Everybody seems to love to hate on Walmart, though most Americans love their low, low prices and massive selection. The mega-chain is the subject of any number of memes and terrible stories - not surprising given how many people shop and work there. It seems like a giant, faceless entity - but the store is actually the brainchild of the Waltons, the richest family in America.

Just who are the Waltons, and how did they grow their eye-popping fortune? The family's legacy started small, with one five-and-dime store opened by Sam Walton in Bentonville, AR. But it didn't take long for that one little shop to become a sprawling chain of stores, which owed their massive success to their competitively low prices.

Today, the Waltons still collectively own more than half of their family company. As for the breathtaking sums Walmart has brought them, they've spent them in some fascinating ways. From building an art museum in rural Arkansas to sinking untold funds into a doomsday bunker, stories about the Walton family show they definitely do spend some of their fortunte. And scandalous facts about the Walton family show that, in some ways, they're just like everyone else - just a lot wealthier. The Waltons are about so much more than just rock-bottom prices.