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Creator:
National Museum of American History  Search this
Type:
Lectures
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2016-12-12T19:54:12.000Z
Views:
2,088
Video Title:
Peter Cooper
Description:
Peter Cooper (1791–1883), a New York native, was a self-made inventor, industrialist, and philanthropist. Cooper apprenticed as a coach-maker, then patented and manufactured an improved cloth-shearing machine. He later ran a grocery business, and then secured his financial security by becoming the chief domestic supplier of glue. After investing in Baltimore real estate, Cooper helped ensure its appreciation by devising a new American style locomotive for the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad. To better navigate the hills and curves of Maryland, Cooper’s Tom Thumb locomotive had a shorter wheelbase and smaller wheels than its English counterparts. Eager to return to New York, Cooper sold his locomotive design in return for B&O stock—which appreciated substantially, further increasing his fortune. Cooper later established plants for manufacturing wire and structural steel, and was a key investor in Cyrus Field’s transatlantic telegraph cable. The civic-minded Cooper served as a New York alderman and used his fortune to establish Cooper Union, a trade school that provided free night classes, lectures, and concerts for workers. This video is featured in the "Men of Progress" section of the American Enterprise exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. (The video does not include an audio track). Teachers, parents, educators! Check out our resources to use these videos in the classroom here: https://historyexplorer.si.edu/resource/men-progress-video-series Section link: americanhistory.si.edu/american-enterprise-exhibition/videos/men-progress Exhibition link: americanhistory.si.edu/american-enterprise
Video Duration:
40 sec
YouTube Keywords:
smithsonian "american history" history museum
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
American History  Search this
See more by:
SmithsonianAmHistory
Data Source:
National Museum of American History
YouTube Channel:
SmithsonianAmHistory
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_ClfM_q8OyJU