The Rockefeller Empire: The Dynasty That Changed America

Uncover the untold saga of the Rockefeller dynasty, a powerful force shaping American history for over a century. From humble origins to oil baron dominance, explore their triumphs, controversies, and enduring influence.
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[@joeg5414]

what i've learned watching videos about very successful rich people - a good con is the best way to get started.

[@pindrop9536]

and then get enough power and influence to legalise the con.

[@THE-X-Force]

It also helps to be born at the right time .. like before anti-trust laws and income taxes existed.

[@twinboeing]

A good con? As if starting standard oil and transforming the US barely deserves a passing grade for a con to you.

[@bobfg3130]

​@@twinboeing They didn't transform the US. The industry did. Many companies did. Nice try.

[@KasFromMass]

@@bobfg3130That’s like saying Bird and Magic did not save the NBA because Jack Sikma deserves credit too.

[@claymclaren5788]

now do one on the de Rothchilds

[@Bigbudd0045]

its just Rothchild. the de is from one of the branch families.

[@DoubleBob]

He probably does not want to get his channel deleted and be mistreated irl.

[@vibetech89]

" I don't want a nation of thinkers, I want a nations of workers. ” - John D. Rockefeller

[@slamex]

But then invests heavily into medicine and education....?

[@murkinstock]

​@@slamex Absolutely! Think about it.

[@rubiconnn]

@@slamex Most of these ultra rich throw around money to form "charities". In reality they only care about their lasting image, they really don't care about dying children or educating the poor.

[@MrManBuzz]

​@@slamex Educate his workers just enough to make them competent and productive at their job, but no more than that. And medicine? A sick or unwell worker is either useless or working at less capacity, and thus less revenue to harvest from them. It's not particularly difficult to work that out. Seems like you'd be a good "worker."

[@Sandalphon777]

Addendum: Rockefeller also realized his petroleum could be used in the composition of pharmaceuticals...toss in that he was a key factor in the "sidelining" of natural medicine and did what he could to reinforce the act of physicians perscribing pharmaceutical products with the potential of losing their licensing if they were found to be non-compliant with being "on the bandwagon" of doing so and perscribing holistic naturopathy...even devised propaganda to permeate society so significantly as to have official "authorities" and "experts" play a significant role in wrongly labeling a variety of herbal remedies illegal while also concocting whatever research outcomes were desired from he who funded it to lean in his favor. Education is quite the amusing subject given examples of the culmination of his involvement and desired results expressed in today's average IQ ratings along with actual knowledge attainment + retention.

[@Switcharoo12]

The Rockefellers have been a seasonal presence here on Mount Desert Island for decades. I've met a couple of them and worked on their properties; they're decent people compared to other summer residents. John D. Jr. gave a huge chunk of his land ,here on the island, over to the government that became Acadia National Park. The granite blocks that line the roadside in around what's known as the "Park Loop Road" are referred to as "Rockefellers teeth".

[@MysticMan357]

Reminds me of the story of Flagstaff, ME. Ostensibly flooded for a new hydroelectric plant, rumor around Maine to this day still says it was done because J.P. Morgan wanted beachfront property and didn't want to move.

[@p1zd3c]

They stole 300 acres from my family on an island near MDI. It had devastating effects on my family that are still present to this day. That land was our legacy, and they swindled my grandfather out of it. For all of the 'good' that family does, they've left countless families like mine in their wake.

[@TheSnowMan-cy9tu]

​@@p1zd3chow did they swindle your grandfather out of it? Was he forced to sign the land away? I'm genuinely curious.

[@LudiCrust.]

⁠@@TheSnowMan-cy9tuthey likely stole it from them & paid them pennies on the dollar. They’re notorious for stealing land like that all over the country. They did it in Indiana Illinois & Michigan near where my relatives were living. I bet they still own most of it.

[@drbuckley1]

Rockefeller's contribution to the U.S. and German eugenics movements deserves mention here.

[@leandabee]

Yes, I have heard about that, and was waiting for that to be mentioned, and then I thought I might have had the wrong family, but seeing how you mentioned this, I don't think so 👍

[@spudgun1978]

I noticed the brushing past Sanger.

