Henry Ford monopolized oil industry, his company, “Standard Oil Company”, would either force a competitor out of business or buy it out.
This was a ruthless tactic, he used horizontal integration to buy up competitors, and drove them out of business, that is why he received the nickname "Reckafellow".
Carnegie switched from railroading to become the master of the steel industry with the U.S. Steel Corporation. He used vertical integration. This company became dominate in steel largely because of his administrative abilities and hired excellent people.
The battle of Vicksburg cut off many supplies for the Confederate army and the battle of Gettysburg killed so many of Confederate troops that he could no longer attempt an attack on Union soil.
The Maine is known for its catastrophic loss in the Port of Havana on the morning of February 15, 1898. It was sent to protect the interests of American citizens during the Cuban revolts against Spain. It exploded suddenly, without warning, losing the life in the explosion three quarters of its crew. The causes of the explosion were not clear in a commission of inquiry, but the American public, fueled by the incendiary proclamations of the US tabloid press made by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, blamed Spain.
It has been 120 years since the sinking of the Maine and still many wonder what really happened. The hypotheses remain the same: a mine placed by Cuban patriots who wanted to provoke an American intervention; agents of the Spanish government who tried to teach a lesson to the newborn northern imperialism; an accident caused by the use of highly volatile bituminous coal in boilers too close to the ammunition store; and that the United States itself caused the explosion to have a pretext that would allow them to invade the island militarily.
Which of these hypotheses approaches the truth? Will we know someday? Probably not. Maybe it does not even matter. In the Cemetery of Arlington they rest, under the recovered main mast of the ship, the victims of that unfortunate event. In Havana, facing the sea that guards the burned remains of the Maine, a soulless monument awaits for its just and definitive consecration.
Recorded French versions of five Beatles songs.
