John Rockefeller: biography, interesting facts from life. David Rockefeller - a mysterious and sinister figure - died in his sleep Two of the greatest historical financial dynasties: allies or adversaries

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Six heart transplants. The seventh couldn't stand it...

The secrets of the life and death of Rockefeller Sr. have been revealed

In the American city of Pocantico Hills (New York), American billionaire David Rockefeller died of congestive heart failure at the age of 102.

The prominent banker and philanthropist and head of Chase Manhattan Bank died Monday morning at his home at age 102, family spokesman Fraser Seitel said. David Rockefeller was the last of the grandchildren of John Rockefeller, who founded the Standard Oil Company in the 19th century.

Rockefeller was born in New York on June 15, 1915, graduated from Harvard University, studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and received a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago.

During World War II he served in military intelligence in North Africa and France, starting as a private and rising to the rank of captain. After the war, he immediately began his career at Chase Manhattan Bank, and in 1961 became its president. 20 years later, Rockefeller resigned due to reaching the age limit allowed by the bank's charter for this position.

David Rockefeller was the most influential ideologist of globalization and neoconservatism. According to media reports, in November 2006, his total donations were estimated at more than $900 million. He continued the Rockefeller tradition of creating and supporting charitable and public organizations: the Rockefeller Foundation, the Institute for Medical Research, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the General board of education.

It was he who donated $100 million to Harvard University in 2008 - this became the largest donation from a former graduate in the history of this educational institution. The money, at Rockefeller's request, was used to expand the teaching of the humanities and provide financial assistance to students studying abroad.

“David Rockefeller also became an unwitting culprit of the so-called “conspiracy theory.” In one of his interviews, he hinted at a certain secret community of bankers, which is something like a world government,” Vesti notes. The journalists add that the elder Rockefeller "was one of the key figures in the creation and work of international non-governmental organizations, including the secret Bilderberg Club - an annual closed forum of the Western elite."

It is interesting that David Rockefeller was the first person in the world to receive heart transplants more than 6 times. The last time Rockefeller received a new heart was after his 100th anniversary. In addition to the donor hearts, Rockefeller received two kidneys, in 1988 and 2004, respectively. The billionaire's intention was to live to 200 years.

However, it was the heart that carried Rockefeller Sr. through. "Mr. Rockefeller passed away in his sleep this morning at his home in Pocantico Hills from congestive heart failure," said Fraser Setel, a spokesman for the billionaire family.

According to the latest data, the clan's total wealth is estimated at $11 billion. The personal fortune of the late Rockefeller today is estimated at 3 billion 300 million dollars.

“The frontman of the “third generation of Rockefellers,” billionaire David Rockefeller, died on Monday, he was 101 years old. During the time he managed the family’s assets, representatives of the 4th and 5th generations of Rockefellers managed to grow old and sink into oblivion,” they write in a telegram. They also add that the fortune of the poorest Russian participant in the Forbes rating is greater than that of Rockefeller Sr., not to mention the leaders of the rating.

However, our oligarchs do not (yet?) have such influence on the global political and economic agenda...

By the way, in Runet it is already being jokingly discussed that after the death of the elder Rockefeller, “government of the world” will pass to the Rothschild clan, allegedly negatively disposed towards Russia. Apparently, they are referring to the publication of the British weekly Sunday Times, from which it became known that Mikhail Khodorkovsky, already in custody, transferred his shares (which is 53%) to Lord Jacob Rothschild under an agreement on “loss of ability to act as a beneficiary” .

Read more at http://www.politonline.ru/interview/22889637.html

There was a story about the founder of the powerful Rockefeller dynasty, John: he dreamed of earning a million dollars and living to be 100 years old. He became a billionaire, but died at 97. His no less influential descendant fulfilled his grandfather’s wishes: on March 20, 2017, at the age of 101, he was in his home in a dream; his fortune is estimated at three billion dollars.

Although David Rockefeller was not at the top of the list of the richest people on the planet (according to the version, he was ranked 581st), the most incredible rumors constantly swirled around him. He was credited with almost ruling the world through a mysterious organization of wealthy like-minded people - the world government. These rumors did not arise by chance. David was a strong advocate of globalization and worked hard to make complex international processes more manageable.

“His status was higher than some corporate title. His influence was felt in Washington and foreign capitals, in the corridors of New York City Hall, art museums, great universities and public schools,” wrote after his death.

