What would America have been without the Scots? Andrew Carnegie, the humble weaver's son who went there to become the world's richest man, thought it might have been 'a poor show'. This book is an unapologetic celebration of what he was proudly talking about - little Scotland's huge human contribution to the cultural identity of the Big Country.
Rick Wilson profiles an intriguing selection of Scottish innovators who have projected their genius, energy and inspiration across the Atlantic. They range from the 14th-century nobleman Henry St Clair, believed to have discovered America before Columbus, through the first private eye Allan Pinkerton, to the photographer Harry Benson, who has captured no fewer than ten US presidents for posterity.Scots Who Made America also features non-residents who have contributed from afar, but whose influence has been no less potent for that - people like Sean Connery, Tony Blair, J.M. Barrie and Robert Burns.
Andrew Carnegie was born in Dumfermline, son of a humble weaver, but left his native shores for the New World in 1848. On his arrival in Pennsylvania he became a bobbin-boy at a local cotton mill. Then followed a serious of jobs, each better than the last, until Carnegie was in a position to set up his own business, the Carnegie Steel Company. This business made the Fife-born lad the richest man in the world; a typical example of a home-born Scot whose effect on the life and culture of the United States has been incalculable. Wilson provides an accessible and intriguing guide to Scottish innovators who have given their energy and inspiration to improving the fields of engineering, publishing, politics, literature, business and medicine in the United States, from the alleged Scots discovery of America by Scots Nobleman Henry St Clair in the 14th century, to the photographer who captured no less than 12 presidents for prosperity, Henry Benson. Others, like Sean Connery, J.M Barrie and Robert Burns, have a more removed, but just as potent influence on the States, as Wilson illustrates. Featured Scots include: Alexander Graham Bell, James Gordon Bennett, Harry Benson, Binny and Ronaldson, David Dunbar Buick., Andrew Carnegie, James Craik, Robert Dollar, Robert Forbes, Hugh Grant, Andrew Hallidie, Captain Kidd, John Muir, allan Pinkerton, Alexander Wilson, James Wilson, Samuel Wilson, John Witherspoon, Alexander Bain, Sean Connery and Harry Lauder.
