Who Were the Robber Barons?

The Robber Barons were some dudes who got rich and were pretty sketchy about it all, but then founded a bunch of universitys and stuff like that, so I guess we're cool? ALSO, a discussion about the name "Cornelius" and how it's for rich people. And also, Anderson Cooper.
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[@Maazzzo]

Please don't read these things through before making random comments. The random comments are why we are here, Simon.

[@stephjovi]

Agreed. Otherwise it would just be today I found out. The comments are the purpose of this channel

[@zachwesterfield9066]

I have to agree with both of you.

[@rj795w6]

Hell yes, it's great

[@krazed98]

I second this

[@HardestManInTarot]

Matdy James I too absolutely love this format

[@darthsavage4025]

You should do a video on the Pinkertons

[@sarahsnotfunny]

That would be neat and the general bail bonds industry esp with new laws sweeping the us make bail bonds and bounty hunters a dieing business.

[@sunmyra7152]

Love!!

[@skajohncarter]

Hoovervilles

[@nicholaswaldrop4306]

There's a Netflix series on the Pinkerton's

[@d.b.cooper2161]

Hell yes!

[@PaulMeranda]

i liked because of Simon's irritated bridge rant [but damn, that was an interesting topic.]

[@brainblaze6526]

I'm still angry about the Dartford Tunnel/Bridge.

[@timothyneiswander3151]

They do the same thing with toll roads in the US. Oh, it's only going to be toll until the road is paid off. I am so anti-toll road, I have literally driven miles out of the way to avoid them.

[@Maazzzo]

@@brainblaze6526 You should be, it's an utter bastard.

[@TheYoungVeganUK]

I live near the bridge, whenever I go past it the traffic isn't moving. You can feel the anger coming out of the cars.

[@jonnunn4196]

@@timothyneiswander3151 The Oklahoma toll pikes were originally that way. And then right around the time the first was about to be paid off (most likely OK City to Tulsa), they changed the law so that none of the tolls will get abolished until the debt of the entire toll system is paid off.

[@adamdye7073]

How about Death Row records is now owned by Hasbro? Seems interesting.

[@adamdye7073]

Absolutely. It just happened in the last month or two.

[@brainblaze6526]

Nice idea... Maybe something about weirdest corporate acquisitions... Thanks for this :)

[@zappawench6048]

Aren't they the makers of "My Little Pony"? I know that the concept of Bronies could make you wish for death, but damn...

[@kultur-vultur]

I second this one

[@youtube2snoopy820]

Yes. Very yes.

[@LoveMonster]

I'm addicted to this format and how your personality shines through

[@brainblaze6526]

Glad to hear that :)

[@thisisahumanlol8255]

Land : (exists) Robber Barons : It's free real estate.

[@zvikisegal2845]

"The Jungle" is about the meat packing industry in Chicago

[@kalenmanshack2112]

It's weird watching these older ones that weren't written by Danny! And not even a single "Daddy, chill" meme... It feels like a different channel

[@barrywerdell2614]

One More Time: Enron, Enron, Enron. Lets not forget Enron. We need to review this major event in business before it happens again!

[@PaulRosenow]

Fuck yes Enron

[@barrywerdell2614]

@ Paul Rosenow, and they did Enron here's the link kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4u1hYd-eb10fM0

[@jaynedavis4667]

yeah the Robber Barons are back, they just haven't been outed yet.

[@emmitstewart1921]

I can name two brothers that are just as corrupt as any of them.

[@comradestewart4218]

Only one of them left. ;)

[@1969GrassHoppa]

The true robber baron is the government. Absolute power corrupts absolutely!

[@EthelredHardrede-nz8yv]

@@1969GrassHoppa The US government does not have absolute power, very few governments do.

[@onetwothree9]

don't think they ever really left

[@tehMorion]

"This would be sooo illegal today" at 10:26. Well, this is pretty much exactly how Jeff Besos made his fortune, so no, unfortunately it is not illegal yet.

