John Davidson Rockefeller

John Davison Rockefeller (English: John Davison Rockefeller, July 8, 1839 - May 23, 1937) was an American industrialist and philanthropist, famous for revolutionizing the oil industry and shaping the modernization of philanthropy. In 1870, Rockefeller founded Standard Oil, which monopolized 90% of the U.S. oil market during its heyday, becoming the first billionaire in history and the richest man in the world. At its peak in 1914, his total wealth reached 2.4% of US GDP (US$900 million, US GDP was US$36.5 billion), which is equivalent to more than US$400 billion today. He is generally regarded as the richest man in the history of the Western world. He was attacked by journalists and public opinion throughout his career. Standard Oil was eventually found guilty of violating antitrust laws and was split into 34 companies in 1911. It was so large that one of its successors, ExxonMobil, is still one of the U.S. oil giants today. On the other hand, Rockefeller devoted the last 40 years of his life to philanthropy, mainly in the fields of education and medicine, and ended his direct management of Standard Oil in 1897. He funded the establishment of the Rockefeller Institute to fund medical research. His main contributions include: establishing the Harvard School of Public Health, the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Denison University, and the Peking Union Medical College, eradicating hookworm and yellow fever in North America, sponsoring Hideyoshi Noguchi's research on syphilis pathogens, and Alexander Fleming's penicillin research. He also paid special attention to the black community and spent huge sums of money to improve black education. He was a devout North American Baptist and supported many institutions with a church background. Rockefeller founded the University of Chicago and Rockefeller University. Today, New York City also has many landmarks funded by the Rockefeller family, such as the United Nations Headquarters and Rockefeller Center. Rockefeller firmly believed that his purpose in life was to "make as much money as possible, save as much money as possible, and give as much money as possible." He became an unprecedented millionaire, but he lived a rigorous private life, never smoked or drank, and was diligent and self-sustaining throughout his life. In his later years, he donated most of his property to fund charities, setting a precedent for American rich people to do good, setting a precedent for today's rich people such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, and becoming one of the most legendary and controversial figures in modern American history.