OG MANDINO Biography - Educators, philosophers & public speakers

 
 

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OG MANDINO

Name: Og Mandino                                                                     
Born: 12 December 1923 Italy                                                         
Died: 3 September 1996 United States                                                 
                                                                                     
Og Mandino (born December 12, 1923 - died September 3, 1996) was a "sales guru"     
and the author of the bestselling book The Greatest Salesman in the World. He       
remains one of the most inspirational and best-selling authors today. His books     
have sold over 50 million copies and have been translated into over twenty-five     
different languages. He was the president of Success Unlimited magazine until       
1976. He had been inducted into the National Speakers Association's Hall Of Fame.   
                                                                                     
According to the 1930 U.S. Census, Mandino was named after his paternal             
grandfather. His nickname Og was derived from his full name, Augustino Mandino.     
Mandino eventually became a successful writer. His works were inspired by the       
Bible and influenced by Napoleon Hill, W. Clement Stone, and Emmet Fox. Mandino     
was once the editor of a high school paper and planned to attend the University     
of Missouri, a journalism school. But in the summer of 1940, before Mandino was     
able to enter college, his mother died suddenly from a massive heart attack.         
This happened while Mandino's mother was in the kitchen preparing his lunch.         
After the incident, Mandino decided to work in a paper factory until 1942.           
Afterwards, Mandino joined the United States Army Air Corps where he became a       
military officer and a bombadier. He flew for thirty bombing missions over           
Germany on board a B-24 Liberator during World War II. It was also during           
this time that Mandino flew with fellow pilot and movie star, Jimmy Stewart.         
Mandino kept a personalized 8 X 10 photograph of Stewart. This photograph hung       
on the wall of his home office where he wrote his books.                             
                                                                                     
After his military duties, Mandino discovered that many companies were not           
hiring many former bomber pilots. As a result, he became an insurance salesman.     
Traveling on the road and sitting in bars at night, Mandino became an alcoholic.     
He was unable to keep a job. As a result, Mandino's wife, together with their       
only child, left him. One wintry November morning in Cleveland, Mandino almost       
tried to commit suicide. But as he sorted through several books in a library,       
volumes of self-help, success and motivation books captured Mandino's attention.     
He selected some titles, went to a table and began reading. Mandino followed his     
visit to the library with more visits to many other libraries around the United     
States. He read hundreds of books that dealt with success, a pastime that help       
him alleviate his alcoholism. It was in a library in Concord, New Hampshire,         
where he found W. Clement Stone's classic, Success Through a Positive Mental         
Attitude, a book that changed Mandino for the better.