[@daa3930]

9:25 Still poorer than Mansa Musa. Guy was so rich that when he travelled to Mecca, his biggest worry was not running out of gold, but that his spending would cause hyperinflation in his wake. This eventually did bite his ass when he retuned to his home.

[@michaelimbesi2314]

Not really. John D. Rockefeller founded Standard Oil. Standard Oil was broken up. The companies it was broken into include what are now Exxon, Mobil, Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex. That was all one company. And he owned it. His personal wealth accounted for 2% of the US GDP. And the US was (and still is) a gigantic country.

[@calska140]

It did cause hyper inflation and he did have soothe some very raw leaders on his way back. Giving gold to everybody turns out to change how much gold is worth

[@linkesocke4533]

@@michaelimbesi2314 Mansa Musa allegedly would be worth 400 billion today. But this claim comes from media (including the bbc) but scientists say it's extremely hard to put a number on it. For Rockefeller several websites claim anywhere from 285 to 418 billion dollars adjusted for inflation, but most sources I found put him in the the 300 to about 340 billion range. Btw, if you compare their share of the worldwide gdp, Josef Stalin, Akhbar I, Song Shenzong and emperor Augustus are also richer than Rockefeller according to time magazine.

[@HolyFlavorAid]

How far Chinese counterfeits have made its way into the mainstream market, including medications and the food system would be an interesting topic.

[@zappawench6048]

Well, if these designer companies close down their UK and US businesses to take advantage of cheap labour costs in China, then the Chinese manufacturers think "we know how to make these handbags now, and where to source the cloth, clasps and other components", then the designer owners are all surprised when cheap knock-off handbags come out? I have no sympathy for them.

[@HolyFlavorAid]

@@zappawench6048 Same here! I have ZERO sympathy for the corporations. My take is on the consumers' loss from having a knock-off prescription drug or food.

[@HolyFlavorAid]

This is one of the scariest documentaries on counterfeits that I have seen. The last part is when it gets into drugs, food, and products like toothpaste being made. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGObZnSCnauBo9U

[@rupertg3765]

Fun Fact: Anderson Cooper was interviewed himself a few years back and there's footage of him describing the conversation with his mom when she told him there is no more money.

[@robanybody4064]

Yeah. He's had opportunities due to connections, but he's definitely had to work and earn his own $$. He wasn't handed his career.

[@voodoochild7778]

lol he worked for it really?delusional.he did not work for anything and they still have plenty of money.oh poor vanderbilts lmao

[@SaraH-jn5db]

@@voodoochild7778 I'm in this boat because I refuse to believe anyone born into a prestigious family would have to struggle the same way a normal person would for success, even if his career itself wasnt bought. He did have a rough upbringing though

[@voodoochild7778]

And again the dude did not have to earn it no matter what you say.Only a fool thinks having Vanderbilt blood does not automatically give you a few floors up from an average person of more skill. It is one of the reasons our country has gone to crap because people are given preference by name,wealth or looks not skill and ability.If you look at the lineage of most major media names they are from wealthy families or were lobbyists or both.The wealth disparity in this country is worse than the Gilded age of the 1920s. Not damning wealthy as a whole but do blame the stagnation,apathy,division and greed of our society on the their influence and the nurturing of the voodoo economic system that we have now.The way i see it some of the richest are ones that should brought up on charges of treason.Bezos,Cook,Ballmer to name a few.

[@FourPartFox]

This video answered the biggest question I've had: where the hell does Simon live? But the bigger question now: where the hell is Simon's zebra mask??

[@brainblaze6526]

IT JUST ARRIVED TODAY!

[@FourPartFox]

@@brainblaze6526 YEEEEEESS!!!

[@EdDueim]

Prague is very nice.

[@NVclosetmedgrower]

Usa constitution Article 1, Section 10 prohibits the states from granting any titles of nobility to anyone, whether they are citizens or not. ... However, the Constitution does not ban American citizens from receiving titles of nobility from other countries, and a child could actually be born into both. To answer your question about titles in usa.

