Celebrate "Night of January 16th"
Ayn Rand wrote: "I do not think, nor did I think it when I wrote this play, that a swindler is a heroic figure or that a respectable banker is a villain. But for the purposes of dramatizing the conflict of independence versus conformity, a criminal--a social outcast--can be an eloquent symbol."
"It was not his shady methods, his ruthlessness, his dishonesty that were being denounced, but his ambition. His ability, his self-confidence, the glamorous aura of his life and name were featured, exaggerated, overstressed, to serve as fodder for hordes of envious mediocrities rejoicing at his downfall. It was a spree of gloating malice. The leitmotif was not: "How did he fall?" but: "How did he dare to rise?" -- Introduction, Night of January 16th, World Publishing, 1968.
"Before becoming interested in his father's match company and other family businesses, Kreuger studied engineering in the US and, except for opening a restaurant in South Africa, he began working in America. There he came across a new pre-stressed concrete and steel construction technique developed by Julius and Albert Kahn. Kreuger returned to Sweden intent on exploiting this new method in Europe. He began a construction business with his cousin and a friend, soon landing a number of prestigious European contracts. Kreuger's company introduced the concept of completion date commitments and went on to earn hefty bonuses for every project."
"Sleuth Sayers" murder mystery site here: http://www.sleuthsayers.org/search/la...
Fortune 3-part feature from 1933 here:
http://fortune.com/1933/05/01/a-3-par...
"It was not his shady methods, his ruthlessness, his dishonesty that were being denounced, but his ambition. His ability, his self-confidence, the glamorous aura of his life and name were featured, exaggerated, overstressed, to serve as fodder for hordes of envious mediocrities rejoicing at his downfall. It was a spree of gloating malice. The leitmotif was not: "How did he fall?" but: "How did he dare to rise?" -- Introduction, Night of January 16th, World Publishing, 1968.
"Before becoming interested in his father's match company and other family businesses, Kreuger studied engineering in the US and, except for opening a restaurant in South Africa, he began working in America. There he came across a new pre-stressed concrete and steel construction technique developed by Julius and Albert Kahn. Kreuger returned to Sweden intent on exploiting this new method in Europe. He began a construction business with his cousin and a friend, soon landing a number of prestigious European contracts. Kreuger's company introduced the concept of completion date commitments and went on to earn hefty bonuses for every project."
"Sleuth Sayers" murder mystery site here: http://www.sleuthsayers.org/search/la...
Fortune 3-part feature from 1933 here:
http://fortune.com/1933/05/01/a-3-par...
