Ida Tarbell
Ida Tarbell
Full Name and Common Aliases
Ida Minerva Tarbell was a renowned American journalist and author, known professionally as Ida Tarbell.
Birth and Death Dates
Born on November 5, 1857, in Hatch Hollow, Ohio. She passed away on January 6, 1944, at the age of 86.
Nationality and Profession(s)
American journalist, author, and historian.
Early Life and Background
Ida Tarbell was born into a Quaker family, which instilled in her strong values of honesty, integrity, and social responsibility. Growing up on a farm in Ohio, she developed a love for nature, literature, and learning. Her early education was at home, with her parents providing her with access to books and educational resources.
Major Accomplishments
Ida Tarbell's work had significant impacts on the fields of journalism, history, and American society as a whole. Some notable accomplishments include:
Her groundbreaking investigative reporting on the Standard Oil Company led to the breakup of John D. Rockefeller's monopoly in 1911. Her series, "The History of the Standard Oil Company," published in _McClure's Magazine_ from 1902 to 1904, is widely regarded as a pioneering work in muckraking journalism.
Notable Works or Actions
Some of Tarbell's notable works include:
"The History of the Standard Oil Company"
"A Short Life of Abraham Lincoln" (1917)
"All in the Day's Work" (1939)
These works demonstrate her commitment to telling stories that expose corruption, promote social justice, and celebrate American history.
Impact and Legacy
Ida Tarbell's work had a lasting impact on American society. Her investigative reporting raised public awareness about corporate abuse of power and led to significant reforms in the oil industry. She also paved the way for future generations of journalists by showcasing the importance of thorough research, meticulous documentation, and fearless storytelling.
Her legacy extends beyond her writing as well. Tarbell's determination to uncover truth and expose injustice has inspired countless individuals to pursue careers in journalism, history, and social activism.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Ida Tarbell is widely quoted and remembered for her unwavering commitment to the principles of journalism, including:
Investigative reporting: Her pioneering work in investigative reporting set a new standard for journalism.
In-depth research: Tarbell's meticulous approach to researching her topics has become a hallmark of excellence in historical writing.
Fearless storytelling: She tackled difficult subjects with courage and conviction, earning the respect of readers and critics alike.
Her contributions continue to inspire writers, journalists, and social activists today.
Quotes by Ida Tarbell
The first and most imperative necessity in war is money, for money means everything else - men, guns, ammunition.
It’s always a revolution, you know, when things occur of which you have never happened to hear!
It is not alone that justice is wounded by denying women a part in the making of the civilized world – a more immediate wrong is the way the movement for a fuller, freer life for all human beings is hampered.
Buy cheap and sell high is a rule of business, and when you control enough money and enough banks you can always manage that a stock you want shall be temporarily cheap. No value is destroyed for you – only for the original owner.
Very often people who admit the facts, who are willing to see that Mr. Rockefeller has employed force and fraud to secure his ends, justify him by declaring, ‘It’s business.’ That is, ‘it’s business’ has come to be a legitimate excuse for hard dealing, sly tricks, special privileges.
One of the most depressing features of the ethical side of the matter is that instead of such methods arousing contempt they are more or less openly admired. And this is logical. Canonise ‘business success,’ and men who made a success like that of the Standard Oil Trust become national heroes!
The quest of the truth had been born in me – the most tragic and incomplete, as well as the most essential, of man’s quests.
The first and most imperative necessity in war is money, for money means everything else – men, guns, ammunition.
Imagination is the only key to the future. Without it none exists – with it all things are possible.
Rockefeller and his associates did not build the Standard Oil Co. in the board rooms of Wall Street banks. They fought their way to control by rebate and drawback, bribe and blackmail, espionage and price cutting, by ruthless efficiency of organization.