Robber+Barons


 * Robber barons/captains of industry/entrepreneurs:**
 * Andrew Carnigie**- Was an industrialist, businessman, and major philanthropist. He built Puttsburgh's Carnegie Steel Company, which was later evolved into Elbert H. Gary's Federal Steel Company. Carnegie was very wealthy. He made his fortune on steel companys. He started off as a telegrapher, and then by the 1860's he had investments in railroads, bridges and oil derricks.



By 1896, Rockefeller shed all of his policy involvement in the affairs of Standard Oil; however he retained his nominal title as president until 1911; he kept his stock. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Rockefeller#Early_life_and_business_career
 * John D. Rockefeller** was born on a farm in Richford, New York. He was an American industrialist and philanthropist. Standard Oil gradually gained almost complete control of oil refining and marketing in the United States. At that time, many legislatures had made it difficult to incorporate in one state and operate in another. As a result, Rockefeller and his associates owned separate corporations across dozens of states, making their management of the whole enterprise unwieldy. In 1882, Rockefeller's lawyers created an innovative form of corporation to centralize their holdings, giving birth to the Standard Oil Trust. The firm was attacked by journalists and politicians throughout its existence, in part for its monopolistic practices, giving momentum to the anti-trust movement. Ohio was especially vigorous in applying its state anti-trust laws, and finally forced a separation of Standard Oil of Ohio from the rest of the company in 1892, leading to the dissolution of the trust. Rockefeller continued to consolidate his oil interests as best as he could until New Jersey, in 1909, changed its incorporation laws to effectively allow a re-creation of the trust in the form of a single holding company. At its peak, Standard Oil had about 90% of the market for kerosene products.




 * Thomas Edison** was an American inventor and businessman who developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world. He developed the phonograph and the practical electric light bulb. He was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production and large teamwork to the process of invention, and is often credited with the creation of the first industrial research laboratory. Edison is considered one of the most prolific inventors in history, holding 1,093 U.S. patents in his name, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France and Germany. He is credited with numerous inventions that contributed to mass communication and, in particular, telecommunications. His advanced work in these fields was an outgrowth of his early career as a telegraph operator. Edison originated the concept and implementation of electric-power generation and distribution to homes, businesses, and factories - a crucial development in the modern industrialized world.