The Beginning

In the early 1900s, steel was used for almost everything; it was used to make skyscrapers, railroad tracks, bridges, Naval ships, and so much more. Steel is what drove the city of Pittsburgh to be the Steel City. The rise of the Steel Industry in Pittsburgh was centralized around one man, Andrew Carnegie. After starting the Carnegie Steel Company in 1892 Carnegie revolutionized the way steel was produced, making the process more efficient and therefore more profitable. Carnegie believed that the best way to run his plants was to keep his factories running constantly instead of shutting them down until an order came in (Lecture, A New Working Class). While other companies shut down their factories, the Carnegie Steel Company was up and running 24/7 making basic steel parts so that there was always a surplus on hand just in case.