Dale Carnegie

Born in 1888 on a rural Missouri farm, Dale Carnegie overcame a childhood of poverty to pioneer the modern self-help movement. After working in sales and studying acting, he began teaching public speaking at a Harlem YMCA in 1912. His practical, confidence-building courses quickly sold out, prompting a surname change from "Carnagey" to "Carnegie." In 1936, he published his landmark book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. An immediate global success that spent a decade on the New York Times bestseller list, it defined the self-help genre and laid the foundation for the international Dale Carnegie Training Organization, cementing his enduring legacy before his death.