THE FIRST BILLIONAIRES

Before billionaires were admired… they were feared. Late nineteenth-century America: an age of

smokestacks, iron rails, and burning oil. The birth of the monopolies.

John D. Rockefeller. He didn't just sell oil. He controlled over

ninety percent of America's supply. Through secret contracts and rail rebates, he crushed every

rival legally—and relentlessly. Andrew Carnegie roared his steel mills to life, preaching the gospel

of charity while the world watched. But behind the philanthropy, workers bled for

every cent of profit. J.P. Morgan didn't run companies.

He controlled the entire system from the shadows of his vault. They built modern