He received an excellent education: he graduated in 1936, studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and defended his doctorate in economics at the University of Chicago. He worked as a secretary for the New York mayor Fiorello La Guardia, served in World War II (served in North Africa and France) and returned to family affairs. From 1961 to 1981, he headed one of the largest and most influential financial corporations in the world - Chase Manhattan Bank (now called JPMorgan Chase, its assets exceed two trillion dollars).

But when it comes to any of the Rockefellers, what is interesting is not so much extracts from the biography as real attempts to reshape the entire world order.

David Rockefeller was a member of the closed Bilderberg Club and attended its meetings since 1954. It is in the Bilderberg Club that many see a world government. At the annual meeting of the most influential people (high-ranking politicians, central bankers, famous experts, heads of major media outlets) they discuss problems on a planetary scale, trying to find some common solution. David, a leading globalist, could not help but be a member of the club.

In 1970, he headed the Council on Foreign Relations, a private organization actively involved in shaping US foreign policy. In 1973 he founded the Trilateral Commission. Conspiracy theorists also often assign it the status of a world government. The declared task of the commission is to consult the authorities of the United States, Europe and Japan. Of course, on global issues. The working name of the organization that Rockefeller came up with is also interesting: the International Commission for Peace and Prosperity.

The Bilderberg Club, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Trilateral Commission still operate today, uniting influential globalists from all over the planet.

Over his long life, David Rockefeller met many politicians. He negotiated with Nikita Khrushchev, and many others. The details of Rockefeller's international visits are unknown, but you can be sure that they somehow touched on the main issue for him - how to unite the world and make it a little more predictable.

In his memoirs, Rockefeller responded to conspiracy theorists. For more than a century, "ideological extremists" have accused his family of having a "pervasive and menacing influence" on the United States, he writes. Some believe that the dynasty is part of a secret group working against the interests of the United States and into the hands of certain “internationalists.” “We allegedly entered into a conspiracy with other forces on the planet in order to build an integrated global political and economic structure, that is, one world. If this is what we are accused of, then I admit my guilt, and I am proud of it,” Rockefeller explained.

In fact, the billionaire said that there is no world government and expressed his deep regret about this. The planet needs more or less unified management so that humanity can continue to develop normally - this idea was promoted by David Rockefeller, as evidenced by his seemingly utopian proposals. He, in particular, was worried about the impending shortage of energy and water, and suggested thinking about limiting the population of the planet.

David Rockefeller left the United States at a difficult time. The country was led by another billionaire, but with diametrically opposed views -. Almost everything that the wealthy globalist fought for - erasing borders, forming common economic spaces and strengthening supranational organizations - is unacceptable to the team of the eccentric president.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross supports the United States' withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and advocates renegotiating the North American NAFTA agreement. The head was completely opposed to David Rockefeller and his ideas about the development of alternative energy sources. The new Secretary of State became famous back in 2008, when he managed to retain a leadership position in (the company traces its history to Rockefeller's Standard Oil), opposing investments in solar and wind energy.

Nevertheless, the views of David Rockefeller will remain relevant and in demand if Donald Trump, in his economic policy, relies not only on isolation and revision of trade agreements, but also on human capital and technology. Without these two components, “making America great again” will be much more difficult.

In New York, on March 20, 2017, influential banker and philanthropist David Rockefeller died. Controlled Chase Manhattan Bank. His press secretary confirmed the death. As it became known, Rockefeller died at his family estate in Pocantico Hills in New York state. He was 101 years old. Death occurred in a dream.

Date and cause of death

David Rockefeller died on March 20. The cause of the businessman’s death at the age of 102 is currently considered to be cardiac arrest, because David’s honorable age hints at this. In 2015, the 99-year-old billionaire had to undergo his sixth heart transplant. Then Rockefeller joked that he would be able to live to be 200 years old with the new “motor.” As you know, heart transplant surgery is an incredibly complex surgical process, and in addition, it is quite difficult for the body to accept a new part of the body. However, David Rockefeller managed to undergo the operation, which allowed him to live for several more years.

According to Forbes, in 2017, Rockefeller ranked 581st in the ranking of billionaires with a fortune of $3.3 billion.

It is worth noting that in 2010, David Rockefeller joined the Pledge of Giving charity campaign, organized by the richest US businessmen Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. The participants of this company have pledged to donate the majority of their wealth to charity.

As you know, David Rockefeller's grandfather, John Rockefeller, was the first dollar billionaire in history. The oil company Standard Oil made him the richest man in the world.

