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Erie War
The Erie War was a 19th-century conflict between American financiers for control of the Erie Railway Company, which owned and operated the Erie Railroad. Built with public funds raised by taxation and on land donated by public officials and private developers, by the middle of the 1850s the railroad was mismanaged and heavily in debt. A cattle drover turned Wall Street banker and broker, Daniel Drew, at first loaned $2 million to the railroad, and then acquired control over it. He amassed a fortune by skillfully manipulating the Erie railroad shares on the New York Stock Exchange. Cornelius Vanderbilt, who set his mind on building a railroad empire, saw multiple business and financial opportunities in railways and decided in 1866 to corner the market on Erie by silently scooping-up the Erie railroad stock. After succeeding, Vanderbilt permitted Drew to stay on the board of directors in his former capacity as treasurer.Myers, Gustavus. ''History of the Great American Fortunes''. Vo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rail Gauge
In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many different track gauges exist worldwide, gauge differences often present a barrier to wider operation on railway networks. The term derives from the metal bar, or gauge, that is used to ensure the distance between the rails is correct. Railways also deploy two other gauges to ensure compliance with a required standard. A ''loading gauge'' is a two-dimensional profile that encompasses a cross-section of the track, a rail vehicle and a maximum-sized load: all rail vehicles and their loads must be contained in the corresponding envelope. A ''structure gauge'' specifies the outline into which structures (bridges, platforms, lineside equipment etc.) must not encroach. Uses of the term The most common use of the term "track gauge" refers to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Panic Of 1873
The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two decades of stagnation known as the "Long Depression" that weakened the country's economic leadership. In the United States, the Panic was known as the "Great Depression" until the events of 1929 and the early 1930s set a new standard. The Panic of 1873 and the subsequent depression had several underlying causes for which economic historians debate the relative importance. American inflation, rampant speculative investments (overwhelmingly in railroads), the demonetization of silver in Germany and the United States, ripples from economic dislocation in Europe resulting from the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871), and major property losses in the Great Chicago Fire (1871) and the Great Boston Fire (1872) helped to place massive strain on bank reserves, which, in New York City ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Steele Gordon
John Steele Gordon (born May 7, 1944) is an American writer who specializes in the history of business and finance. Born and raised in New York City, he graduated from Vanderbilt University. After spending some time in publishing, he left to travel, driving from England to India and back and from New York to Tierra del Fuego, returning as far as Rio de Janeiro. His first book was a how-to book on how to do this type of overland traveling. After working in politics for a few years as a press secretary for two congressmen, he wrote his first book on financial history, ''The Scarlet Woman of Wall Street'' (1988), a history of Wall Street in the 1860s. His history of the national debt, ''Hamilton's Blessing'', was published in 1997 (2nd edition, 2010). In 2004 he published a history of the American economy, An Empire of Wealth. He has also written on technological history, including A Thread Across the Ocean, the story of laying the Atlantic cable in the mid-19th century, and Washing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Men Who Built America
''The Men Who Built America'' (also known as ''The Innovators: The Men Who Built America'' in some international markets) is an eight-hour, four-part miniseries docudrama which was originally broadcast on the History Channel in autumn 2012, and on the History Channel UK in fall 2013. The series focuses on the lives of Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J. P. Morgan, and Henry Ford. It tells how their industrial innovations and business empires revolutionized modern society. The series is directed by Patrick Reams and Ruán Magan and is narrated by Campbell Scott. It averaged 2.6 million total viewers (1.2 million adults 25–54 and 1 million adults 18–49) across four nights. Cast ''In alphabetical order:'' * William Jennings Bryan – James Kidd * Andrew Carnegie – (The Elder) – Adam Jonas Segaller ** Andrew Carnegie – (The Younger) – AJ Achinger * Thomas Edison – Justin Morck * James Fisk – Kenneth Cavett * Henry Ford – Cary Donaldson * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rufus Wheeler Peckham (1809–1873)
Rufus Wheeler Peckham (December 20, 1809 – November 22, 1873) was an American lawyer, jurist, and congressman from New York from 1853 to 1855. He was the father of U.S. Supreme Court justice Rufus W. Peckham. Biography Peckham was born in Rensselaerville, New York in Albany County on December 20, 1809 to Peleg Benjamin (1762–1828) and Desire (Watson) Peckham (1767–1852). He graduated from Union College at Schenectady in 1827, where he was an early member of The Kappa Alpha Society, and after studying law was admitted to the bar in 1830. Political career He served as the district attorney of Albany County from 1838 to 1841. Congress Peckham was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives from New York's 14th District, serving in the Thirty-third Congress from March 4, 1853, until March 3, 1855. During his term, he was the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Revolutionary Claims. Later career Peckham afterwards returned to legal prac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George G