[@RobKandell]

Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, TN, is one of the top schools in the country.

[@MatthewStinar]

And home to the main FedEx hub. Simon's package almost certainly when through there on its way to him.

[@michaelf.2449]

@@MatthewStinar Vanderbilt hospital is an amazing hospital for childhood cancer. I've never had any negative thought towards Vanderbilt's because of that hospital

[@MatthewStinar]

@@michaelf.2449 The two are wholly unrelated. Whether a hospital was founded by Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Chavez, or Escobar, the medical care has nothing to do with the lack of moral character of the financier.

[@michaelf.2449]

@@MatthewStinar well the hospital is a non profit and I believe alot of it is paid for by the Vanderbilt trust or whatever? And yeah the family nowadays is doing massive amounts of good

[@danr.1299]

That 15 minutes went way too fast. This channel is probably my favorite one Simon sore’s now(still watch the others regularly) but his attitude towards the videos are just great. Looks like he enjoys doing these types of topics and being able to go off script more

[@brainblaze6526]

Yep, it's a lot of fun to just riff, rather than strictly keeping to the script :)

[@karenpojar2514]

The "Give lots of money to charity" thing was due to the introduction of the income tax (capping at 90% at the time) and the charity deduction clause. Both were introduced specifically to target the Robber Barons, and was a message from the gov't: "You WILL be helping the nation. You can either choose how to help through charities, or we'll take a larger share and do it our way."

[@suthinscientist9801]

The permanent income tax and other " progressive " policies put an end to the Gilded Age.

[@elagabalusrex390]

And in so doing replaced the supremacy of a bunch of private corporations with the worst one of all - the government. And we're still living with the consequences to this day.

[@michaelmayhem350]

Hey Simon you have to do a video about the Rise and Fall of "Jared" and Subway.

[@wrongsalvation8904]

Simon don't you dare start reading these before hand. I thoroughly enjoy your anticipation on what's coming next and your inquisitive nature. If you were to read it beforehand it would murder that. It's enjoyable that you are just as excited and curious and questioning as the rest of us who are watching are. Also you need to check out the Biltmore. If the zombie apocalypse happens that's where I'm setting up Basecamp.

[@brainblaze6526]

:) thanks!

[@skelethrone666]

Amazing channel. And Simon is splendid on here. Love the format as it really lacked his sincere comments on the matters. There was one of those serious tone one videos with him cracking up and I absolutely loved it. Keep on going. Subscribed and loving the content

[@_Abjuranax_]

Robber Barons where like early gamers who found a glitch in the system, and exploited the hell out of it until it was patched. In addition to gobbling up over 90% of the US oil supply, Rockefeller made deals with the Railroads to carry his oil at super cheap rates. When it became economically unviable for them, they tried to negotiate better rates, but instead of doing that, Rockefeller built his own pipelines instead and cut the Railroads out entirely. Since oil was the lions share of railroad traffic in the US at that time, the Railroads naturally went belly up, and over two hundred of them declared bankruptcy, causing a depression in the market. They eventually combined together and bought the White House, installing Garfield who was favorable to them, but he was assassinated by a former disgruntled mill worker. And they had given the Vice-Presidency to Teddy Roosevelt to keep that trouble maker out of the way, who immediately set out to Trust Bust them all. "The Men Who Built America" is a great must watch series on the Robber Barons, more stories there.

[@rodziegman]

And this is why I like Simon, he isn't biased and is smart enough to know how much better things are now. But also understands why the past happened.

[@ncg195]

It's really cool to see someone from another country learn about this bit of American history for the first time, because, as Simon now knows, this period of American history was absolutely insane. My high school US History class spent a lot of time talking about this period (basically from the end of the American Civil War to WWI), and I understand why schools in other countries wouldn't teach it (as it's not particularly relevant to them), but it's a very interesting time period to study for anyone who likes history.

