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Kirk Kerkorian , founder of MGM resorts
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dropped out of school in the
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eighth grade, worked as a janitor
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and bus boy. during the
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great depression and flew dangerous
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missions in World War 2
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just to make ends meet.
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he didn't grow up with privilege
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he built everything with grit, guts
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and vision
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and he used it to reshape Las Vegas
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and become one of the most powerful
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self made billionaires, in history.
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Kirk Kerkorian was born in 1917 to
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armenian refugees who escaped genocide
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his family settled in Fresno, California.
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but they lost their small farm
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during the great depression
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with no money and no options
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they moved to Los Angeles, crammed
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into a tiny house
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and did whatever they could to survive
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kirk dropped out of school in eighth
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grade. to help support the family.
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at 14, he worked as a janitor, bus boy and
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sometimes even slept in the back
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of restaurants where he worked long shifts
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He boxed on weekends to earn a few extra
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bucks.
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29 wins out of 33 fights. every dollar he
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made went straight to keeping the lights
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on at home. then one day, a friend
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took him on a short flight in a small plane
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and that changed everything.
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he fell in love with flying,
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he trained himself, earned his pilot's
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license, and during World War 2
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he flew dangerous supply missions across
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the Atlantic.
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He got paid $1,000 per flight,
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enough to dream bigger.
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After the War he risked it all to buy
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a used military plane. and started his own
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charter business, flying gamblers from
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Los Angeles to a little known desert town,
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Las Vegas. he wasn't thinking about
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empires. he just wanted to build
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something of his own. but his instincts
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were right. he bought land on the strip,
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leased it to Ceasars, and later built the
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international hotel, where Elvis Presley
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Headlined. Then came the MGM grant,
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then he bought MGM studios.
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The eighth grade dropout who once
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scrubbed floors, became the man who
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redefined Las Vegas.
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Kirk Kerkorian wasnt handed anything.
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He swept floors, slept in back rooms,
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flew into danger, and built his future
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one hard earned dollar at a time.
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He didn't wait for a lucky break.
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He created it.
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If a poor Armenian kid who dropped out
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in eighth grade can rise up
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and build Las Vegas.
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Whats stopping you from building the life
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of your dreams.
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Start now. No excuses. Believe.
