Andrew Carnegie

Hello! My name is Andrew Carnegie. I was born a long, long time ago, on November 25th, 1835, in a small town called Dunfermline, Scotland. My family lived in a little cottage, and my father was a weaver, which means he made cloth. We didn't have much money, but we had a lot of love and books! When I was a boy, my family decided to move all the way across the ocean to America, hoping for a better life. In 1848, we sailed on a big ship to a new country full of possibilities.

America was a busy place! To help my family, I started working when I was just 13 years old. My first job was in a noisy factory, and then I became a messenger boy, delivering important messages all over the city of Pittsburgh. I loved running through the streets! I worked very hard at every job I had, and I always kept learning. Whenever I had a spare moment, I would read books. Reading was like opening a door to the whole world, and I wanted to learn everything.

As I grew up, I saw that America was growing, too. People were building giant bridges, long railroads, and super tall buildings called skyscrapers. I knew they would need something very strong to build all these amazing things. That something was steel! I learned all about how to make steel, and in 1892, I started my own company, the Carnegie Steel Company. We worked to make lots and lots of strong, safe steel to help build America.

Working with steel made me very wealthy. But I believed that it was important to share what you have to help others. In 1901, I sold my company and decided to spend the rest of my life giving my money away to do good things. Because I loved books so much, one of my favorite things to do was build libraries—thousands of them! I wanted every child and every grown-up to have a free, wonderful place to read and learn, just like I did.

I lived a long and very busy life and was 83 years old when my story came to a gentle end. I am so happy that the things I helped build are still helping people today. The libraries are still full of books and new ideas, and the schools I helped start, like Carnegie Mellon University, are places where people learn to make the world better. I hope my story reminds you that it doesn't matter where you start; with hard work and a kind heart, you can do amazing things.