Andrew Carnegie was born in 1835 in Scotland. He was from a poor family. When he was twelve, his family moved to the USA. They wanted a better life. There, Andrew started to work right away. He got a job in a factory. He was a good worker, but he didn't like the job. Later, he changed his job. He worked at the Railroad Company where everybody liked him. He did many different jobs. His salary got higher every year.
In his free time, Andrew loved to read. But in those days, the United States didn't have free public libraries. Luckily, he lived with a rich man with many books, who let young boys use his library for free, so Andrew could read as much as possible. He read throughout his life.
Andrew learned a lot at the railroad company. He realized that the railroad was very important for big countries. He had a idea to start a business with railroads. He saved all his money and opened a business at the age of thirty years.
First, his company made bridges for the railroads. Ten years later, it made steel for bridges, machines, and many other things. Soon he was the richest man in the world.
Andrew liked to make money. But he believed it was very important to help other people. In 1901, he sold his company for $480 million. He started to give away his money to make new libraries and colleges all over the United States. He built 2811 libraries. Andrew also gave a lot of money to people who worked for peace. In 1903, he gave $1.5 million to build a Peace Palace in the Netherlands.
Andrew Carnegie died in 1919.He was eighty-four years old. During his life, he gave away nearly all of his money. He gave away over $350 million for education and peace. There are colleges, libraries, hospitals, and parks named after Andrew Carnegie.He helped millions of people all over the world to study and learn.