[@ncg195]

I grew up in a small town in America that had had a local version of a Robber Barron back in the day. There's a ton of stuff there named after him including a school, a park, formerly a hospital, and a room in pretty much every public building that does not already bear his name. It's like his name follows you around town wherever you go.

[@epowell4211]

This makes me think of how Walmart operates: they make contracts with suppliers, drive out competitors, then force the suppliers to comply to their terms. They're great for consumers (convenience-wise), but ruin small towns.

[@hobomike6935]

I would think suppliers would have most of the leverage for Walmart… how can you run a store if there’s not enough products on the shelves?

[@rcknbob1]

Regarding US railroads ("What happened?"): 1.WW2: Everybody's railroads but ours got the crap bombed out of them and had to be rebuilt. 2. Air transport and Interstate highways caused rail to fall into disuse and disrepair. That's pretty much the tl;dr version.

[@brantleyhester6641]

You forgot about the government. The US government did not help the RR industry at all

[@dscamacho]

Yep, most Federal funding for passenger rail ended in the 1970s, while Federal funding for highways and airports has increased.

[@david_vs_a_word]

Don't forget about Eisenhower saw the German Autobahn and wanted too create that in the us, all across America and that's real reason we dont have good railways here, he wanted America invested in cars.

[@hardnox6655]

@@dscamacho David, that's paid for by fuel taxes. The goobermint redistributes it after taking their cut. Ditto with the user fees at airports. It's the users that finance it.

[@hardnox6655]

@@brantleyhester6641 Brantley, that's incorrect. The US Government paid the owners of the railroads for every mile completed. that's why there was a race to complete it East to West.

[@mule-RIA]

Why yes yes we do , I'm the Duke of Florida. Or florida man for short

[@Mace-1191]

This is by far my favourite channel Simon is involved with its the random comments and side stories that make it

[@stephenwright8824]

Andrew Carnegie was born poor in Scotland. He introduced the idea of vertical integration: one company creating, owning and running all the businesses needed to monopolise one man's product in a market. Manufacturing, transportation and sales of steel were all under the control of his United Steel Company, based in Pittsburgh PA.

[@davidmcmahon4633]

He also said he never wanted to corner the steel market because without competition there was no incentive to continue coming up with improvements in his products and how he make them. He just controlled about 60% of the US market and left the rest to his competitors.

[@hardnox6655]

Carnegie was an amazing guy. He only had a 4th grade education. When asked how he achieved such success, he replied "I hired people smarter than me".

[@ZeldaboyOG]

Honestly I hope the format and attitude of this channel never change. This channel makes all your other channels that much better and the inverse is also true. Seeing both sides of your personality is quite wonderful.

[@luke138watson]

Man. There’s nothing better than having a joint and watching these things

[@LancGuy13]

The miniseries "The Men Who Built America" said it best. The only rule was that there were no rules

[@jimmywolfe4724]

Yes there are a couple "Men Who Built American" one during this time frame, one right after and one that deals with stuff like the Louis and Clarke expedition. If American history interests you, it's an amazing series

[@Aeonshield]

Idk how I missed this channel, but by far has become my favorite of yours. Most entertaining, for sure.

[@j.t7442]

This is now one of my favorite channels. I love your biographics, geographics, today I found out and top tenz channels. Originally I wasn't going to watch these because I'm not into business, but autoplay was on and I was busy working so it played. Gotta say, I almost made a mistake, glad it played.

[@cannedmusic]

applauds Simon's extremely detached indifference, even approaching apathy, dare I say, to correct pronunciation

[@brainblaze6526]

Oh, no its in pure “I dont give a fuck” territory

[@cannedmusic]

@@brainblaze6526 LOL!

[@OxyBoxy]

I am living for this format

[@darrenkrivit6854]

Really enjoying this channel and the loose format. Always makes my day to see a new BB video after a hard day of work✌️ Smashing that like button!!

[@kitke101]

I'm kind of shocked how much of this information I remembered from my high school history classes (I'm an American).

