his philosophical beliefs.
In Plato's, The Apology of Socrates, Socrates was accused and on trial for two charges: that he had corrupted the youth of Athens with his teachings, and, that he advocated the worship of false gods. He was also believed to be an atheist, even though Socrates claimed to have a strong belief in the gods; he even believed "The god has commanded me to examine men, in oracles and in dreams and in every which the divine will was ever declared" (pg 43). Socrates denied all of these chargers and claimed his innocence. Socrates justified himself by clarifying that one man by himself can not corrupt the youth. Socrates did not corrupt the youth. He was just a man searching for the answer to the question of who he was. People decided, of their own free will that will that they would come and listen to his conversation.