THE MOST CELEBRATED AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURS IN HISTORY

March 31st 2014 at 11:50pm Published by firstdownadmin

America is known as a melting pot of nationalities and cultures, and it has quickly become one of the most innovative nations to date. With driven natural-born citizens and immigrants, America is one of the most successful countries in terms of entrepreneurship.

Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, and Larry Page are among the most celebrated American entrepreneurs in history.

1. Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie was an American entrepreneur who actually immigrated from Scotland. Born into the lower class, Carnegie and his family immigrated to Pennsylvania, where they lived a better lifestyle. Carnegie later founded the Carnegie Steel Company, growing it to become one of the largest companies in U.S. history.

2. Henry Ford

Unlike Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford was a natural-born citizen who grew up in Michigan. Born into a family that originated from England and Ireland, he was well off, although not wealthy. Ford was a hard-working man and eventually completed an apprenticeship with the Detroit Dry Dock Company. In 1891, he met with Thomas Edison and told him about his concept of the automobile. Edison liked the idea and let Ford use his warehouse to develop and manufacture two prototypes

3. Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is a shining example of an American success story. While she did not reveal her past until 1986, Winfrey was a victim of sexual assault at the age of 9 and became pregnant at the age of 14 before losing the child during childbirth. These early trials and tribulations gave her the perspective and confidence that helped her land her first TV show in 1983. From there, Winfrey steadily grew her brand and her empire, founding Harpo Studios, a multimedia company, in 1988. The company, through ad revenue and other revenue streams, has steadily grown to over 12,500 employees.

4. Bill Gates

Bill Gates, one of the most well-known American technology entrepreneurs, is the second-richest person in the world with a net worth of over $98.9 billion as of 2019. Gates grew up in Seattle, Wash., and began tinkering with personal computers at an early age with friends such as Paul Allen. Showing a ton of aptitude and promise, Gates enrolled in Harvard, where he met Steve Ballmer before dropping out to start Microsoft to become one of the world’s largest and most influential tech companies.

5. Larry Page

Larry Page is the co-founder of Google, the world’s number one search engine. Google was started by Page and his partner Sergey Brin while they were doctorate students at Stanford University. With an initial investment of just $100,000, the two partners quickly grew Google into a multinational conglomerate.