Rockefeller, Carnegie, Edison, Tesla, Hearst and Pulitzer: their legacies
live on down through the ages, emblazoned on museums, universities, banks,
charities and the richest of American real estate.
Ferocious drive, innovation and often sheer recklessness took these
visionaries to the top of the rich-and-powerful list and ultimately made America
the mightiest nation on earth. Despite their wealth and power, these titans of
industry and captains of commerce were not always philanthropic, and were often
driven by greed, ambition, jealousy and revenge. You can’t build a fortune
without making a few enemies. From Edison’s and Tesla’s high-voltage war
of the currents to Rockefeller’s and Scott’s row over the growth of oil,
American Titans relies on cinematic recreations and expert commentary to reveal
what it took for the founding fathers of the Fortune 500 to steer the
Industrial Revolution into the Gilded Age. During this era of incredible
industrial potential, there were many on the road to absolute power.
These are the stories of those who out-fought, out-spent and out-smarted
their rivals to reserve their chapter in the history books and make America what
it is today.