John D. Rockefeller, who is worth billions of dollars, is still considered to be one of the wealthiest men in contemporary history. From humble origins, he worked his way up to become the creator of Standard Oil in 1870 and then went about ruthlessly eliminating his rivals in order to establish a monopoly in the oil industry. He climbed to prominence from a position of relative obscurity. He expanded his operations into related spheres, such as the iron, steel, and copper industries, as well as railroads, general stores, and newspapers. The pursuit of ultimate control ran afoul of the United States government, which, in an effort to break up Standard Oil, created the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890. This act sparked a protracted legal struggle, which the government eventually triumphed in 1911. There is no getting past the fact that billionaire John D. Rockefeller was important both as the major originator of the Standard Oil monopoly and as a world-class philanthropist. Although he was revered and reviled by many, there is no getting around the fact that he was important. The work of the Rockefeller Foundation and ongoing institutions he built, such as the University of Chicago and the Rockefeller University, ensures that his legacy lives on even in the modern day (originally known as the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research). Even though he was a vicious businessman who showed no mercy to his rivals, he is nevertheless regarded as one of the wealthiest persons in the modern world, a significant player on Wall Street, and one of the most influential men in the annals of human history.