[@jeremy3747]

I truly enjoy when you think ahead and then see it in the print. Please don't read prior to making the videos. It has a certain comedic and grounded feel to it!

[@calendarpage]

'The Jungle,' by Upton Sinclair, is about workers in the stockyards and meat plants in Chicago. I will never forget reading about the guy falling into a vat of something and they just kept him there; whatever was in the vat was made into food.

[@shibolinemress8913]

Soylent Green!

[@dscamacho]

The US Constitution prohibits issuing of titles of nobility. Despite what the GOP likes to claim, inheritance tax (known as estate tax here) is low. I'm surprised there wasn't a mention of Cornelius Vanderbilt overthrowing the government of Nicaragua.

[@cuttwice3905]

Let's be honest, the GOP is bought and paid for by the obscenely wealthy. I loath their new lie "death tax". The point was to keep society more egalitarian.

[@bySmarty]

You kill it Simon! Never stop. We will always watch

[@lexielyons5739]

I love how you read from the script and make comments:) Makes this channel stand out from the rest. In regards to “Titles”, the south has a tradition of bestowing the title of “colonel”to success land owners and business people in the south.

[@amberswafford9305]

Lexie Lyons Just Kentucky. In Tennessee no one is given that title or Jack Daniels & Davey Crockett would no doubt be colonels.

[@Tchnfrq]

that raubritter pronouciation was spot on edit: how the f do you get an overnight from america to prag ive been waiting for something ive ordered from america for 5 weeks 😒

[@zachwesterfield9066]

That's on whoever sent you the package. I used to sell Magic the Gathering cards on ebay, and I usually just mailed the using the US postal service. It only cost about $3.00 to send them with 2-3 day priority mail with insurance on them. That said I have had the same problem your having when ordering things myself.

[@brainblaze6526]

I'm sure the postage was super expensive, but fortunately I didn't have to pay for it.

[@anonymoose9315]

That bridge sounds like Illinois highways. My wife and I spend like $80 a month on tolls. Its outrageous. Why our railroads suck? Unions and the advent of the car. It's why our airlines suck too. I used to work for an airlines. Extremely inefficient. Fun fact worked with a poor man named Cornelius.

[@weevilstevil9901]

I adore the usually upright and proper simon being a little silly nerd. This channel is perfection

[@ericposey4124]

My dad is an economics buff and one of his favorite saying is "We want free market, just not that free market."

[@MatthewStinar]

Well said! 👏 I hear people rail against capitalism and they fail to consider that capitalism can take other forms. Much like others use the word socialism as though it can only ever work like East Germany's socialism.

[@juliefultz4781]

Yay!! Been sick for three days, and needed something to lift my mood, and Simon delivered. Excellent show as usual. Keep it up. Can't wait to see this channel explode.

[@brainblaze6526]

I hope it does :). And glad to help. That the videos make people happier is one of the nicest bits of feedback that I've been getting :).

[@jeffrelf]

. This is an amazingly good channel; you are amazing Simon. @@brainblaze6526

[@brainblaze6526]

You are too kind. Thank you :).

[@MrInitialMan]

I think a lot of the major philanthropic movement began when these robber barons started getting old.

[@edoremus01]

Can you do an episode about the Nazi origins of Volkswagen?

[@lakesheppard5466]

I learned the Anderson cooper thing from Simon Whistler like a year ago but I guess I couldn't expect him to memorize everything he narrates.

[@stephjovi]

Like the comment : I recently watched a video about why the railroad in the US sucks. Yeah Simon it's called Why does public transport in the US suck so bad and you uploaded it 3 weeks ago on this very channel🤪

[@---bs8dp]

The jungle is about parking plants in Chicago mostly. Chicago became a hub for stock yards because the railroads from the West would converge there

[@michaellouton3870]

Another fantastic video, thanks so much.

[@alexm4348]

I like the way you set up this channel it's different than the other ones so it's a nice breath of fresh air keep up the good work

[@brainblaze6526]

Thanks :). Glad to hear that.