[@weiserwolf580]

tbh all the rich/royal families in that period, both in the west and in the east, had contributions to the eugenics movements; it is part of the history of humanity, in those days it was considered that the elites are the ones who must be protected and the commoners must be used as serfs. as Simon says: "The past was the worst!"

[@gypo_gault]

Don't forget Prescott Bush

[@Jnp366]

Rockefeller? I know about Henry Ford but Rockefeller too?

[@susanmolnar9606]

While living in the BVI I became very friendly with one of the older Rockefeller women. She was very down to earth and contributed very much to the island. I will never forget her kindness and friendship. I miss her until this day. They were not all bad.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:25 - Chapter 1 - Origins 8:25 - Chapter 2 - The oil barons 14:35 - Chapter 3 - After John D 19:50 - Chapter 4 - The modern day dynasty

[@duanebrimhall2556]

My father is the son of an oil roughneck. Based on the actions of Standard Oil in taking over businesses in the first half of the 1900's he NEVER stopped at a Chevron station when he needed to buy gas.

[@tigertiger1699]

Good on him👍

[@MrMackievelli]

Pretty much every gas station uses gasoline from former Standard Oil companies, save companies like BP. I mean Exxon/Mobil, Marathon etc. How did your father driver to anywhere without using Standard Oil derivative companies?

[@duanebrimhall2556]

@@MrMackievelli I really don't know how he made his choices. This was back in the sixties when I was just a kid. The primary stations he went to were Shell, Mobil, Flying A (later known as Phillips 66), Texaco, Atlantic-Richfield (now known as ARCO), and once in a while Gulf. All I know is Chevron/Standard Oil got a VERY strong negative reaction when mentioned. Union Oil (aka 'Union 76'), Esso/Exxon and Pennzoil got similar reactions.

[@ME-ke7qc]

so is my father too

[@1975KyleDavid]

I was an oilfield welder. I grew up welding in the oilfield, like my father. It's a different world that the average person might not understand. Working around the clock in almost all weather conditions. Here in Oklahoma, I've watched a tornado take down other rigs from a few miles.

[@Louisrockefeller]

Simon, very good video you’ve done here. Rare to find a video that doesn’t vilify my great great grandfather. To clear a few things up, the trusts aren’t actually as limited as some people think, more so it’s encouraged from a young age to become financially literate and to ensure that you don’t squander your money, rather that you invest it and grow it and never consume all of the interest and certainly never dip in to the principle. We have a series of trusts which are heavily monitored by people at companies like Rockefeller capital management, and some that are personal trusts that members have left to their children and grand children. The level of personal control or input varies between them. I’d be happy to explain more if you intend on following up this video or are simply curious about it. I am quite a fan of your work and make a habit of listening to them while I work or even just while relaxing at home. I recently watched your video on the boys on the track and greatly enjoyed it. As an Arkansas native who has actually met one of the boy’s mothers, there is much mystery that surrounds the case and to hear your backstory in to it was very enlightening. Best, LHR.

[@ha-meemfirozezaman1417]

Didn’t know that despite the breakup of Standard Oil, John D. Rockefeller still retained major stock in every single one of the 33 oil companies spun off from Standard Oil. So he indirectly maintained monopoly on American oil industry. Makes you think how today's Big Tech companies would indirectly maintain their control/monopoly over the industry even after they're broken up (though that's unlikely to happen in the near future).

[@alidaweber1023]

Interlocking boards of directors was one way to rebuild an oligopoly from the firms that resulted from the breakup of a monopoly.

[@bradlevantis913]

It is a testament to the discipline of the family that the wealth is preserved even to today

[@JemaKnight]

It really doesn't. We're talking about billions of dollars here.

[@SeanTR420]

​​​the vast majority of people have absolutely no comprehension of how much a billion is. They think, "It's just one step up from a million!" and fail to grasp the scale of jumping an entire order of magnitude. To put it into perspective, if you spent $10,000 every day, it would take you a little over 3 months to spend $1 million. But it would take you more than 273 YEARS to spend $1 billion.

[@artemis5210]

What a cool idea for a mega project video!