Biography of David Rockefeller

Grandfather John's beloved grandson was born on June 12, 1915 (yes, the tycoon celebrated his centenary in 2015) in New York. Since childhood, little David was instilled with the ability to know the value of money, the ability to earn and accumulate it. Children received incentive dollar bonuses for their creative deeds. They were paid for good studies, help around the house and exemplary behavior. Even giving up sweets had its own monetary reward, which increased every day as one abstained from sweets. It was also customary in the family to fine children for being late and various missteps. It is also noteworthy that each child had a personal ledger for recording expenses and income.

Moreover, when the children reached adulthood, the head of the family offered them a “deal” - two and a half thousand dollars each for giving up smoking, alcoholic beverages, and an additional amount of the same amount if the children adhere to this rule until they are 25 years old. Huge money by the standards of those times. And even today this is quite a considerable amount, especially for young people.

David Rockefeller studied at Harvard University, majoring in English history and literature, as well as economics. He also received his economic education at the London School of Economics.

In 1940, he defended his doctorate in economics at the University of Chicago, after which he entered public service - he worked as a secretary to the mayor of New York.

A year later, he got a job as an assistant to the regional director in the Department of Defense, Health and Social Security.

In May 1942, he entered military service as a private and by 1945 reached the rank of captain, noted the Internet portal therussiantimes.com. During the Second World War, he was in North Africa and France, was an assistant military attaché in Paris, and worked for military intelligence.

After returning in 1946, he took a position as assistant manager of the foreign department at Chase National Bank in New York.

Despite the fact that the Rockefeller family owned a significant share of the bank's shares, David Rockefeller himself climbed all the steps of the corporate ladder.

The Second World War shaped David's life path. Having entered the service as a private and rising to the rank of officer, he ended up in Algeria, where he began to build an intelligence network. Here, and then in France, he learned to build relationships with various people, influential and not, to find compromises and be a diplomat.

The experience of building business relationships helped David in his future career - after the war, he got a job as an ordinary employee in his uncle's bank, Chase Bank. After 12 years of work, he became vice-chairman of the institution. His career did not end there - after the merger of Chase Bank with the largest Manhattan Bank, David Rockefeller, whose photo is presented in our article, became vice-chairman of the Board of Directors, and later its president.

Dafydd Rockefeller specialized in international banking and was close to ministers and heads of state of various countries of the world. In 1981, Rockefeller retired from active management of the bank, but remained chairman of the bank's International Advisory Committee.

For many years, David Rockefeller was one of the key figures in the creation and work of international non-governmental organizations that left a noticeable mark in world politics: the Bilderberg Club (also a suitable forum of the Western elite), Dartmouth conferences (meetings of representatives of the CCCP and America on the territory of Dartmouth College in the state of New -Hampshire, USA), Trilateral Commission (unites representatives of business and political circles of the USA, Europe and Japan).

David continued the Rockefeller tradition of creating and supporting charitable and public organizations: the Rockefeller Foundation, the Institute for Medical Research, the Museum of Modern Art and in New York, the General Board of Education.

In 2002, he wrote an autobiographical book, “David Rockefeller: A Memoir.”

In 2004, David became the head of the Rockefeller family, controlling its numerous charitable and business enterprises.

Personal life of David Rockefeller

For many decades he has been devoted to his wife Margaret, whom he lovingly calls Pegi. It is curious that in the history of owners of million-dollar fortunes there are cases of long-term and pure love. Although, of course, history may be silent. In their marriage, the Rockefellers raised six heirs. David Jr. born 1941, Abby 1943, Neva Goodwin 1944, Peggy Dulaney 1947, Richard 1949, and Eileen 1952.

David Sr. currently has 10 grandchildren: children of son David: Ariana and Camilla, children of daughter Neva: David, Miranda, children of daughter Peggy: Michael, children of son Richard: Clay and Rebecca, children of daughter Abby: Christopher, children of daughter Eileen : Danny and Adam.

In general, the clan is expanding and growing. By the way, the oil oligarchs may not be persecuted by the press for nothing, since the notorious story of the voluntary dismissal of Miranda Duncan (Rockefeller’s granddaughter) from the post of investigator in the corruption case under the UN Oil-for-Food program caused a wide resonance in the press.

The Rockefeller family lives in the Hudson Pines residence in Westchester County. David also has a huge house in Manhattan at 65 East Street. There is a house in New York State in Columbia. The Simmental meat farm is also located there.

The billionaire's favorite hobby is beetles - once in an interview, Rockefeller David (in his youth he looked very much like his father) shared that he always has a beetle box with him. After all, it is unknown what interesting specimen he might encounter on his way. It so happened that he discovered five new species of these insects. The collector is also very proud that a rare species of scarab beetle that lives in the mountains of Mexico - Diplotaxis rockefelleri - was named in his honor.

