The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission , also known as Carnegie Hero Fund , was established to recognize persons who perform extraordinary acts of heroism in civilian life in the United States and Canada , and to provide financial assistance for those disabled and the dependents of those killed saving or attempting to save others. Those chosen for recognition receive the Carnegie Medal and become eligible for scholarship aid and other benefits. A private operating foundation, the Hero Fund was established in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , in 1904 with a trust fund of $ 5 million by Andrew Carnegie , the Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist .
7-548: The fund was inspired by Selwyn M. Taylor and Daniel A. Lyle, who gave their lives in rescue attempts following the Harwick Mine disaster in Harwick, Pennsylvania , just outside Pittsburgh, on January 25, 1904. The disaster claimed 181, including Taylor and Lyle, who were killed during rescue attempts. Greatly touched by Taylor's and Lyle's sacrifice, Carnegie had medals privately minted for their families, and within two months he wrote
14-477: A buildup of methane gas. At 8:15 am, workers blasted down dynamite which ignited the methane. Coal dust suspended in the air assisted the explosion in traveling throughout every region of the mine. In addition to interior devastation, the force was so powerful that it wrecked the exterior of the shaft. Of 175 mine workers underground at the time, the single survivor was the severely burned 16-year-old Adolph Gunia. Other casualties included Daniel A. Lyle and
21-652: The Gospel of John encircles the outer edge: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" ( John 15 :13). The first medals issued by the trust were in bronze, silver and gold. The trust soon stopped issuing gold medals. The last silver medal was issued in 1981. On 21 September 1908, Andrew Carnegie expanded the concept with the establishment of the British Carnegie Hero Fund Trust , based in Dunfermline , Scotland . Within
28-631: The Carnegie Medal. The Commission’s working definition of a hero as well as its requirements for awarding remain largely those that were approved by the founder. The Fund's website states the criteria: About 90% of those awarded are male, and, over the life of the Fund, roughly one-quarter of awards have been given posthumously. The three inch (7.13 cm) in diameter bronze medals which are given to awardees, are struck by Simons Brothers Co. of Philadelphia and consist of 90% copper and 10% zinc. A verse from
35-467: The Hero Fund's governing "Deed of Trust", which was adopted by the newly created commission on April 15, 1904. The Fund is administered by a 21-member volunteer board and a small staff. As of December 2022, a total of 10,340 Carnegie Medals have been awarded since the Fund was established, with the Fund paying $ 40.5 million in grants, scholarships, death benefits, and other aid. About 11% of nominees received
42-524: The next three years, the British trust was followed by equivalent foundations in nine other European countries: Harwick Mine disaster The Harwick Mine disaster was a mining accident on January 25, 1904 in Cheswick, Pennsylvania , some sixteen mi (26 km) north of Pittsburgh in the western part of the state. The blast killed an estimated 179 miners and 2 aid workers. The disaster ranks among
49-659: The ten worst coal mining disasters in American history. One community especially impacted was the Hungarian community in Homestead, Pennsylvania . Fifty-eight of the members of the First Hungarian Reformed Church of Homestead—a full third of the congregation—died in the explosion. Coal was mined by compressed-air machine, blasted down with dynamite. Ice accumulation in the air shaft restricted ventilation which caused
#129870