the Rockefeller family is one of the?richest and most well known dynasties?they've held positions in politics?influenced Environmental Protection and?owned some of the most expensive real?estate in the world so how did they?amass and hold on to so much money and?how rich are they really today?there are six generations of?Rockefellers with the 21-member?fourth generation currently controlling?their enormous wealth headed by the 100?year old David Rockefeller but all of?their current riches stem from one?entrepreneur John Davison Rockefeller?senior in 1870 he co-founded what would?be the largest oil refiner in the world?the Standard Oil Company by undercutting?the competition and colluding directly?with railroads it became one of the?earliest oil monopolies and in the early?1880s rockefeller-controlled roughly 90%?of all the oil in the United States but?in 1911 the Supreme Court ruled the?monopolies illegal nonetheless when?Rockefeller died in 1937 he was worth?about one and a half percent of the?entire US as GDP which today would be?roughly three hundred and forty billion?dollars he is considered to be the?single wealthiest person in US history?following this initial influx of wealth?Rockefellers son John D jr. began an?effort to diversify and maintain the?goodwill of the family name through?philanthropy and real estate?New York's famed Art Deco Rockefeller?Center was originally built by jr. who?also donated land to the Museum of?Modern Art contributed to the Met and?other Rockefellers were involved in?iconic real estate throughout Manhattan?like The Cloisters Museum and the former?World Trade Center towers the family has?also worked in environmental?conservation donating land and?establishing more than 20 national parks?all around the country as one of the?richest families in the world?Rockefellers have been among the most?charitable the original John Dee's?senior contributed more than half a?billion dollars mostly to medical?research leading some to call him the?greatest medical benefactor in history?his son jr. gave away nearly the same?amount to various causes bringing the?total between the two to more than 1?billion dollars by 1960 and still today?the oldest living Rockefeller David has?personally donated nearly 1 billion?dollars to charity?but nobody really knows the full scope?of their wealth as much of it is tied up?in real estate and investments?some estimates accounting for inflation?place the Rockefeller worth at 11?billion dollars but their ability to?maintain their wealth is the result of?the Rockefeller trust where the majority?of the family's money has been kept?since 1934 a trust committee oversees?the use of this money and family members?receive portions of the generated?interest rather than dipping into the?principal amount Rockefellers have used?their fortune to affect public change?and occupy important political positions?Nelson Rockefeller was a vice president?jay rockefeller was a senator and others?have been involved in finance and?business around the world but with such?wealth the Rockefeller family has also?been the focus of a number of conspiracy?theories predominantly the idea of a new?world order where a wealthy elite?replaced the world's government with a?secret totalitarian Authority while we?can't say there's much evidence for this?new world order there is plenty of?evidence that the Rockefellers are?incredibly rich powerful and?philanthropic be sure to check out a?bunch of new episodes coming out on the?seeker stories channel like this one?about a lawyer who decided to change to?a more unusual career path I left the?law firm behind to play with bricks full?time the bricks I use in my art and that?are here at the studio are the very same?bricks that people could purchase at a?toy store I don't paint them I don't?have access to special colors or special?shapes and sizes and we're in my art?studio today where I have over 5 million?Lego bricks thanks for watching seeker?daily don't forget to Like and subscribe?for new videos every day.