An Accurate Account of the “Men Who Built America” Part 14

Posted on March 3, 2013May 5, 2013 in Daily Blog, TV Shows with 2 Comments.

This is the fourteenth in my series of posts about the five businessmen the History Channel profiled in a terribly inaccurate and un-historical TV miniseries titled The Men Who Built America. I’m writing these posts in response to several comments and e-mails from TV viewers who have expressed interest in a more accurate version of the story. (Click here to see all Al’s columns on the program and its subjects.)

Post #14: John D. Rockefeller Decides on Oil

In 1863 twenty-four year old John D. Rockefeller entered the industry that would define his life. He was blessed with exceptional foresight, and he predicted several crucial things about the oil business with such confidence that he was able to bet his career on all of them coming true. In each case he was right.
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An Accurate Account of the “Men Who Built America” Part 13

Posted on February 24, 2013October 15, 2017 in Daily Blog, TV Shows with 3 Comments.

This is the thirteenth in my series of posts about the five businessmen the History Channel profiled in a terribly inaccurate and un-historical TV miniseries titled The Men Who Built America. I’m writing these posts in response to several comments and e-mails from TV viewers who have expressed interest in a more accurate version of the story. (Click here to see all Al’s columns on the program and its subjects.)

Post #13: John D. Rockefeller Gets His First Job

In 1855 John D. Rockefeller went looking for his first full time job. By training, talent, and inclination he was a bookkeeper, but few businessmen in 1855 Cleveland were willing to entrust their books to a sixteen year old. Times were tough, and older and more experienced applicants were available.
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An Accurate Account of the “Men Who Built America” Part 12

Posted on February 17, 2013February 24, 2013 in Daily Blog, TV Shows with No Comments.

This is the twelveth in my series of posts about the five businessmen the History Channel profiled in a terribly inaccurate and un-historical TV miniseries titled The Men Who Built America. I’m writing these posts in response to several comments and e-mails from TV viewers who have expressed interest in a more accurate version of the story. (Click here to see all Al’s columns on the program and its subjects.)

Post #12: John D. Rockefeller Grows Up Poor

John Davison Rockefeller was born on July 8 of 1839 in Richford, NY. At the time of his birth, railroad trains had been operating in the US for about eight years. JP Morgan was two years old, Andrew Carnegie was not yet four, and forty-five year old Cornelius Vanderbilt was operating a fleet of steamboats in and around Long Island Sound. William Ford, future father of Henry, had been in the United States for three years and was still unmarried and struggling to make a living.

An Accurate Account of the “Men Who Built America” Part 11

Posted on February 12, 2013February 17, 2013 in Daily Blog, TV Shows with No Comments.

This is the eleventh in my series of posts about the five businessmen the History Channel profiled in a terribly inaccurate and un-historical TV miniseries titled The Men Who Built America. I’m writing these posts in response to several comments and e-mails from TV viewers who have expressed interest in a more accurate version of the story. (Click here to see all Al’s columns on the program and its subjects.)

Post #11: Carnegie During the War Years

Carnegie had only held his job as Western Superintendent for a couple years when the Civil War broke out. Although he would describe himself as a pacifist in later years, he was passionate in his support for the Union war effort.
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An Accurate Account of the “Men Who Built America” Part 10

Posted on February 3, 2013February 26, 2013 in Daily Blog, TV Shows with No Comments.

This is the tenth in my series of posts about the five businessmen the History Channel profiled in a terribly inaccurate and un-historical TV miniseries titled The Men Who Built America. I’m writing these posts in response to several comments and e-mails from TV viewers who have expressed interest in a more accurate version of the story. (Click here to see all Al’s columns on the program and its subjects.)

Post #10: Carnegie Builds a Railroad and a Portfolio

In Altoona, Carnegie’s position as Thomas Scott’s go-to guy continued to open up opportunities both inside and outside the railroad. In 1858 an inventor named Theodore Woodruff persuaded J. Edgar Thompson and Thomas Scott to order two of the sleeper cars he had developed (some accounts say it was four cars). It would be an important milestone in Andrew Carnegie’s career.