Archives for history programs

Vanderbilt: The First Tycoon

Thursday, January 27th 7:00–8:00 p.m. Click here to register. Join Professor Rick Feingold as he explores the life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the first tycoon. Cornelius Vanderbilt began operating his own ferry in New York Harbor at the age of 16. He would work from dawn until dark ferrying passengers between Staten Island and the tip of Manhattan. The tiny business would grow into a massive steamship company. Vanderbilt would undercut his competitors by pricing his services so low that he would drive them out of business. Eventually he built a railroad empire from New York to Chicago and the First
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