Cornelius Vanderbilt John D. Rockefeller

Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt was born on May 27, 1794, in the Port Richmond
area of Staten Island, New York. He began a passenger ferry business
in New York harbor with one boat, then started his own steamship
company, eventually controlling Hudson River traffic. He also created
the New York Central Railroad and provided the first rail service
between New York and Chicago. When he died in 1877, Vanderbilt
had amassed the largest fortune accumulated in the U.S. at that
time. Vanderbilt is deemed one of America's leading businessmen,
and is credited for helping to shape the present-day United States.
John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller was born July 8, 1839, in Richford, New York. He
built his first oil refinery near Cleveland and in 1870 incorporated the
Standard Oil Company. By 1882 he had a near-monopoly of the oil
business in the U.S, but his business practices led to the passing of
antimonopoly laws. Late in life Rockefeller devoted himself to
philanthropy. He died in 1937.
J.P. Morgan
J.P. Morgan was one of the most famous financiers in business history. In
1871, Morgan began his own private banking company, which later
became known as J.P. Morgan & Co., one of the leading financial firms
in the country. In 1901 he used part of his fortune to buy Carnegie Steel
from Andrew Carnegie. After gaining control of several other steel
corporations he formed the U.S. Steel Corporation.
Jane Addams
Jane Addams founded “Hull House” as an effort to help both immigrants
and native Americans adjust to life in the growing cities of the U.S.
In addition to Hull House, Addams was active in many other areas. She
fought for the passage of laws to protect women workers and outlaw
child labor. She also worked to improve housing and public health. She
was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931 for her efforts.
Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers was an early labor leader, first in his own union and
later as president of the American Federation of Labor. As its president
nearly continuously between 1886 and 1924, Gompers led the labor
movement in achieving solid gains for workers. He maintained a focused
view of trade unionism, believing that unions should concentrate on
better collective bargaining agreements and legislation affecting labor,
while avoiding broad social issues.
Mary “Mother” Jones
Mary Harris Jones was born in 1830 in County Cork, Ireland. She lost her
family to a yellow fever outbreak and her home in the great Chicago
fire. Jones became an effective labor leader who organized meetings,
gave speeches, and helped strikers. Workers loved her so much that they
called her “Mother” Jones. She was a campaigner for the United Mine
Workers Union, founded the Social Democratic Party and helped
establish the Industrial Workers of the World. Jones died in 1930.
Wilbur and Orville Wright
Born four years apart, brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright grew up in a
small town in Ohio. They shared an intellectual curiosity and an aptitude
for science, at a time when the possibility of human flight was beginning
to look like a reality. Together, the Wright brothers developed the first
successful airplane in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina—and together they
became national heroes. Considered the fathers of modern aviation,
they developed innovative technology and inspired imaginations
around the world.
George Eastman
George Eastman was born on July 2, 1854 in Waterville, New York. In
1880, he opened the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company. His first
camera, the Kodak, was sold in 1888 and consisted of a box camera
with 100 exposures. Later he offered the first Brownie camera, which was
intended for children. By 1927, Eastman Kodak was the largest U.S.
company in the industry.
Thomas Edison
Alexander Graham Bell
Born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio, Thomas Edison rose from
humble beginnings to work as an inventor of major technology. Setting
up a lab in Menlo Park, some of the products he developed included the
telegraph, telephone, phonograph, electric light bulb, alkaline storage
batteries and Kinetograph (a camera for motion pictures). He died on
October 18, 1931, in West Orange, New Jersey.
Alexander Graham Bell was born on March 3, 1847, in Edinburgh,
Scotland. His education was largely received through numerous
experiments in sound and the furthering of his father’s work on Visible
Speech for the deaf. Bell worked with Thomas Watson on the design and
patent of the first practical telephone. He turned his invention into the
Bell Telephone Company. In all, Bell held 18 patents in his name alone
and 12 that he shared with collaborators. He died on August 2, 1922, in
Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was born on November 25, 1835, in Dunfermline,
Scotland. After moving to the United States, he worked a series of
railroad jobs. By 1889 he owned Carnegie Steel Corporation, the
largest of its kind in the world. One of the first in the U.S. to use the
new Bessemer process, he quickly moved to create a monopoly in
the steel industry and took measures to eliminate his competitors. In
1901 he sold his business and dedicated his time to expanding his
philanthropic work, including the establishment of Carnegie-Mellon
University in 1904.
Henry Ford
Born on July 30, 1863, near Dearborn, Michigan, Henry Ford created
the Ford Model T car in 1908 and went on to develop the assembly
line mode of production, which revolutionized the industry. Using the
assembly line Ford was able to produce cars quickly and could sell
them at a price average Americans could afford. As a result, Ford
sold millions of cars and became a world-famous company head.