Billionaires: From the “robber barons” of industrialization to today’s oligarchs

Billionaires are in the public spotlight. They are admired, envied and hostile. This is not new. In the late 19th century, John D. Rockefeller (Standard Oil), Andrew Carnegie (steel) and Cornelius Vanderbilt (railroads) were called “Robber Barons”. All men who had achieved wealth that was unimaginable at the time through industrialization. And who have given a lot back to society - also out of gratitude for their happiness in life: universities, medical foundations, museums and concert halls. The time of the US oligarchs was also the time of the philanthropists. They were robber barons and do-gooders at the same time.