The Gilded Age Case: Who Killed America's Super-Rich? | History For Sleep

Why did the Gilded Age, an era of unimaginable wealth and power, suddenly vanish? This history documentary opens a cold case to find out "who killed" America's super-rich. We investigate the rise of "robber barons" like Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, and Carnegie, and the opulent Fifth Avenue mansions they built to rival European royalty. This video isn't just a history lesson; it's an investigation. We'll profile the "victim" and identify the "suspects" responsible for its demise. From the muckraking journalism of Ida Tarbell to the bloody labor strikes at Homestead and Pullman, we trace the internal and external forces that attacked the system. Finally, we uncover the murder weapon that made the Gilded Age financially impossible: the 16th Amendment and the federal income tax, a blow finalized by World War I. This is the complete story of how an entire social class collapsed, and what lessons its fall left behind. Timestamp: 00:00 The New Gods: Building the Gilded Age 00:18:47 Life on Olympus: Mansions, Parties & Social Wars 00:44:03 Suspect #1: The Muckrakers & Labor Wars 01:17:00 Suspect #2: The Heirs & The Income Tax 01:29:51 The Verdict: The Final Blows That Killed the Rich #gildedage #history #vanderbilt ✨ Thank you for spending your evening with 14 Nights of History. Each story on this channel is a quiet invitation – to slow down, to wander through forgotten worlds, and to fall asleep with a little more peace than you started with. From ancient empires to the daily lives of ordinary people, these stories are told gently, with no rush, no noise – just soft footsteps through time. If you’re looking for a calming way to end your day, or simply want to drift into dreams wrapped in history, you're always welcome here. 👉🏼 Let 14 Nights of History be your nightly companion – one quiet journey at a time.