John Rockefeller considered painting complete debauchery and there is still not a single painting in his house - he instilled this dislike in his children. He ate little, treating appetite as a punishment. “What is this: eat and eat, and you want more,” he told Henry Ford. By the way, he didn’t skimp on food, but he also considered spending on it pointless. In general, he was a very negative person towards the world, almost a misanthrope. For every generally accepted concept he had a “flattering” epithet. He hated literally everything that his contemporaries breathed: theater, music, secular society (and its members), love, literature. At the same time, he turned out to be very prolific, and his family was very friendly. It is noteworthy that he was strikingly indifferent to earthly goods, and he was interested in making money as a process. He didn’t drink, didn’t smoke, and didn’t have a single mistress. At one time he kept his children in a black body: they wore each other’s clothes and took turns riding the same bicycle. However, this educational moment may have been correct - but they all learned to achieve their goals with their own minds. Such a wonderful man, if not for his sweet character. The first barrel of oil was sold as "an excellent remedy for lice." It is true: lice are still poisoned with kerosene and its derivatives.

John Rockefeller was crazy about chestnuts. And he carried them with him everywhere. I ate it for rheumatism, but in fact I almost got used to it. His trouser pockets were always filled with chestnuts.

Charity

In 1954, David Rockefeller became the youngest director in history of the Council on Foreign Relations, he chaired its board of directors from 1970-1985, and is now chairman emeritus of the board of directors.

Trilateral Commission

Companions

Meetings with world leaders

D. Rockefeller met with prominent politicians from many countries. Among them:

• Nikita Khrushchev (August 1964, about 2 months before Khrushchev's ouster)

The meeting lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes. David Rockefeller called it "interesting." According to him, Khrushchev spoke about the need to increase trade turnover between the USSR and the USA (New York Times, September 12, 1964).

• Alexey Kosygin (May 21, 1973)

Details of the meeting were not disclosed. According to official data, the issue of trade relations between the USSR and the USA was discussed in anticipation of the adoption by the US Congress of the Jackson-Vanik amendment, limiting trade relations with the USSR. In an interview with the New York Times on May 22, 1973, D. Rockefeller said:

“Soviet leaders seem confident that President Nixon will push [in Congress] for most favored nation trade treatment for the USSR.”

However, this did not happen and the Jackson-Vanik amendment was adopted in 1974.

• Fidel Castro (??-2001), Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, the last Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
• Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.

On March 22, 1976, D. Rockefeller “agreed to become an informal financial adviser” to A. Sadat. After 18 months, Sadat announced his readiness to visit Israel, and after another 10 months the Camp David Accords were signed, which changed the geopolitical situation in the Middle East in favor of the United States.

• Mikhail Gorbachev (1989, 1991, 1992)

In 1989, David Rockefeller visited the USSR at the head of a Trilateral Commission delegation that included Henry Kissinger, former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (a Bilderberg member and later editor-in-chief of the EU constitution), former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, and William Hyland, editor of the Council on International Relations of Foreign Affairs magazine. At the meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev, the delegation was interested in how the USSR was going to integrate into the world economy and received corresponding explanations from Mikhail Gorbachev.

The next meeting between D. Rockefeller and other representatives of the Trilateral Commission and Mikhail Gorbachev, with the participation of his entourage, took place in Moscow in 1991. [[K:Wikipedia:Articles without sources (country: Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#property" was not found. )]][[K:Wikipedia:Articles without sources (country: Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#property" was not found. )]]

Then M. S. Gorbachev paid a return visit to New York. On May 12, 1992, already a private citizen, he met with Rockefeller at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

The official purpose of the visit was to negotiate for Mikhail Gorbachev to receive financial assistance in the amount of $75 million to organize a global fund and a “presidential (?) library on the American model.”

Negotiations continued for an hour. The next day, in an interview with the New York Times, David Rockefeller said that Mikhail Gorbachev was “very energetic, extremely lively and full of ideas.”

On October 20, 2003, David Rockefeller arrived in Russia again. The official purpose of the visit is the presentation of the Russian translation of his memoirs. On the same day, David Rockefeller met with Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov.

Wife, children, home

David Rockefeller married Margaret "Peggy" McGrath (1915-1996) on September 7, 1940. She was the daughter of a partner in a prominent Wall Street law firm. They had six children:

As of 2002, David Rockefeller had 10 grandchildren: son David's children: Ariana and Camilla, daughter Neva's children: David, Miranda, daughter Peggy's children: Michael, son Richard's children: Clay and Rebecca, daughter Abby's children: Christopher, daughter's children Eileen: Danny and Adam.

