Pittsburgh...October 17, 1878. Andrew Carnegie receives a telegram. If he can get to San Francisco by the 24th he can make the ship for Japan. With the new transcontinental railroad, the launching of transpacific steamship travel, and the opening of the Suez Canal, around-the-world travel was all the rage. Just in his early 40s at the time, Carnegie had begun to build his empire of steel but was little known beyond the Mon Valley. Japan was the first stop on his global excursion and began his life-long interaction with the first Asian powerhouse of the emerging international order.
Hear about his visit and his years of interactions with Japanese leaders from JASP member Sam Kidder, editor of Our First Glimpse of Japan: Prominent American Visitors to Japan in the 1870s. Experience our own fascinating local history at the newly renovated Carnegie One Braddock, the first U.S. library and community center of over 2,500 Carnegie funded worldwide.
Join the JASP for this free evening at Carnegie One Braddock on March 12, 2026. Light hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be provided.
Registration: https://japansocietypa.org/event-6480647
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