His name was Max Yasgur, and he was the owner of a successful dairy farm. His milk served most of his county, and he became a well-known local figure. 

Then one day in 1969, a group of young men were interested in meeting him because they had an offer to make; they wanted to use his land for a music festival that would have some 5,000 people. Yet, Yasgur became aware that this so-called mid-scale festival was actually going to draw in a lot more people. He saw a money-making opportunity, so he agreed and finalized the use of his land for Woodstock for a reported $75,000. Other area residents were not fans of Yasgur for hosting Woodstock on his property, and before and after the festival, some Bethel residents were upset with him (via Time Magazine).

But without farmer Yasgur’s decision to rent out his property for Woodstock, the influential event would not have happened. More than half a century later, the site of the farm remains a historic location that continues to attract tourists, via Bethel Woods Center. Yasgur sadly didn’t live to see how the arrangement played out. He died a few years later on February 9, 1973, per The New York Times.