The Commodore — Cornelius Vanderbilt and the American Railroad Empire (1865)
A boy who quit school in 6th grade became the richest man in America. From steamboats to railroads — the man they called "Commodore."
Apr 28, 2026Back to Blog
Vanderbilt
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Denied a Box Seat, They Built Their Own Opera House: The Birth of the Metropolitan Opera
In 1880s New York, when tycoons like Vanderbilt and JP Morgan were refused box seats at the Academy of Music, they did what billionaires do best — built something bigger. The deliciously petty origin story of the world's greatest opera house.
Apr 9, 2026