# UX154 FDC - 1991 19c Postal Card - Carnegie Hall Centennial
Postal Cards
The United States Post Office Department issued its first postal card in 1873. The original rate was 1¢, and the first U.S. postal card was printed in brown with the image of Liberty inside an ornate oval frame. Modern U.S. postal cards usually have a full-color design as part of the imprinted stamp. To date, more than 370 different U.S. postal cards have been issued since the first appeared 126 years ago. Postal cards make up an enjoyable part of the stamp hobby and are a significant element of U.S. postal history. Add these neat postal cards to your collection today!
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Happy Birthday Andrew CarnegieÂ
By 1848, Carnegieâs family had fallen on hard times and decided to move to America in search of a better life. They settled in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, where Carnegieâs father found work as a weaver. Young Carnegie started working when he was 13 years old as a bobbin boy in a Pittsburgh cotton factory â his wage was $1.20 per week.
In 1850, Carnegie was hired as a telegraph messenger boy by the Pittsburgh Office of the Ohio Telegraph Company and was paid $2.50 per week. Carnegie worked hard and remembered every location and businessmanâs face, forging important connections for the future. He was also able to distinguish and translate the sounds of the telegraph by ear, without need for a paper slip. Within a year, Carnegie was promoted to telegraph operator. He never received a formal education, but read whenever he was able, borrowing books from a local colonel. Funding libraries would one day be a significant part of his philanthropic work.
In the early days of the Civil War, Carnegie helped to open up rail lines into Washington, D.C., that had been cut by Confederate troops. He also rode on a train with the first troops to arrive in the nationâs capital. Carnegie essentially ran the telegraph service that aided in the Union victory. He once joked that he was âthe first casualty of the warâ after he got a scar on his cheek while trying to loosen a stuck telegraph wire.
In the coming years, Carnegie quit the railroad and spent all of his time and money on ironworks. This resulted in the Keystone Bridge Works and Union Ironworks in Pittsburgh. Soon Carnegie owned the most extensive iron and steel operations in the country. He was successful in part because of his innovation. He implemented inexpensive and efficient mass production processes and used vertical integration to streamline his supply process. By the 1890s, he launched the Carnegie Steel Company and was the leader in American steel, which was not outproducing the United Kingdom.
When he wasnât busy running his successful businesses, Carnegie was a writer and philanthropist. He befriended humorist Mark Twain and regularly exchanged letters with U.S. presidents, statesmen, and other writers. Carnegie donated funds for pools and a library to his hometown in Scotland, and gave $50,0000 to New York University Medical Center for what became the Carnegie Laboratory. Carnegie was also a frequent contributor to several magazines and published a number of books.
By 1901, Carnegie was ready to retire from business. He worked with John Morgan Pierpont to sell his steel works and form the United States Steel Corporation. Carnegie received $225 million in bonds for his share.
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Postal Cards
The United States Post Office Department issued its first postal card in 1873. The original rate was 1¢, and the first U.S. postal card was printed in brown with the image of Liberty inside an ornate oval frame. Modern U.S. postal cards usually have a full-color design as part of the imprinted stamp. To date, more than 370 different U.S. postal cards have been issued since the first appeared 126 years ago. Postal cards make up an enjoyable part of the stamp hobby and are a significant element of U.S. postal history. Add these neat postal cards to your collection today!
Â
Happy Birthday Andrew CarnegieÂ
By 1848, Carnegieâs family had fallen on hard times and decided to move to America in search of a better life. They settled in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, where Carnegieâs father found work as a weaver. Young Carnegie started working when he was 13 years old as a bobbin boy in a Pittsburgh cotton factory â his wage was $1.20 per week.
In 1850, Carnegie was hired as a telegraph messenger boy by the Pittsburgh Office of the Ohio Telegraph Company and was paid $2.50 per week. Carnegie worked hard and remembered every location and businessmanâs face, forging important connections for the future. He was also able to distinguish and translate the sounds of the telegraph by ear, without need for a paper slip. Within a year, Carnegie was promoted to telegraph operator. He never received a formal education, but read whenever he was able, borrowing books from a local colonel. Funding libraries would one day be a significant part of his philanthropic work.
In the early days of the Civil War, Carnegie helped to open up rail lines into Washington, D.C., that had been cut by Confederate troops. He also rode on a train with the first troops to arrive in the nationâs capital. Carnegie essentially ran the telegraph service that aided in the Union victory. He once joked that he was âthe first casualty of the warâ after he got a scar on his cheek while trying to loosen a stuck telegraph wire.
In the coming years, Carnegie quit the railroad and spent all of his time and money on ironworks. This resulted in the Keystone Bridge Works and Union Ironworks in Pittsburgh. Soon Carnegie owned the most extensive iron and steel operations in the country. He was successful in part because of his innovation. He implemented inexpensive and efficient mass production processes and used vertical integration to streamline his supply process. By the 1890s, he launched the Carnegie Steel Company and was the leader in American steel, which was not outproducing the United Kingdom.
When he wasnât busy running his successful businesses, Carnegie was a writer and philanthropist. He befriended humorist Mark Twain and regularly exchanged letters with U.S. presidents, statesmen, and other writers. Carnegie donated funds for pools and a library to his hometown in Scotland, and gave $50,0000 to New York University Medical Center for what became the Carnegie Laboratory. Carnegie was also a frequent contributor to several magazines and published a number of books.
By 1901, Carnegie was ready to retire from business. He worked with John Morgan Pierpont to sell his steel works and form the United States Steel Corporation. Carnegie received $225 million in bonds for his share.
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