andrew carnegie
a man of Scotland, a distinguished citizen of the United States, and a philanthropist devoted to the betterment of the world around him, Andrew Carnegie became famous at the turn of the twentieth century and became a real life rags to riches story. Born in Dunfermline, Scotland, on November 25, 1835, Andrew Carnegie entered the world in poverty. The son of a hand weaver, Carnegie received his only formal education during the short time between his birth and his move to the United States. When steam machinery for weaving came into use, Carnegie’s father sold his looms and household goods, sailing to America with his wife and two sons. At this time, Andrew was twelve, and his brother, Thomas, was five. ... Allegheny City provided Carnegie’s first job, as a bobbin boy in a cotton factory, working for $1. ... At age 15, Carnegie became a telegraph messenger boy in Pittsburgh. ... Carnegie’s next job was as a railroad clerk, working for the Pennsylvania Railroad. ... At this time, young Carnegie, age 24, had already made some small investments that laid the foundations of his what would be tremendous fortune. ... In 1864, Carnegie entered the iron business, but did not begin to make steel until years later. ... He established many other steel plants, and in 1892, he merged all of his interests into the Carnegie Steel Company.