[@user-mf9vy2xr6y]

Great presentation. 👏

[@garydevine605]

I miss the biographies! Especially the ones from antiquity but this was cool too. More biographics!!!

[@THE-X-Force]

I don't think he does that channel anymore .. does he?

[@garydevine605]

@@THE-X-Force no. But he's replaced the geographics channel now it's just time to replace the biographics channel.

[@mailfergal]

Great vid - could kickstart a whole new Simon Whistler channel!

[@j.a.weishaupt1748]

Please no. There are only 24 hours in a day.

[@truemoayyed8482]

Hello my wonderful youtuber Mr. Simon .. how are you .. I,m very happy see you again .. Have Great Weekend 🎉

[@davidleider4372]

can you do a megaproject on they other Dynasties That Changed America ?

[@ha-meemfirozezaman1417]

DuPont family would be a great choice, given that like Rockefellers, they also changed America

[@jello1977]

Or how about something not related to America!

[@KasFromMass]

@@jello1977 Only so many videos you can make about royalty inbreeding and pottery (I mean archeology)

[@TheSnowMan-cy9tu]

​@@KasFromMass😂

[@PhantomFilmAustralia]

_"Behind every great fortune, is a great crime."_

[@DoubleBob]

What was the crime?

[@Jack-wq3mr]

Never thought my town would be im a Mega projects episode

[@DeaconBlu]

Perfect time… Perfect place… Perfect Era… It may happen again, but probably not on this planet. 😆 Cool vid. Thanks! 😎👍

[@TheGreatKrystoff]

Mild mis-read at 9:48 1872 not 1972. Great video though

[@garethdavies2595]

How did this get past editing? Enjoyed the vid

[@TheGreatKrystoff]

@@garethdavies2595 Simon does like 50 channels a few mistakes here and there are totally understandable lol

[@zacharyarco8464]

You only just scratched the surface here.

[@daddyteddy85]

This one needs a 4 episode documentary

[@c.falcon5045]

I encourage all to read Titan about John D. Rockefeller. Great read!

[@andrewalden8364]

Yes! Long read, but a good one!

[@jeffmiller3499]

I recommend the book "the Rockefeller file" by Gary Allen. The quote on the back says "competition is a sin"

[@MaddoggOG70]

Henry Flagler was a big influence in the area I am from. The business tycoons of that era were absolutely ruthless and did not give a damn about anyone or anything except making money.

[@TheSnowMan-cy9tu]

Business tycoons from any era don't care about anything but money. It's the same today, except they spend large amounts of money on PR to keep a positive image. Just like the Rockefellers and Rothschild's expanded into philanthropy, we now have the Gates Foundation and other equivalents.

[@damienflinter4585]

Standard Oil was linked to IG Farben (by the Dulles brothers' Wall St firm Sullivan&Cromwell) and supplied the Nazis with essential oil throughout the war. You should do a delve into tham dar Dulles Bros.

[@THE-X-Force]

It's honestly bonkers that the scope of their wealth is unknown. 🤯

[@ChopsticksMcguffin]

The Cleveland Massacre happened in 1872. Not 1972.

[@brandonmathews9197]

Simon always makes one innocent typo in every video. It’s a KZbin tactic that gets people commenting and sharing

[@the_nondrive_side]

note to editor. give simon a HPF a little higher up it's coming through my subwoofer even at a flat setting

[@J.A.Smith2397]

Bravo

[@1975KyleDavid]

The only reason why the Rockefellers were able to become wealthy is because the government of the United States had yet to pass laws preventing their citizens from monopolizing, and income taxes were yet to be passed, too. We have this family to thank for many of the laws we have.

[@TexasNationalist1836]

So basically all government does is screw things up

[@TheArtofFugue]

@@TexasNationalist1836nah they did right by creating these laws that prevent this from occurring again. You can thank John D Rockerfeller for the modern day public school system as well. He wanted factory workers, developed a program by which school students would be essentially groomed for factory work. It’s still in place today albeit much more disguised

[@twistedpixel2558]

So they weren't wealthy before they had a monopoly? Na. That was just greed feeding on greed.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

Sounds like that saying Simon loves "capitalism only works if nobody is a dickhead"

[@Shoelessjoe78]

Back when the History Channel actually did history it had a wonderful series about the gilded age that I believe ended with Rockefeller. This is making me want to go back and watch that if I can find it amidst the Bigfoot and alien shows.

