Cornelius Vanderbilt – After spending the first 70 years of his life building a successful ferry business, controlled and expanded the New York Central Railroad into an empire and ordered construction of the first Grand Central Terminal.
kɔːɹnˈiːlɪəs vˈændɚbˌɪlt ˈæftɚ spˈɛndɪŋ ðə fˈɜːst sˈɛvənti jˈɪɹz ʌv hɪz lˈaɪf bˈɪldɪŋ ɐ səksˈɛsfəl fˈɛɹi bˈɪznəs, kəntɹˈoʊld ænd ɛkspˈændᵻd ðə nˈuː jˈɔːɹk sˈɛntɹəl ɹˈeɪlɹoʊd ˌɪntʊ ɐn ˈɛmpaɪɚ ænd ˈɔːɹdɚd kənstɹˈʌkʃən ʌvðə fˈɜːst ɡɹˈænd sˈɛntɹəl tˈɜːmɪnəl.