He actually figured out how to take a byproduct of the glue-making process and turn it into edible gelatin. (Ch. 66) Ummm... Ew! I understand why vegans/ vegetarians don't eat gelatin and I still feel bad about hosting a baby shower for a dear friend with gelatin in the punch (one of the guests was vegan). Anyway, after he invented this, a pharmacist would add cough syrup to the gelatin and give the world Jell-O. (Ch. 66) Now, wouldn't it be nice if we could all take our medication in Jell-O form? Mary Poppins would agree. Anyway, the money that Cooper made allowed him to invest in an iron works, which later produced the first beams necessary for cast-iron architecture. (Ch. 66)
By the 1840's he was one of NY's wealthiest citizens and did it all without a formal education -- he didn't have enough money to go to Columbia. (Ch.66) By 1854, he endowed The Cooper Union, a free institution emphasizing engineering and practical arts. (Ch. 66)
It was in this building that Lincoln made his "Right Makes Might" speech in February 27, 1860 that catapulted him to the presidency. (Ch. 66) Rumor has it that he stopped at McSorley's for a beverage afterward with Peter Cooper. (Ch. 57)
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