John Davison Rockefeller, Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American industrialist and philanthropist. He revolutionized the oil industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy. Rockefeller strongly believed since he was a child that his purpose in life was to make as much money as possible, and then use it wisely to improve the lot of mankind. In 1862, Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil company and ran it until he retired in the late 1890s. He kept his stock and as gasoline grew in importance, his wealth soared and he became the world's richest man and first billionaire.

James Jackson Jeffries ("The Boilermaker") (born April 15, 1875 in Carroll, Ohio, United States – died March 3, 1953 in Burbank, California) was a world heavyweight boxing champion. Jeffries stood 6 ft 3 in tall and weighed 225 in his prime. Despite his bulk, Jeffries, who was not a trained sprinter, could run the 100 yards in a little more than ten seconds. The world record in 1900 for the 100 yard dash was a little under ten seconds. While working as a sparring partner for James J. Corbett, Jeffries consistently outsprinted Corbett. Corbett was an outstanding all around athlete and had never lost a footrace to any of his campmates. Jeffries was also nimble and could purportedly high jump over six feet. His greatest assets were his enormous strength and stamina. Using a technique taught to him by his trainer, former middleweight champion Tommy Ryan, Jeffries fought out of a crouch with his left arm extended forward. He was able to absorb tremendous punishment while wearing his opponents down. A natural left-hander, he possessed one punch knockout power in his left hook.