[@FarmerEnvoyXtreme]

MagnatesMedia did a awesome video and indepth video

[@adamcorey2811]

John d Rockefeller was born in the next town over from where I live in the middle of nowhere rural NY. I always thought it was pretty neat.

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

"The way to make money is to buy when blood is running in the streets." -- John D. Rockefeller

[@thomasmay69]

That was suppose to have been a quote from Nathan Rothschild, before John D Rockefeller was even born.

[@mrdddeeezzzweldor5039]

Michael Rockefeller, son of Nelson would have been an interesting mention here, if only for the sake of family association. He went missing in New Guinea in November 19, 1961 after a boating incident, was never found and subsequently declared dead in 1964.

[@byewhobayou8868]

He was eaten by the Asmat tribe known for their cannibalism and Michael’s fascination of them. He had successfully contacted them prior to this incident and it’s believed that he had swam to get their help. We know that he was headed to shore because of testimony from his guide.

[@Shiny_Dragonite]

Simon actually did a video about Michael Rockefeller and his disappearance over on... Decoding the Unknown, if memory serves.

[@wildcountry.]

Very informative and concise history of Rockefeller's. One point, Hydrocarbon is a more accurate term than fossil fuel.

[@tinglemccringleberry8899]

Now do the Rothschilds

[@intractablemaskvpmGy]

My grandma used to exclaim whenever asked for a nickle: "Who do you think I am? Johnny D. Rocka feller?!" Granted, you could buy stuff with a nickle in the 70's🤔

[@padawanmage71]

I do wonder if any female Rockefeller members have made names for themselves, compared to their male counterparts?

[@arifshahabuddin8888]

Spelman College was funded and named for by J.D. Rockefeller's wife. Abby Aldrich, wife of J.D. Rockefeller, Jr., founded the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. Several have become physicians, scientists or involved in the arts. None seem to have prominence of the big Rockefeller names.

[@jeffdroog]

How could they? They're women! AM I RIGHT PETER?!

[@Bradderz407]

So devil bill is literally that guy from red dead redemption who says magic drinks

[@TheGreatness-gg1jx]

The reality is John D built the oil industry into what it currently is around the world, particularly among the country cartel called OPEC. He understood the realities of the business and followed the dictates of Necessity. For all the clamor about monopoly and his wealth, the reality is he kept prices LOW for the end consumer and constantly drove innovation and efficiencies that created the modern industrial world.

[@adamlewellen5081]

Simon you should do a into the shadows on Margaret Singer... Eugenics.....

[@presmasterflash7555]

That’s one dark shadow.

[@adamlewellen5081]

@@presmasterflash7555 channel name definitely is into the shadows.

[@jeffdroog]

Yeah,it is,lol.thats definitely not what they were saying though lol

[@presmasterflash7555]

@@jeffdroog can’t have too high of an expectation these days lol

[@jeffdroog]

@@presmasterflash7555 I suppose not lol

[@SimonWallwork]

Juice!

[@marcturner3647]

Wow wow wow

[@presmasterflash7555]

Eugenics… you must have meant “the eugenics activism of Margaret Sanger”

[@NikkiaSings]

That WICKED, inherently RACIST ideology called Eugenics!! Divine Judgement ⚖️🔥⚖️ for Margaret Sanger and ALL her descendants and followers! These “people” think they can hide from TMH Yah… 2024 brings so many EXPOSURES and many more are yet to come!

[@sebas.tian.]

Arasaka irl

[@gypo_gault]

Do one on Prescott Bush

[@unums]

Don’t forget the secretive “Council on Foreign Relations”(The Royal Institute of International Affairs in the UK), “The Trilateral Commission”, and by extension “The Bilderberg Group”-and many more.

[@benji2886]

9:50 he didn’t do that in 1972 lol

[@ralphholder6541]

I love this video a lot of it I saw on the men who built America.

[@KravenMoorehead674]

I’ve been known to be wrong before, but I’m fair certain the Cleveland Massacre happened in 1872, not 1972.

