Comments by "Big Blue" (@bigblue6917) on "Robber Barons and the Battle of the Tunnel" video.

I am aware of the Robber Barons but not the details. So I thank you for that. I must admit I found it all very exciting, what with all the dirty dealing and double crosses. Not to mention a three day battle. Gettysburg in miniature, almost. I was starting to think it would make an excellent television series it would make. Your reference to the railway share bubble caught my attention. We had something similar in 1845 which is referred to as the Railway Mania. The effects of the collapse in the share price was such that in August of that year the shares of the biggest railway, the Great Western Railway, lost 40% of its value in that one month. The effects of this collapse meant that for several years many businesses went bankrupt and ruined many middle class families who had invested in them. Something which may interest you. You in the US predominately refer to railroads whereas in the UK we call them railways. In Britain in the early says both words were in common use and it seems to be down to a matter of personal preference as to which one you used. Railway has eclipse railroad in Britain, though it did linger on for sometime. So I do wonder if when the railway went to America they picked up the word railroad as well.
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