Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. His mother was Mary Albert and his father was William Armstrong. He was born into a poor family and his father left the family when Louis was a child. Later in life, Louis attended the Fisk School for Boys. He did many things to make money, including working as a paper boy, finding food and selling it to restaurants, and hauling coal in Storyville (which introduced him to the music he would later play). Armstrong eventually dropped out of the Fisk School for Boys at age 11 and joined a quartet of boys. He often worked for a Jewish family, the Karnofskys, who also helped provide him with food and other necessities. Louis Armstrong began playing the cornet seriously after being sent to the New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs. After being named the school's bandmaster, Armstrong was finally released and ended up back on the streets until he got his first job from Henry Ponce. He perfected his playing by learning from older musicians like Joe Oliver. According to biography.com, “In 1918, h...