Welcome to Bedtime History. Hello, this is Breck.

If you enjoy the show, be sure to subscribe to be notified about new episodes,

and to get our entire catalog of episodes ad-free, you can subscribe via Apple Podcasts. Also be sure to check out

our 400-plus educational videos on our YouTube channel. We also have a new show called

Bedtime Safari, so look for the link in the show notes of our most recent episodes.

Andrew Carnegie was one of the most important business leaders of the late 1800s,

a time when the United States was growing quickly and becoming a center of industry.

His story is often told as an example of how determination, hard work, and big dreams can change a person's life.

But it is also the story of someone who believed deeply in helping others.

Carnegie became one of the richest people in the world,

and then he gave much of his fortune away to help create a better future for everyone.

Andrew Carnegie was born in 1835 in Dunn-Firmline, Scotland.

His family was very poor. His father was a weaver who made cloth at home and sold it to earn

money. But machines were starting to replace hand weaving, and his father's work was disappearing.

When Andrew was 13, the Carnegie family decided to move to the United States and start a new life.

They settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, hoping for better opportunities.

Life in America wasn't easy at first.

Andrew had to work right away to help support his family.

His first job was in a cotton mill where he changed bobbins on noisy machines. He worked long hours for very little pay,

but Andrew was determined to improve his life. He borrowed books from a local businessman who let

working boys read from his personal library. Andrew read everything he could, history, science, poetry,

and taught himself far more than school alone could have offered.

...