[@a.modestproposal2038]

“Hangdog air” - the parent company of (dis)Spirit Airlines.

[@matttate9999]

I met a distant Rockefeller family member. He said he has been to family get togethers. He said everybody drives normal cars and don't spend money like crazy. That is why they still have money.

[@juzojuzo1806]

Thats naive, they have money because theyre too big to fail, they dont lead lavish lives in public in order to not draw attention to themselves, most of old money people do that, theyre still despicable sh.ts and youre obviously easily manipulated by ,,look, i got normal car, im just like you" act

[@bobfg3130]

Not anymore. They've been spending money like nobody else in recent years. The Rockefeller

[@bobfg3130]

The recent generations of Rockefellers have been spending money like crazy. The Rockefeller family wealth will go down the drain sooner or later.

[@schmidtytime]

Yeah, no. They still have money because they have beyond what is considered generational wealth.

[@bobfg3130]

@@schmidtytime They won't have a lot for long.

[@calvinwatson7242]

Also. Some wonderful oysters.

[@user-lr3ee1pd9b]

What about Clark Rockefeller?

[@FrankDarrin]

He has his own video on one of these whistle channels

[@GrimOrdnance]

I can only imagine what things could be accomplished, if money was never an issue for someone's entire life. It's great they've done things and do not squander the money on frivolous things, but generations of old money will do that.

[@kwandakekana9890]

The amount of power this family had is crazy . I had a book about the wildlife in Africa and the Rockefellers had named a Giraffe species 😅

[@debbiemoore2747]

Mother used to say to me when i was a kid wanting things, do i look like a Rockerfella....never understood it at the time.

[@ArjayMartin]

Like the Bushes...

[@jmjones7897]

Rockefeller Men

[@Huma_S]

Rockefeller Medicine Men: Medicine and Capitalism in America "This book tells the hidden story of the financial, political, and institutional manipulations whereby a diverse and eclectic range of healing modalities available to the North American public was summarily pared down to a singular style of medicine that would become the predominant medicine of the Western world and a major force in global medical culture during the 20th century."

[@Hillbilly001]

They were/are agents of the Lizard Overlords. Allegedly.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

OGBB, baby!

[@qwertyuiopgarth]

I wonder if the family is prompting marriage among their more distantly related cousins, that would help keep the wealth in the family....

[@jeffdroog]

If they're smart,that's what I would do.Its gross,but so is money.If you want a mountain of money,you've gotta be able to put up with at least a hill of gross beneath you lol

[@qwertyuiopgarth]

@@jeffdroog Third and fourth cousins, etc. have only a bit more similarity than the general population does. Fifth and sixth cousins - which the family is sure to be in now - have almost no 'extra-relatedness'.

[@jeffdroog]

@@qwertyuiopgarth with enough money,you can have doctors fix most of the worst genetic problems.It would be alright.Science is getting better,and money solves a whole lot more problems than it used to.

[@EGSBiographies-om1wb]

The Federal Government made him break up Standard oil,which made him richer. If thats not brilliant on Rockafellers part,I dont know what is.

[@Dragonpixilll.]

Botanic physician? Well hell that’s what I am too 😂😂

[@dawnwilson1529]

Billionaires are far less generous these days..

[@rh661]

Shouldn't this have gone into Biographics?

[@vonneely1977]

Comparisons to the Medici family would make a good video (hint hint)

[@anonymousrex5207]

I think the most impressive thing about the family is that the descendants have managed to avoid squandering the money and continue to be successful people in their own right. So many people these days make big money and manage to lose it all over just a single lifetime and end up dying poor and in a gutter somewhere.

[@_Breakdown]

11:38

[@junction13pirate]

Can i suggest a megaproject on formula one team Redbull or Ferrari?

[@deadkennedy9140]

Anybody suprised this video didn't need a sponsor ?

[@copaseticguerra9646]

3 trillion. That’s the family wealth

[@Dutchreason]

1972??! That was in or near the oil crisis. Plus you mention 18xx's around it...

[@vanfreedom7348]

In the early 20th century , wasn't there a cover up on the danger of lead in gasoline ?