One of his granddaughters, Miranda Duncan (b. 1971), attracted the attention of the press in April 2005 when she publicly, without explanation, resigned from her post as an investigator into the corruption case of the UN Oil-for-Food program "

Rockefeller's main home is the Hudson Pines estate, located on family lands in Westchester County. He also owns a house in Manhattan, New York, at 65 East Street, as well as a country residence known as "Four Winds" in Livingston, New York, Columbia County, where his wife founded the Simmental beef farm ( named after a valley in the Swiss Alps).

Works

• Unused Resources and Economic Waste, Doctoral dissertation, University of Chicago Press, 1941;
• Creative Management in Banking, "Kinsey Foundation Lectures" series, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964;
• New Roles for Multinational Banks in the Middle East, Cairo, Egypt: General Egyptian Book Organization, 1976;
• Memoirs, New York: Random House, 2002. (David Rockefeller. Banker in the Twentieth Century. Memoirs / Translated from English - ISBN 5-7133-1182-1 - 564 pp., 2003.)
• Memories / Transl. from English M.: Libright, International Relations, 2012. - 504 pp., ill., 3000 copies, ISBN 978-5-7133-1413-2
• Bankers Club / Transl. from English M.: Algorithm, 2012. - 336 p. - (Titans of the 20th century). - 1500 copies, ISBN 978-5-4438-0107-0

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Notes

Literature

• John Ensor Harr and Peter J. Johnson, The Rockefeller Century: Three Generations of America's Greatest Family, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1988.
• David: Report on a Rockefeller, William Hoffman, New York: Lyle Stuart, 1971.

