The five Titans of Industry discussed in this series are, without a doubt, the most influential and impactful men in American history. Without any one of them, the entire landscape of the US would be different. They are the founders of the American economy.  

We live in a world today that is based on the actions of John D. Rockefeller. Everything we do and how we live are the result of oil and its power.

J.P. Morgan is more than just the name on one of the largest banks in America. He built the financial world we live in today.

Henry Ford not only revolutionized the automobile industry, but the assembly line he created has changed the way the entire world thinks about manufacturing.

Grab a copy, pull up a chair, pour your favorite listening beverage, and dive in to the lives of the men who built America.

Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie amassed wealth that inspired generations of entrepreneurs and industrialists. Starting with nothing in Scotland, he gradually built so much wealth that those at the top of the current Forbes list would still not be able to match him.

He began working at a young age, and the lessons he learned from observing his surroundings gave him the foundational structure that allowed him to build his wealth and etch his name in the minds of generations to come.

J.P. Morgan

J.P. Morgan is more than just the name on one of the largest banks in America. He was a man who altered the course of American finance and the chief financier for the strategic interests of the titans of the day, such as Carnegie and Rockefeller. He also financed new and ingenious technologies developed by Thomas Edison and was a visionary who saw the potential in Nikola Tesla.

His ability was not limited to Wall Street, though, and his reputation was not bound by the shores of America. He touched core industries in his lifetime, from shipping to power to steel and provided the spark that reignited the economic soul of America after the Crash of 1907.

John D. Rockefeller

Rockefeller was the quintessential industrialist. He created an industry out of nascent oil and gas start-ups during a time when none existed. He was strategic in his thinking, choosing to enter the refining side of the oil industry instead of the exploring and drilling aspect of it. He started with one refinery, and then quickly bought up more than 90 percent of his competitors in the state within a few short years.

The story of Rockefeller as told in this book provides a deep view of the oil industry and is told from a very human and real perspective. It looks at the events that shaped his life, from the shenanigans of his crooked father to the pleasant and philanthropic old man that he became.

Henry Ford

The Ford name is everywhere. It is ingrained in the American way of life. From the way we make our food to the way we think about cars, it all came from the mind of this Irishman from Michigan.

This book covers his life from when his family immigrated to Michigan until his last breath. It recounts a life from the perspective of someone who wants to understand the genius and spirit within everyone.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Cornelius Vanderbilt I had no illusions about his life. He didn’t start out with grand plans and ungodly greed. He merely stepped in this world one foot at a time, one boat at a time, one market at a time - one day at a time. He worked 16 hours a day, seven days a week. He worked hard and played hard. When all was said and done, though, he was a simple man who pushed the world of transportation to be all it could be - to be what it is today.