On November 25, 1835, Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland. His parents were weavers and seamstresses. The family, who were never wealthy, watched their little revenue disappear when the development of power looms revolutionized the business. The family relocated to the United States when Carnegie was 12 years old in quest of better chances, which was something young Andrew had a talent for doing.
Carnegie started making investments in railroad firms and the sectors that aided them, and by 1863, he was earning hundreds of dollars in dividends annually. Carnegie succeeded Scott as railroad superintendent after he quit the company to form the Keystone Bridge Co. Carnegie joined his mentor at Keystone in 1865 and contributed to shaping the prosperous business.
During one of his travels to offer bonds to European investors in order to obtain money, Carnegie saw that the demand for steel was rising and may perhaps outstrip that for iron. In 1873, he modified his approach and started concentrating on his steel interests. Building new mills with cutting-edge technology that would outperform the competition was the main goal for Carnegie and his partners.
When Carnegie sold his business for $480 million to a group of investors led by J.P. Morgan in 1901, he had the opportunity to keep his vow. The cornerstone of U.S. Steel, a trust in charge of 70% of the nation's steel output, was Carnegie Steel. Carnegie had one of the greatest personal fortunes when he started his charitable career.
In today's currencies, Carnegie donated the equivalent of billions of dollars between 1901 and 1919, the year he passed away. He sponsored more than 2,500 public libraries in the United States and overseas, all of which have the Carnegie name. Perhaps this was due to his problems accessing books as a young man.
He paid millions to aid in the conclusion of World War I and is also frequently described to as a pacifist. This includes contributing to the construction of The Hague's Peace Palace in 1903 and launching the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace with $10 million in 1910.
Though his fame may fade with time due to his altruism, his great business and investing acumen won't.