George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States * George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States * George V, King of Great Britain, Ireland, the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 1910-1936 * George VI, King of Great Britain, Ireland, the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 1936-1952 * Prince George of Wales * George Papagheorghe also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Giorgio Moroder * George Harrison, an English musician and singer-songwriter Places South Africa * George, Western Cape ** George Airport United States * George, Iowa * George, Missouri * George, Washington * George County, Mississippi * George Air Force Base, a former U.S. Air Force base located in California Characters * George (Peppa Pig), a 2-year-old pig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albany And Susquehanna Railroad
The Albany and Susquehanna Railroad (A&S) was a broad gauge railroad from Albany to Binghamton, New York, operating 1851 to 1870. It was subsequently leased by the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company and later merged into the Delaware and Hudson Railroad. History Construction began on April 19, 1851, from Albany to Schoharie Junction, New York, a stretch that required 12 years to complete. In 1869, the line was extended to Binghamton, lengthening the railroad to . A&S vs. Erie railroad war A relatively small road, the A&S connected with four larger ones heading south to the Pennsylvania coal mines. One of these was the Erie, owned by financier Jay Gould, who realized that the A&S might be used to bring coal to New England markets. He decided to add the A&S line to the Erie. In the summer of 1869, Jay Gould and Jim Fisk began to buy up shares in A&S, aiming to accumulate a controlling interest and install their own people to the board and take over. A&S president Joseph H. Ramsey ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Friday (1869)
The Black Friday gold panic of September 24, 1869 was caused by a conspiracy between two investors, Jay Gould and his partner James Fisk, and Abel Corbin, a small time speculator who had married Virginia (Jennie) Grant, the younger sister of President Ulysses Grant. They formed the ''Gold Ring'' to corner the gold market and force up the price of metal on the New York Gold Exchange. The scandal took place during the Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant, whose policy was to sell Treasury gold at weekly intervals to pay off the national debt, stabilize the dollar, and boost the economy. The country had gone through tremendous upheaval during the Civil War and was not yet fully restored. Gould and Fisk hoped to take advantage of Corbin's relationship with his brother-in-law—the president—and Gould persuaded Corbin to introduce him to Grant. Gould and Fisk hoped that befriending the President would get them privy information about the government's gold policy—and even prevent the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lord Gordon-Gordon
Lord Gordon-Gordon ( 1840 – August 1, 1874), also known as Lord Gordon Gordon, Lord Glencairn, and The Hon. Mr. Herbert Hamilton, was a British impostor responsible for a major swindle in 19th century United States. He swindled a million dollars from Jay Gould, who was fighting for control of the Erie Railroad, and then fled to Canada. Gould and associates attempted to kidnap him but were arrested themselves, which nearly caused a military confrontation between the United States and Canada. Life in Britain Little is known about the early life of Lord Gordon-Gordon. His real name is unknown, and it was rumoured that he was the illegitimate son of a North Country clergyman and his family maid. The first incident involving him was in 1868 under the name of "Lord Glencairn", when he swindled London jewelers Marshall & Son for £25,000. In March 1870, he left Britain and travelled to the United States. Swindles in America Glencairn took the name "Lord Gordon-Gordon" as his al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Confidence Trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ..intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men') at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". Terminology Synonyms include con, confidence game, confidence scheme, ripoff, scam, and stratagem. The perpetrator of a confidence trick (or "con trick") is often referred to as a confidence (or "con") man, con-artist, or a "grifter". The shell game dates back at least to Ancient Greece. Samuel Thompson (1821–1856) was the original "confidence man". Thompson was a clumsy swindler who asked his victims to express confidence in him by giving him money or their watch rather than gaining their confidenc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor. Bankrupt is not the only legal status that an insolvent person may have, and the term ''bankruptcy'' is therefore not a synonym for insolvency. Etymology The word ''bankruptcy'' is derived from Italian ''banca rotta'', literally meaning "broken bank". The term is often described as having originated in renaissance Italy, where there allegedly existed the tradition of smashing a banker's bench if he defaulted on payment so that the public could see that the banker, the owner of the bench, was no longer in a condition to continue his business, although some dismiss this as a false etymology. History In Ancient Greece, bankruptcy did not exist. If a man owed and he could not pay, he and his wife, children or servants were forced into " ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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