The Standard Oil Trust grew to become an industrial monster thanks to John D. Rockefeller's vision and drive.

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In 1838, U.S. Mint branches were opened across the country to fulfill the need for a centralized system of monetary exchange.

On Dec. 19, 1974, Nelson A. Rockefeller was sworn in as the 41st vice president of the United States. Rockefeller, former governor of New York, was appointed by Gerald Ford after he himself vacated the office to become U.S. president upon Richard Nixon's resignation.

On November 3, 1975, less than a year after Nelson Rockefeller was sworn in as vice president, he announced in a letter to President Gerald Ford that he would not seek reelection to the vice presidency in 1976. On November 6, at a news conference in the Old Executive Office Building, his first public appearance since delivering the letter, Rockefeller cites "party squabbles" as his reason for withdrawing from the race.

Shortly after midnight on March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef just off the coast of Alaska, dumping more than 11 million gallons of crude oil into the pristine environment.

Woods Hole scientist Chris Reddy explains how an oil spill can have a lasting effect on the marine ecosystem.