[@isangradraddlin4093]

I would like to see an episode on U.S. currency. There was a reason the U.K. called the U.S. to fight Nazi counterfeiting efforts.

[@millbean13]

Something that Brits probably don’t know but the house from the movie Richie Rich is actually the Vanderbilt estate. It was also in the movie Hannibal (2001) where Mason Verger lived. It’s been in a lot of movies but those are the 2 that instantly come to mind. It’s the largest privately owned house in the US with almost 180,000 ft² (16,600 m²).

[@rshiell3]

Best channel on KZbin, nice job Simon

[@pms4906]

The Jungle was set in Chicago. Good book. My family is from the area and I can see how it could've happened.

[@steveiam5762]

Look into the Rubber Barons. That's another interesting group of people who's evil still echos today.

[@victor9sur768]

Dartford (QEII) bridge is a nightmare although since i've been living in the North the Humber bridge makes it look like a picnic doesn't quite have the traffic (most of the time) but its just not a nice thing to cross

[@daehr9399]

My family lives right off the same road where Jesse James committed his first train robbery (July 21, 1873). Railroads brought a boom to farmers but also brought a lot of trouble. A local gang affiliated with the James-Younger Gang at one point harassed my great great grandfather, but decided it wasn't worth it for whatever reason and let him be. The gang was shot down in the streets not long after, like the dogs they were.

[@cindyoblock9555]

Plain and simple Simon you are just awesome. Love all your channels

[@brainblaze6526]

Thanks! :)

[@erraticonteuse]

IIRC, Andrew Carnegie believed in a high inheritance/estate tax, because he thought (and I believe the statistics generally support him on this) that subsequent generations living on their ancestors' insane wealth would inevitably squander it and lack any work ethic whatsoever.

[@TheSquishiRex]

This channel has the absolute best intro hooks

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

As far as rich people go in the US, there's a reason we have the term "old money." I don't think inheritance tax is anywhere near what it is in the UK. But more important than the liquid capital are the business assets that usually get passed on - stocks, bonds, and expensive valuables like (no joke, my middle class dad did this) gold and silver bullion.

[@WildBluntHickok]

Fun fact: ownership of gold (over a certain size) is illegal over in the UK. It's all supposed to belong to the crown. If you find a treasure trove digging in your back garden you're required to turn it over to the crown (for it's value in cash of course).

[@AcornElectron]

Fewer top tenz and today I found out and more of these please ☺️

[@MikeTXBC]

What's interesting about The Jungle is that it was written to showcase the horrible and dangerous conditions people worked in at meat processing plants, such as accidents where workers lost fingers or limbs. Unfortunately, that message was lost on the public. Instead, what they took from it was, "Oh my God! What the hell is in my meat!?" That is why the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was created. It wasn't really about protecting workers, it was that people wanted "clean" steaks, bacon, sausages, etc.

[@daisy87657]

I'm at the point of quarantine where I'm binge watching old business blaze episodes and verbally respond to US questions like Simon can hear me

[@Ysterin]

Hardly even scratched the surface of the Robber Barons. There are quite a few Robber Barons and often times they were hyper competitive with each other or downright hated each other. For example; J D Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie's relationship was very much a story of one upsmanship, particularly when it came to philanthropic endeavors and Christmas gifts. Carnegie would send Rockefeller scotch whisky or something else alcoholic. Rockefeller, being a DEVOUT Baptist did not drink at all responded by sending him a paper vest, making fun of his poor upbringing. You should watch the miniseries "Men Who Built America" it is an awesome show and I learned a lot. It covers the lives of the most important Robber Barons. Cornelius Vanderbilt, J D Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Frick (business partner/ENFORCER of Carnegie and because of his actions the "Homestead Strike" happened thst saw the 300ish of the Pinkerton Private "police" *more so a highly trained and HEAVILY armed private militia*). J P Morgan, and Henry Ford. There are obviously more Robber Barons, however these historical Titans of Industry and Business are who come to mind when thinking on the Robber Barons. Heck, Rockefeller, Carnegie and Morgan actually BOUGHT a US President William McKinley the 25th U.S. President in order to keep the possibilities of a Monopoly investigation/indictment from ever materializing. It worked until the President died and his big business and monopoly hating Vice President Teddy Roosevelt took over as the POTUS. As a result Standard Oil began having monopoly lawsuits and Rockefeller had to split up his company. And questions let me know.

