Andrew Carnegie Businessman and Philanthropist 1835-1919

Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Fife, in 1835. His family were poor, but had a strong desire for self-improvement through education. Despite his poverty, Carnegie's Grandfather - Thomas Morrison - had a great skill for the written word, and regularly contributed to newspapers and political pamphlets alongside much wealthier members of society.

His uncle taught Andrew about Scottish heroes, such as William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, and also proclaimed the virtues of democracy. He was able to memorise many of the works of Robert Burns, and was deeply affected by the poet's views on democracy.

Carnegie's father - William - was a Radical and, coupled with the industrialisation going on at the time, he found it difficult to keep working with his Hand Loom.

In 1848, when Andrew was just 13, the family emigrated to the USA. They sold their possessions and borrowed money to fund the trip between Glasgow and New York.

Settling in Pennsylvania, Andrew took a job in the same Cotton Factory as his father - working for $1.20 a week.

Carnegie's desire for learning was fueled by the help of Colonel James Anderson, who allowed working boys access to his library of 400 books once a week. Andrew was the most frequent borrower.

At 16 years old, Carnegie got a job for in a telegraph company earning $2.50, delivering and collecting messages for the Ohio Telegraph Company. He taught himself morse-code, and in 1853 he was given a job as a Telegraph operator for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. The pay - four dollars a week - was a fortune for the 18 year old.

Once in the railroad company, he rapidly progressed through his hard work and willingness to learn. He stayed with the company until the start of the American Civil War.

His first great invention was with the development of the Sleeping Car. This allowed passengers to stay on the train for long journeys, rather than having to depart in the evenings and stay in hotels. This sped up travel times, and made Carnegie and the Inventor a small fortune.

From this, Andrew Carnegie was able to begin to make a number of wise investments.

Given his investments in the railroad industry, the war provided a boost in industrial expenditure - and Carnegie's wealth blossomed.

Eventually, he decided to consolidate his investments into one massive project that he could divert all of this energies. He put his money into Steel, and introduced new manufacturing methods. This decision was to set the US on the course of industrial supremacy.

It was not until relatively late in his life that Carnegie began what he is now famous for - his Philanthropy. From the year 1901, he diverted his attentions away from Steel and into other projects.

His books - Triumphant Democracy and the Gospel of Wealth - had demonstrated his belief that those that have the power to collect vast sums of wealth also have a duty to spend it in socially constructive ways.

He did not believe in giving money away for the sake of it, and warned against any giving that would not help people progress from the situation they were in.

He was particularly interested in funding libraries - in return for the library that inspired him as a young man. He founded thousands of public libraries around the World, the first being in his birthplace of Dunfermline.

His most famous ventures include the Carnegie Hall in New York, the Peace Palace at the Hague and the Carnegie Institute of Technology (Now Carnegie Mellon University).

By the time he died in 1919, he had still not given away all of his money. In his will, he ensured that the money would be given to causes he considered worthy, and many are still operating to this day.

Born into poverty, and at under five foot three in height, Andrew Carnegie had grown to become the richest man on the planet - then used his wealth to enrich the World, and leave a legacy that millions of people still benefit from today.