[@hitchcock_]

quickly watch the video before it gets deleted 😅

[@glennllewellyn7369]

Lol, yep.

[@shawnnewell4541]

Trump should have studied the Rockefellers handling of wealth.

[@pavlik02]

What a family. Spreading evil since the beginning!

[@JM-wf2to]

I'm not sure how KZbin advertising works, or if others see the same pre video commercial or if it's specialized for me, But harbor freight just had one of the creepiest things I've ever seen in an advertisement. yikes

[@stevescamlikelylantz8921]

It happen in the 1800's.

[@intheTRAFFIC]

Last time I was this early I had to watch idiots in the comments make jokes about it.

[@jeffdroog]

Turns out,you're one of those idiots lol

[@jjlpinct]

1972?

[@macrosense]

They did all this before the biggest uses of oil was gasoline and Diesel engines and plastic

[@EGSBiographies-om1wb]

166th

[@eliscanfield3913]

Not sure there's a great deal of difference between "conman" and "business savvy billionaire." MInd, I'm talking about John D Sr, Bezos, & other robber barons

[@voshadxgathic]

If there were an American royal family equivalent, it would be them.

[@jckelly566]

Those sharp, breathy inhales. 😮‍💨

[@williamhardes8081]

so as usual, the first and second generations worked hard, did all the heavy lifting and every generation since is just rich by association. whatever type of spoon they were born with, it was mostly a lot fancier than silver.

[@elmabrooks7417]

Why is it that rich people are criminals? It would be nice to hear about a very wealthy person who became rich by following the laws and being a good decent human Being. Is that possible?

[@domgould5113]

They did more to inhibit humanity that most.

[@kevinfoster1138]

The Rockefeller family business will never be the same as John d rockefeller's. Simply put you can't have a monopoly anymore.

[@alidaweber1023]

Sure you can, in the media and tech industries.

[@BamBamBigelow..]

That American thing…..hard work leads to pseudo-royalty. not BS birthright

[@Watcher1852]

a good con is the best way to get started.TO BECOME KING OR GO IN GOVERNMENT

[@nannettefreeman7331]

“Botanical medicine” WAS a thing (along with chiropractors, acupuncturists, nutrionalists, & midwifes) before John D took complete control over the medical industry thru his “philanthropy” & changed all the curriculums at all the medical schools to teach only surgery & prescriptions (a way for him to sell more of his chemicals & petroleum products) as treatment options. He founded the AMA & had anyone not licensed by him thrown in jail for practicing medicine without a license! He was also responsible for the predecessor of the FDA. So you can thank him for Big Pharma, too. He also highjacked the US education system, & founded the General Education Board. One of his most famous quotes is, “I don’t want a nation of thinkers. I want a nation of workers.” You have painted him in FAR too kind a light here. 👎🏼

[@mainstreet3023]

Money for its own sake is anathema to peace of mind and happiness. Extreme wealth is a double-edged sword. Greed is worse than sleeping with bedbugs, but you only find that out when it’s too late. I was always happier somewhere else. Now I’m happiest here. If people think wealth makes them attractive, it’s the opposite.

[@glennllewellyn7369]

Interesting.

[@rexila]

But it does make them happier for sure

[@PoisonClan73]

Wealthy people are either born into it or are the original con / criminal of the family.

[@nevermindmeijustinjectedaw9988]

the important part here is indeed that rockefeller made the poor less poor, almost singlehandedly creating the middle class. commies always seem to forget about this part. ngl, pretty proud of you to have come this far, chapeau

[@jbtechcon7434]

This is why I favor high taxes ONLY on gigantic inheritances. It's 2024. The days of dynastic rule should be long over.

[@GregScholfield]

That’s how most of our current taxes started. Unfortunately no one stopped the inevitable expansion of those taxes…

[@TheHandOfGovernment]

Unless it’s you

[@patternpaper4940]

“I favor income taxes, but only on people making a lot of money”- People in 1913

[@JankyBruv]

F*** it... eat the rich.

[@Redbird1504]

I like chicken.

[@jmjones7897]

Evil incarnate

[@ValentinIulianAndronache]

So the moustached austrian wasn’t completely wrong