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May 08, 2021
William Burton Tremaine - The Music Man
It was July of 1887 in Meriden, Connecticut when William Tremaine, the entrepreneur, created Aeolian Organ & Music Company by combining the sources of several acquisitions starting with Mechanical Orguinette Company of New York and the Automatic Music Paper Company of Boston. Soon after he introduced the “Aeriola,” the self-playing piano/organ hybrid. The success of the company only went up from there.
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April 18, 2021
William Henry Rand and Andrew McNally Map the Country
In 1858, Andrew McNally walked into Rand’s printing shop and asked for work. Andrew was born in Armagh, Ireland, and had come to the the United States through New York City in 1857. McNally was also a printer by trade, and with his expertise he quickly went from printer, to foreman, to partner. By 1859, Rand and McNally were running all of the Chicago Tribune's printing. After the Civil War was over, William Henry sold his interest in the Chicago Tribune and focused on his growing business. Rand, McNally and Company was officially incorporated in 1868.
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March 29, 2021
Eugene Emery O'Reilly and a Family Caught Between 2 World Wars
James Henry continued to work with the military and eventually moved his family to Jacksonville, Florida. The reason why the story of James Henry is notable comes with a repetitive circumstance that faced this country for 2 generations in a row, and it is perfectly encapsulated in the story of Eugene O’Reilly and his father.
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March 14, 2021
Walking Several Miles in Hecht Brothers' Shoes
The 1870s brought the Hecht Brothers into another business venture when they joined their successful shoe manufacturing business with Thomas Buckingham to create “Buckingham and Hecht.” By the 1890s, Hecht Bros. & Co. had become a bond and investment securities firm, while shoe manufacturing carried on under Buckingham & Hecht.
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March 08, 2021
The Lit History of Electric Hair Dryers
Allied Beauty Products Manufacturing Company produced beauty products and were known for their wave-creating machine, one of their “Fifth Avenue Product” line. Working in association with a fellow Chicago metal company Aridor (a subsidiary of Ball Brothers jar company) they manufactured these hair dryer beauties.
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