Excerpt characterizing Rockefeller, David

Caraffa stood as pale as death itself and looked at me without looking away, piercing with his eerie black eyes, in which anger, condemnation, surprise, and even some strange, inexplicable delight splashed... He remained deathly silent. And all his internal struggle was reflected only by his face. He himself was motionless, like a statue... He was deciding something.
I was sincerely sorry for the people who went to “another life”, so brutally tortured, and probably innocent people. But I was absolutely sure that for them my unexpected intervention was a deliverance from all the terrifying, inhumane torment. I saw how their pure, bright souls left for another life, and sadness cried in my frozen heart... This was the first time in many years of my complex “witch practice” when I took away a precious human life... And all that remained was hope that there, in that other, clean and gentle world, they will find peace.
Caraffa peered painfully into my face, as if wanting to find out what prompted me to do this, knowing that, at the slightest wave of his “blessed” hand, I would immediately take the place of the “gone”, and perhaps I would pay very cruelly for it. But I didn’t repent... I rejoiced! That at least someone, with my help, managed to escape from his dirty clutches. And my face probably told him something, because the next moment Caraffa convulsively grabbed me by the hand and dragged me to another door...
– Well, I hope you like it, Madonna! – and abruptly pushed me inside...
And there... suspended on the wall, as if on a crucifix, hung my beloved Girolamo... My affectionate and kind husband... There was no such pain and such horror that would not have slashed at that moment my tormented heart!.. I couldn't believe what I saw. My soul refused to accept it, and I closed my eyes helplessly.
- Well, dear Isidora! You'll have to watch our little show! – Caraffa said menacingly and affectionately. – And I’m afraid that I’ll have to watch to the end!..
So this is what this ruthless and unpredictable “holy” beast came up with! He was afraid that I wouldn’t break, and decided to break me with the torment of my loved ones and family!.. Anna!!! Oh gods - Anna!.. A bloody flash flashed in my tormented brain - my poor little daughter could be next!
I tried to pull myself together so as not to let Karaffa feel complete satisfaction with this dirty victory. And also, so that he wouldn’t think that he managed to break me even a little, and he wouldn’t use this “successful” method on other members of my unfortunate family...
“Come to your senses, Your Holiness, what are you doing!” I exclaimed in horror. “You know that my husband has never done anything against the church!” How is this possible?! How can you make innocent people pay for mistakes they didn't make?!
I understood perfectly well that this was just an empty conversation, and that it would not yield anything, and Karaffa knew this too...
- Well, Madonna, your husband is very interesting to us! – the “Grand Inquisitor” smiled sarcastically. – You can’t deny that your dear Girolamo was engaged in a very dangerous practice called anatomy?.. And doesn’t this sinful practice include such an action as digging in dead human bodies?...
– But this is science, Your Holiness!!! This is a new branch of medicine! It helps future doctors better understand the human body so they can more easily treat patients. Does the church already ban doctors too?!..
– Doctors who are from God do not need such “satanic action”! – Caraffa cried angrily. – A person will die if the Lord has decided so, so it would be better if your “woeful doctors” took care of his sinful soul!
“Well, as I see, the church “takes great care” of the soul!.. Soon, I think, doctors will have no work left at all...” I couldn’t stand it.
I knew that my answers infuriated him, but I couldn’t help myself. My wounded soul was screaming... I understood that no matter how hard I tried to be “exemplary,” I could not save my poor Girolamo. Caraffa had some kind of terrifying plan for him, and he was not going to back down from it, depriving himself of such great pleasure...
- Sit down, Isidora, there is no truth in your feet! Now you will see that the rumors about the Inquisition are not fairy tales... There is a war going on. And our beloved church needs protection. And I, as you know, am the most faithful of her sons...
I stared at him in surprise, thinking that Caraffa was gradually becoming really crazy...
– What war do you mean, Your Holiness?..
– The one that goes around us all every day!!! – For some reason, suddenly enraged, Dad cried. – Which cleanses the Earth of people like you! Heresy should not exist! And as long as I’m alive, I will destroy it in any form – be it books, paintings, or just living people!..
– Well, as for books, I, with your “blessed” help, have formed a very definite opinion about this. Only it somehow does not fit in with your “sacred” duty that you are talking about, Holiness...
I didn’t know what to say, what to do with him, how to stop him, just so that this terrible, as he called it, “performance” would not begin!.. But the “Grand Inquisitor” understood perfectly well that I was just, terrified of what was coming, I'm trying to stall for time. He was an excellent psychologist and did not allow me to continue my naive game.
- Start! – he waved his hand to one of Karaff’s tormentors, and calmly sat down in the chair... I closed my eyes.
The smell of burning meat was heard, Girolamo screamed wildly.
– I told you, open your eyes, Isidora!!! – the tormentor yelled in rage. – You should enjoy the extermination of HERESY as much as I enjoy it! This is the duty of every faithful Christian. True, I forgot who I was dealing with... You are not a Christian, you are a WITCH!
– Your Holiness, you are fluent in Latin... In this case, you should know that the word “HAERESIS” in Latin means CHOICE or ALTERNATIVE? How do you manage to combine two such incompatible concepts?.. It’s not clear that you leave someone the right to free choice! Or at least the slightest alternative?.. – I exclaimed bitterly. – A person MUST have the right to believe in what his soul is drawn to. You cannot FORCE a person to believe, since faith comes from the heart, and not from the executioner!..
Karaffa looked at me in surprise for a minute, as if some unprecedented animal was standing in front of him... Then, shaking off his stupor, he said quietly:
“You are much more dangerous than I thought, Madonna.” You are not only too beautiful, you are also too smart. You should not exist outside these walls... Or you should not exist at all,” and already turning to the executioner, “Continue!”
