NDR - Pioneers Turned Millionaires (2010) Part 2 Henry E. Steinway Birth of a Legend

The legendary Levi's jeans, Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Boeing planes, precious Steinway pianos and the legendary Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York - they are all achievements from the land of opportunity. But they have another thing in common their creators emigrated from Germany to the New World. What do jeans, ketchup, planes, pianos, and furs have in common? Each is the product of an American dream come true. “Pioneers Turned Millionaires” is a five-part series that delves deep into the stories of five German entrepreneurs who redefined American economy and left a major imprint on American culture. Five visionary entrepreneurs from the old world redefined the economy of the new world and left a major imprint on American culture. Levi Strauss, Henry E. Steinway, William E. Boeing, John Jacob Astor and Henry J. Heinz changed the way the world eats, dresses, plays and travels - one can hardly ignore their names or products anywhere in the world today. Innovation, courage, persistency and hard work were the attributes that made them succeed in a strange new country. We visit the companies of Levi Strauss & Co., Steinway & Sons, Heinz and Boeing. We see how each of their founders had a novel and brilliant idea, used it to established a company and gained fame, honour and wealth. With the help of high-end reconstructions and exquisite archive material, this series presents one of the most fascinating and exciting eras of American economic history. How did these five men, who all started out as immigrants, become archetypical self-made millionaires that even now epitomize success? These biographies are the definitive portraits of these five entrepreneneurial giants businessmen who have their homeland in common and their place in history secured. They had left for economic, social, political or religious reasons but all to find a better life in the United States of America. Relive the tragedies and the triumphs that made them millions while leaving a major imprint on American culture.

Part 2 Henry E. Steinway Birth of a Legend

It began when a man named Henry Steinway created a piano for his wife as a wedding gift. Years later, he would share his gift with the world. His name is synonymous with quality and excellence, but Henry Steinway's life was full of tragedy and loss. By the time he was 15, he was forced to make it on his own…which he did in style. Follow the high and low notes of Steinway's life, from his brave actions in the Battle of Waterloo to his arduous trek to America, where he built a musical instrument empire, one piano at a time. His business made him wealthy, but family made him rich, and though tragedy would again strike, Steinway and Sons kept making music. Steinway & Sons concert grand pianos are still considered by pianists to be the best in the world and can be found in 98 percent of all major concert halls. They are still mostly made by hand in the factories in New York and Hamburg – from over 12,000 individual parts. The father of this success story was Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, who emigrated from Seesen in the Harz Mountains to America in the mid-19th century and rose to become the most famous piano maker of all time in New York. The documentary traces the unusual life of Steinweg, who worked his way up from the proverbial dishwasher to a millionaire. Steinweg came from the humblest circumstances. By the age of 15 he had already lost his entire family. Orphaned, he enlisted in the military in Braunschweig and fought against Napoleon's army in the Battle of Waterloo. In Seesen he started out as a furniture maker, eventually became an instrument maker and a successful businessman and emigrated to the New World. He Americanized his name to Henry E. Steinway and just a few years later founded Steinway & Sons with his sons. With re-enacted scenes, archive material and interviews with historians and descendants of Henry Steinway, the film paints an exciting picture of the struggle for survival in New York in the 19th century and sheds light on the rapid rise of the family business to become the most renowned piano brand in the world.

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