THE GREATEST SALESMAN IN THE WORLD

According to the 1930 U.S. Census, Og Mandino was born in Natick, Massachusetts on December 12, 1923 to parents Silvio and Margaret Mandino, and was named Augustine after his paternal Italian grandfather.[2][3] Mandino was once the editor of his high school paper and planned to attend the University of Missouri's journalism school When in the summer of 1940, before he was able to enter college, his mother died from a massive heart attack, he decided to work in a paper factory until 1942. Afterward, he joined the United States Army Air Corps where he became a military officer and a bombardier. He flew for thirty bombing missions over Germany on board a B-24 Liberator during World War II.[4] During this time, he flew with fellow pilot and movie star, James Stewart. After his military duties, Mandino became an insurance salesman. One wintry November morning in Cleveland, Mandino contemplated committing 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 helped 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.