There is no question that, going through history, the United States of America is and always will be a country of immigrants. This country was built from people coming from overseas and making a life in a foreign land. However, as the long-simmering and controversial debate over immigration continues to be a focal point in presidential debates, it may surprise some of you to see the successful companies founded by American immigrants.
Google Inc., for starters, was co-founded by Sergey Brin, a Russian immigrant, in 1998. Brin moved to the United States at age 6 in the thick of the Cold War in 1979 and went on to become one of the richest men in the country. AT&T was founded by Scottish immigrant in Alexander Graham Bell, who was also the inventor of the telephone and investment firm Goldman Sachs was founded by a German immigrant named Marcus Goldman.
Immigrants have left a huge mark on American shopping as well. Immigrants from all over the world started companies such as eBay (Piere Omidyar, France), Radio Shak (Theodore and Milton Deutschmann, England), Kohl’s (Maxwell Kohl, Poland), Big Lots (Sol Shenk, Russia) and Nordstrom (John W. Nordstrom, Sweden).
Among other famous companies founded by immigrants are the entertainment provider Comcast (Daniel Aaron, Germany), Yahoo! (Jerry Yang, Taiwan), Colgate (William Colgate, England), Sara Lee (Nathan Cummings, Canada), the chemical company Dupont (E.I. du Pont, France).
Several immigrants have flourished in more ways than just creating business and jobs. Moving to America has helped many men and women from several different places become some of the greatest minds in history in science and culture.
Among them is Albert Einstein, who is arguably the greatest scientific mind in history. After leaving Germany in 1895, Einstein won the Nobel Prize for Physics for his published work the “General Theory of Relativity” in 1916. He took a job in America at Princeton University and helped America prepare for the development of the atomic bomb.
Joseph Pulitzer was born in Hungary in 1847 and moved to America to fight in the Union Army during the Civil War. After the war, he worked in St. Louis for a German language paper and eventually became the publisher at age 25. Pulitzer went on to become owner of the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the New York World, making him one of journalisms most influential faces. He changed the media industry forever with his brilliance in marketing and editorial work. Every year, the Pulitzer Prize is given to those who show similar excellence.
Hundreds of athletes have come to America to help change the sporting industry in their respective professional sport. Among those athletes include Hakeem Olajuwon, who was born in Nigeria. Olajuwon was the first pick in NBA draft in 1984, selected in front of Hall of Famer Michael Jordan. Olajuwon won an MVP in 1994 and two championships while with the Houston Rockets. He retired as one of the great shot blockers and post players in the history of the game and became an American Citizen in 1993.
Immigrants have greatly impacted the movie industry as well, including one of the great martial artists in the history, Bruce Lee. Lee was born in China and moved to the United States at age 18. Lee began his work in Hollywood and helped break the racial barrier for many Asian-Americans in American film. With a great interest in Chinese martial arts building, Lee’s work quickly shifted towards that theme. He even created his own martial art, Jeet Kune Do, before passing away tragically in 1973 at the age of 32.
As many different people from all around the world continue to come to America to seek a better life, it may be good to look back at all of the great people who have to live in the United States and make this country a better place.
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Additional Resources1) 16 Iconic American Companies Founded by Immigrants http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/22/american-companies-founded-by-immigrants_n_3116172.html Huffington Post, April, 22, 2013.
Related Blog Posts 1) Famous American Immigrants, https://immigrationupdate.wordpress.com/famous-american-immigrants/