The Rockefeller family is one of the wealthiest families in American history. They’re considered greatly influential in business, art, architecture, and philanthropy.
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From a young age, John D. Rockefeller knew he was interested in business. He worked as a bookkeeper and sold candy prior to starting the business empire that would help cement the Rockefeller name in history: Standard Oil.
John D. Rockefeller was born to a man known as “Devil Bill” who made a living posing as a traveling doctor and selling fake herbal cures, and was also infamous for his storytelling and cons.
The Rockefeller family timeline (as it relates to the business world, at least) starts in 1839 with John D. Rockefeller’s birth. In the nearly 200 years since, his offspring have gotten involved in everything from the Watergate scandal to the McCormick & Company spice business.
John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his wife spent millions of dollars restoring Colonial Williamsburg and turning it into the tourist attraction it is today. You can go back in time via video footage from before and after the restoration.
The Rockefeller Family Fund has been engaged in more than 40 lawsuits against ExxonMobil, a company that John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil created.
After watching her father lose his oil refining business to Standard Oil, Ida Tarbell began to focus on unfair business practices in the US, writing a series on the oil giant's transgressions.
In 1931, with construction still underway, Rockefeller Center's very first Christmas tree was erected out front. John D. Rockefeller himself greeted the construction workers who put up the first 20-foot tree and decorated it with cranberries and paper garland.
In 2020, Taylor Swift wrote a song that highlighted her similarities to Rebekah Harkness, the former owner of Swift's Rhode Island beach house. Harkness filled the Rhode Island home's pool with champagne, courtesy of her late husband, a Standard Oil heir.
John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Trust allowed him to dodge laws against one corporation buying stock in another. His centralized board of directors held stock in many different oil companies under his control, allowing Rockefeller to eventually monopolize the oil refining industry.
The Gilded Age was a time period that stretched from the 1870s until the turn of the 20th century that was colored by rapid industrialization, economic change, and widespread financial inequality. It was named as such because the widespread poverty during this era is often overshadowed by the fact that it was also a golden age for wealthy individuals.
The United States is home to more than 33 million businesses, the vast majority of which are small businesses, with millions being created (and others closing shop) every year. These businesses often rely on loans, provide the goods and services that keep the economy flowing, and sometimes even grow large enough to enter public markets or provide private investment opportunities. Explore key topics central to business and finance, from the role of the Federal Reserve to how initial public offerings work, how millions of American students finance higher education, and more.