Girolamo's screams penetrated into the deepest corners of my dying soul and, exploding there with terrifying pain, tore it to pieces... I did not know how long Caraffa intended to torture him before destroying him. Time crawled endlessly slowly, forcing me to die a thousand times... But for some reason, despite everything, I still remained alive. And I still watched... Terrible tortures were replaced by more terrible tortures. There was no end to this... From cauterization with fire they moved on to crushing bones... And when they finished that too, they began to mutilate the flesh. Girolamo was slowly dying. And no one explained to him why, no one considered it necessary to at least say something. He was simply methodically slowly killed before my eyes in order to force me to do what the newly elected head of the holy Christian church wanted from me... I tried to mentally speak to Girolamo, knowing that I would not be able to tell him anything differently . I wanted to say goodbye... But he didn’t hear. He was far away, saving his soul from inhuman pain, and none of my efforts helped... I sent him my love, trying to envelop his tormented body with it and somehow reduce this inhuman suffering. But Girolamo just looked at me with eyes clouded with pain, as if he was clinging to the only thinnest thread connecting him with this cruel, but so dear to him, and already eluding him world...
Karaffa was furious. He could not understand why I remained calm, since he knew very well that I loved my husband very, very much. The “Holy” Pope was eager to destroy me... But not physically. He only wanted to trample my soul in order to completely subjugate my heart and mind to his strange and inexplicable desires. Seeing that Girolamo and I were not taking our eyes off each other, Caraffa could not stand it - he yelled at the executioner, ordering him to burn out my husband’s wonderful eyes...
Stella and I froze... It was too terrible for our children's hearts, no matter how hardened they were, to accept it... The inhumanity and horror of what was happening pinned us in place, not allowing us to breathe. This could not happen on Earth!!! It just couldn't! But the endless melancholy in Isidora’s golden eyes screamed to us - it could!!! How could it!.. And we just watched powerlessly further, not daring to interfere, asking any stupid questions.
For a moment, my soul fell to its knees, asking for mercy... Caraffa, immediately feeling this, stared at me with burning eyes in surprise, not believing in his victory. But then I realized that I was overjoyed too quickly... Having made an incredible effort on myself and gathering all my hatred, I looked straight into his eyes... Caraffa recoiled, receiving a strong mental blow. For a second, fear flashed in his black eyes. But he disappeared as quickly as he appeared... He was an unusually strong and strong-willed person who would have been admired if he had not been so terrible...
My heart sank in foreboding... And then, having received an approving nod from Caraffa, the executioner, like a butcher, calmly struck a precise blow right into the heart of the helpless victim... My beloved husband, my gentle Girolamo ceased to exist... His kind my soul flew away to where there was no pain, where it was always calm and light... But I knew that he would be waiting for me there, no matter when I came.
The sky collapsed, spewing streams of inhuman pain. Fierce hatred, rising in my soul, crushed barriers, trying to break out... Suddenly, throwing my head back, I howled with the frantic cry of a wounded beast, raising my disobedient hands to the sky. And from my luminous palms, the “magic of death” that my deceased mother once taught me splashed out directly into Karaffa. Magic flowed, enveloping his thin body in a cloud of blue light. The candles in the basement went out, the thick impenetrable darkness seemed to swallow up our lives... And only Caraffa still glowed with a ghostly white-blue light. For a split second I saw his eyes widened with anger, in which my death splashed... Nothing happened to him!.. It was absolutely incredible! If I hit any ordinary person with “death magic”, he would not live even a second! Caraffa was alive and well, despite the blow that incinerated his life. And only around his usual golden-red protection, now flashing bluish lightning curled like snakes... I couldn’t believe my eyes.
- Well, well!.. Madonna Isidora went on the attack! – his mocking voice sounded in the darkness. “Well, at least this is getting more interesting.” Don’t worry, dear Isidora, you and I will have many more funny moments! This I can promise you.
The disappeared executioner returned, bringing a lighted candle into the basement. The bloody body of the dead Girolamo hung on the wall... My tormented soul howled, seeing this sad picture again. But, for no reason in the world, I was not going to show Karaffa my tears! Never!!! He was an animal who loved the smell of blood... But this time it was blood that was very dear to me. And I was not going to give this predator even more pleasure - I did not mourn my beloved Girolamo in front of his eyes, hoping that I would have enough time for this when he left...
- Take it away! – Karaffa sharply ordered the executioner, pointing to the dead body.
– Wait!!! Don’t I even have the right to say goodbye to him?! – I exclaimed indignantly. – Even the church cannot refuse me this! Or rather, it is the church that should show me this grace! Isn't she calling for mercy? Although, as I understand it, we will not see this mercy from the Holy Pope!
– The Church doesn’t owe you anything, Isidora. You are a witch, and her mercy does not extend to you! – Caraffa said completely calmly. – Your crying will no longer help your husband! Go and think better about how to become more accommodating, without causing yourself and others to suffer so much.
He left as if nothing had happened, as if he had not just interrupted someone’s precious life, as if everything was simple and good in his soul... If he had a soul, as such, at all.
I was returned to my chambers without being allowed to pay my last tribute to my deceased husband.
My heart froze in despair and sadness, convulsively clinging to the tiny hope that perhaps Girolamo was the first and last of my unfortunate family whom this monster in the papal cassock made suffer, and whose life he so simply and amusingly took away. I knew that I most likely would not be able to survive the death of my father, much less Anna’s death. But what frightened me even more was that I understood that Caraffa knew this too... And I racked my brains, making plans, one more fantastic than the other. But the hope of surviving at least for the near future, in order to try to help my relatives, melted away like smoke.

