I would rewrite the sentence as both constructions are awkward and then you would not have to choose between these two options. I would change "almost none" to "few" to keep the sentence in the positive. Few American Investors have captured the public imagination as did Benjamin Franklin with his spectacles and lightning rod. To answer the question about none vs. no, the correct choice would be none: Almost none of the American soldiers who served in Iraq returned home unscathed by their experiences in that conflict.

Almost none of American inventor before or after has captured the public imagination as did Benjamin Franklin with his spectacles and lightning rod Almost no other American inventor, before or after, has captured the public's imagination as much as Ben Franklin did with his spectacles and lightening rod.

no