[@pandorasbox4238]

Unless you're Dr. Phil, titles are indeed earned. He's not a doctor, nor does he have a PhD.

[@Himesua]

Regarding titles in the US, you are correct, we do not have any unearned titles. Regardless, those familiar with the history of the railroad would most likely know what (if not to some degree who) the Barons were that contributed to the westward expansion, and Rockefeller made their money via oil. There's a trip through the gorge in Canyon City Colorado, they talk about it on the tour.

[@kanetakeo268]

"You guys were really good at the beginning, what happened?" - Same thing that happens to all American Innovations. We focus on being the first to innovate - which then becomes a lucrative business opportunity, which then becomes stagnant when the business owners abandon investing in new risky innovations and favoring instead steady profits fueled by crushing new and existing competition. It's an infuriating pattern that ensures that America doesn't live up to its promise of exceptionalism when you actually peek under the hood. I love your content Simon!

[@LannasMissingLink]

My dad is the son of a farmer from the middle of Ireland. They were not rich growing up and they literally had to move across the country for better prospects for their kids. My dad's name is Niall and I didnt find out till I was an adult that his birth name is Cornelius. We found out by finding his birth cert. He hates the name and hates when we call him it

[@TrippyCustodian]

Try explaining what Hedge Funds actually are.

[@Yorkcraft-ep7fv]

Love it as always! Can we see a video on the white star line of Belfast. I do enjoy my titanic history 😊👏👏

[@victoriascotttheclassicist3692]

Jeez us. That cornelius bit at the beginning.... oh i died.🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣

[@nimeshchokshi1921]

Perhaps you could do a video on the construction and the early years of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway? It’s a rather crazy and strange tale. There was a hot air balloon race, then an a motorcycle race, then finally an auto race in which one marque, Overland, brought this “gold plated” car to give as a prize, but never actually gave it away. I would recommend the book “Blood and Smoke: The True Tale of Mystery, Mayhem, and the Birth of the Indy 500” by Charles Leerhsen for an in-depth chronicle.

[@douglastuck3736]

Definately still happens today. Qantas drove lots of competitors out by price lowering. All the grocery chains regularly drive smaller businesses out by undercutting

[@kathleenherrmann436]

This channel is so hilariously unprofessional 👌🤣 I love it! Keep it up! 😎

[@suchanhachan]

Among other things, Andrew Carnegie endowed Carnegie Mellon University and of course Carnegie Hall...

[@johnsummers9660]

A great film that is driven by the robber-baron concept is Once Upon a Time in the West. If you haven't seen it, it's one of the greatest films ever made. It requires patience but is worth the time.

[@calska140]

What creeps me out was that the old railroad supported alot of little towns. Once the interstates made the rails totally obsolete, those towns were just abandoned and nature took them... maybe. These towns are remote from civilization and roads don't service them, no utilities either. There's been a couple stories of people coming across one and finding cultist people living in them.

[@gabbymadsen7260]

The US labeled estate taxes "Death Taxes" back during the GW Bush era and started dismantling that system. It was a pretty brilliant campaign, they convinced poor conservatives that estate taxes actually affected them so the movement got populace support in the less educated / more religious conservative states.

[@EleanoraDzen]

5:41 Wasn't it a common practice for rich people (during victorian times) to give servants names more befiting to their status if they had fancy names (AKA degrading them)?

[@hakeemfullerton8645]

This was an interesting topic

[@Nicolesid1]

consuelo vanderbilt, Cornelius' great grand daughter, married the Duke of Marlborough and their ancestors are still the Dukes of Marlborough today. She was also very close with Churchill.

