John D. Rockefeller: Richest Person In History

Chapter 8 Research Report on John D. Rockefeller

John D. Rockefeller was the richest person in history, even beating Bill Gates. He was a giver, and donated over five hundred million dollars throughout his lifetime. However, not only was he a rich and successful man, but he also made a big impact on the US during his time. During the 1800s, John D. Rockefeller developed the US through three different ways. These three ways were his Standard Oil Company, his business techniques, and his career in philanthropy.

The first way that Rockefeller developed the US in the 1800s was through his Standard Oil Company. In 1865, Rockefeller obtained a loan, allowing him to take over the biggest refinery in Cleveland. Over time, his business was expanding,

He was a philanthropist, which is person who seeks to promote the welfare of others, especially by the generous donation of money to good causes. As a businessman with strong religious convictions, he dedicated a lot to charity. In the beginning of his philanthropy career, he supported a few causes that were close to him. Rockefeller was the single-most generous donor to the northern Baptist conventions, and took interest in missionaries and relief workers at home and abroad, and in higher education for African Americans. Throughout his lifetime, he helped launch the field of biomedical research, funding scientific investigations that resulted in vaccines for things like meningitis and yellow fever. In the United states, he revolutionized medical training, and built the first medical school in China. Rockefeller created schools of public health at Johns Hopkins and Harvard, and helped lead major international public health efforts against hookworm, malaria, yellow fever, and other maladies. He promoted education throughout the nation, and did not discriminate because of sex, race, or religion. Rockefeller created the University of Chicago, which in a decade became one of the world’s leading universities. Before his death in 1937, Rockefeller donated nearly half of his fortune to churches, medical foundations, universities, and centers for the arts. He was a major role model to many