John Rockefeller(full name - John Davison Rockefeller) - the first dollar millionaire in the whole world, the greatest entrepreneur and philanthropist.

As of 2007, taking into account inflation processes and recalculations, its capital was estimated at 318 billion dollars! For comparison: Bill Gates, the richest person in the world in the 2000s, earned about 50 billion by that period.

Rockefeller family

John Rockefeller Sr. born July 8, 1839 in the city of Richmond, located in New York State. He was the second child of six from his parents.

John's mother- Eliza Davison, homemaker, very devout woman who attended the Baptist church. Father– William Avery Rockefeller, lumberjack and later traveling merchant selling various kinds of elixirs.

Little businessman

John Rockefeller Sr. learned from an early age how to manage business and account for all cash flows. According to him, his father helped him with this:

“He often bargained with me and bought various services from me. He taught me how to buy and sell. My father was simply “training” me to get rich!”

At the age of seven, little John already made money. He helped his neighbors dig up potatoes, and also got turkeys and began to feed them. Then he sold them.

All income was recorded in a special notebook. And the money itself was conscientiously put into a porcelain piggy bank, which allowed him to accumulate $50 in capital by the age of 13. He lent this money to one of the neighboring farmers at 7.5% per year.

John's study period

John Davison began school at the age of 13 in his hometown. The learning process took a lot of energy from him, had to study hard to achieve results.

After graduating from high school, he went to college in Cleveland, where his family moved, where he began to study the basics of business and accounting. However, long studies did not appeal to him. Therefore, Rockefeller soon dropped out of college and entered the 3-month accounting courses.

Beginning and end of career

John Rockefeller's father disappeared for a long time selling his elixirs, and his mother had to save on everything quite often. And since John was one of the eldest children in the family, then At the age of 16 he started looking for work.

First position

For a month and a half, he looked for a suitable place to start his career and ended up being hired as an assistant accountant in a small company Hewitt&Tuttle(Hewitt and Tuttle).

Thanks to his mathematical abilities and diligence, John very quickly received his first promotion to junior accountant and a monthly salary of 25 dollars.

From that moment on, he began saving money and giving 10% of his earnings to charity in the Baptist church, of which he was a parishioner.

This habit became one of the reasons for his success and achieving the title of “first billionaire in the world” in the future.

Last position

The diligent work and excellent ability which young John showed enabled him to occupy post of company manager after the departure of his predecessor.

However, the company's management assigned him a salary of $600, when as the previous manager of Hewitt & Tuttle he received much more - $2,000.

This fact upset Rockefeller, and he resigned. There were no more moments in his biography when he worked for hire.

Rockefeller's first business

Thanks to my habit save some money from every earnings, at the time of leaving his job, John had $800 in his pocket.

He began to look for an opportunity to invest this money profitably and found entrepreneur John Morris Clark, who needed a partner for a joint business. John needed an amount of 2000 dollars for this; he borrowed the missing 1200 from his father at 10% per annum.

John Rockefeller became a partner in the company in May 1857, which was called "Clark and Rochester". They were engaged in trading agricultural products: meat, grain, hay, etc. During this period, the civil war began between the North and the South, so the business of the partners was booming. A lot of food was required.

Birth of Standard Oil

In the early 1860s, kerosene lamps came into use and quickly gained social acceptance. Seeing this, John decides to go into the oil refining business and creates a tandem with a familiar chemist, Samuel Andrews. Together with Clark, they build a refinery and begin purchasing oil, transporting it by rail.

In 1870, John Rockefeller created the companyStandardOil" (Standard Oil), which became the progenitor of all large companies in the oil business.

Rockefeller, already an experienced business man, began to buy small oil producing and oil refining enterprises. They had a simple choice: either ruin or joining a trust.

Big success

Business skills, combined with bribery and blackmail, allowed John Rockefeller to become the owner of 95% of all oil plants and enterprises. And if it were not for the Sherman Act (prohibiting monopolies), which came into force in 1890, this percentage would probably reach 100.

Rockefeller had to split his trust into 34 enterprises. However, this did not bother him, since in each he had a controlling interest and in fact remained the owner of everything that was before the division.

In 1894, John Rockefeller Sr. became the first billionaire in America and the world.

Retirement

At the age of 52 John decided to retire and handed over all matters to his partners. He himself devoted himself to charity, which he has been constantly engaged in since the days of his hired work.

He took an active financial part in the building of the University of Chicago Medical University, which bears his name. In 1913 he creates Rockefeller Foundation.

At the age of 97(May 23, 1937) John Rockefeller Sr. died of a heart attack before reaching the age of 100, as he dreamed. He left a total inheritance of about 700 million dollars to his children: his only son, John Rockefeller Jr., 460 million; to his five daughters - 240 million.

He gave the rest of the money to charity. His son in the future also became a generous philanthropist who built a 102-story skyscraper "Empire State Building", and also allocated 9 million for the construction UN headquarters in NYC.