[@snowwhite7677]

"ARE" Who ARE the Robber Barons. The names and faces change. The Social Class is STILL alive and well.

[@jimaaxor]

I live in Asheville, the Vanderbilt estate is a huge tourist attraction here, it's a huge chateau built in America. The estate is huge though, they have a dairy farm, a vinyard, and a bunch of other stuff. Also, some of that richie rich movie was filmed there.

[@zackmorrison470]

I can totally imagine Ayn Rand getting all hot and bothered watching this episode... "Say my name! John Galt!" =D The seeming duality of these guys as being RUTHLESS businessmen, AND being unmatched philanthropists, is what makes these Robber Barons such complex, imperfect, yet compelling characters. It is also a manifestation of the fundamental internal ideological conflict the U.S. has struggled with, since the beginning. We have been trying to FORCE 3 fundamentally different systems of value to work simultaneously; specifically Capitalism, Democracy, and Christianity/Religion. Conflict is inevitable under these circumstances, but it is exactly this conflict which keeps things in check. Because if any 1 ideology reigned supreme, you might have a "Utopia" of sorts, but no "Utopia" is possible without some amount or manifestation of Fascism.

[@RinkameWolfs]

I live in the city where the Biltmore is, and in fifth grade there was a mandatory field trip there. It is a thing all fifth graders in this city do. Fifth grade is 10-11 year olds, for those who aren't familiar with the US school year system.

[@Luthiart]

"The Jungle" was about the meat industry in Chicago, which was the meat processing capital of America at the time, and where the term "stock market" comes from.

[@junesilvermanb2979]

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jungle

[@ufxpnv]

To answer your question, what happened to the U.S. railways, the political owners, at the end of WWII, decided to push for highway expansion and focus on their business, automotive/oil. They also devised plans to exclude public transportation in mayor cities where they thought they could get away with it, such as Los Angeles. The gasoline pipe line system in the U.S. began almost immediately after the war pumping fuel across the country to make it available with less shipping costs. The 50s saw the 'interstate' (highway building) boom after which the exponential increase in highway trucking. By the 1970's Americas railroads were in decay. Only through government concern of losing this valuable transportation system, the railroads were revitalized to the minimal state they exist today. For an interesting video, how about a video on the U.S. businesses and businessmen that did business with Nazi Germany before and during the war and what they did to support Nazi Germany and what happened with these businesses after the war. Most of which was made available by the freedom of information act in a disclosure made in 2013.

[@zappawench6048]

Cornelius Vango is a KZbinr who certainly is not rolling in dough. She is the volunteer librarian of Slab City, the last free place in America. She sometimes has to go "fly a sign" to get money for basic supplies.

[@SatiricalSpartan]

“In the UK they will take most of your money!” Except that landed gentry... Simon... SIMON. ITS LITERALLY a monarchy.

[@junesilvermanb2979]

God and Her Majesty be with you. Amen.

[@trentspears9118]

There are a few titles in the US, mostly in political positions. Judges often have the title "The Right Honorable" and Supreme Court Judges have the "Justice" title, one has the "Chief Justice" title as well. They are not very common in state and local governments (unless you count the literal title of the role like Mayor or Sheriff).

[@MrsShocoTaco]

Amazon "buy in the next hour & get 2-day shipping!" Me "wtf...no next day shipping?..."

[@zmanjace1364]

It would be interesting to cover the hot mess that was the meat markets/butchers back in the day. Freaking terrifying. Ooooo! Or another good one is how some dude conned the world into buying lobster! Use to be considered trash food they fed to prisoners that absolutely hated it.

[@Kenkire]

Why did automatic coffee/cocoa machines have poker cards on the cups?

[@jamesbael6255]

Coin operated machines were already considered gambling, if you were going to produce and maintain them, may as well go ham.

[@Kenkire]

@@jamesbael6255 lol