Famous Leaders of Industry

Book excerpt: Readers will find much to admire in the early life stories of leaders in business, government, and technology. From humble beginnings to the heights of fame, these men created opportunities for themselves and others, exerting their influence farther than they could have imagined. Writer Edwin Wildman delves into the biographies of men such as Philip Danforth Armour, the Chicago packing king; P.T. Barnum, the great showman; John M. Browning, the inventor of the machine gun; William L. Douglas, "the boy who pegged shoes and became governor"; Frank L. Woolworth, "the magician of the 5 and 10 cent store"; John Davison Rockefeller; and Adolf Zukor, the motion picture magnate. Wildman also profiles inventors such as Thomas Edison, George Eastman, Alexander Graham Bell, Charles Goodyear, Cyrus Hall McCormick, Isaac Merritt Singer, George Westinghouse, and the Wright brothers. Wildman wrote of these remarkable leaders and their fascinating lives, "They did not live joyless lives; they found pleasure in their work, because they loved their work and hoped to get on in the world."EDWIN WILDMAN was a journalist who covered the Philippines. He also wrote the books Reconstructing America -- Our Next Big Job and Aguinaldo, A Narrative of Filipino Aspirations.