Story Highlights
- Historical event:
- 23 May 1937
- Rockefeller regularly donated 10% of his earnings to the Church. He was the first person in the world to earn a billion dollars.
On this day the richest man in the world, John Davison Rockefeller, died.
It is believed that Rockefeller was probably the richest man who ever lived because his wealth, taking into account how the value of money changed, largely surpassed the wealth of today’s leading billionaires.
Rockefeller was the first person in the world to earn a billion dollars. He was also known for his generosity and altruism.
He donated approximately 550 million dollars in total over the course of his life. Interestingly, the Rockefeller Foundation supported some medical facilities, for example, it financed the construction of buildings for school for nurses.
He regularly donated 10% of what he earned to his Baptist Church (known mainly by African-American members, such as Martin Luther King). He was known for giving coins to passers-by.
When he died on this day he was only two months from reaching 98 years of age. He died of arteriosclerosis at his winter residence in Florida, and was buried in the cemetery overlooking Lake Erie on the north of the United States.
