Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Carlos Slim are the most notable rich guys of all time … but who are the wealthiest throughout history – ever?
STORY: Carlos “More Money Than God” Slim Is The World’s Wealthiest
That’s the question Celebrity Net Worth answered when they compiled their list of the world’s richest people, taking into account the rate of inflation for today.
The list uses the annual 2199.6 percent rate of inflation to adjust historic fortunes. It breaks down like this: $100 million in 1913 would be equal to $3.7166 US billion today.
The list spans the past 1,000 years and to put things in perspective, the poorest man on the list is 82-year-old Warren Buffett.
And don’t get it twisted; this list is for billionaires only, so no Jay-Z or 50 Cent will appear. Their fortunes are considered chump change in the company of these wealthy winners!
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Mansa Musa I, ruler of Malian Empire, would be worth $400 billion today. He made his fortune producing more than half the world’s supply of salt and gold.
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The Rothschild family are the richest people on earth today, with assets that total at least $350 billion. Many believe they control over $1 trillion in real estate and banking assets.
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John D. Rockefeller will go down as the richest American to ever live, as the wealthy industrialist would be worth a whopping $340 billion today. His company Standard Oil dominated American oil production and was eventually broken up because it became a monopoly. Rockefeller was the first American to ever have a net worth over $1 billion.
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Andrew Carnegie, a wealthy industrialist, would be worth $310 billion taking into account inflation. Not only did he sell his Carnegie Steel to JP Morgan, but he took home $230 million worth of gold bonds and received a 5 percent annual coupon to top it off. The bonds sat in a bank in New Jersey, which Carnegie never visited. After selling his company, Carnegie retired from business life and dedicated his time to charity.
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Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, also known as the last Emperor, would be worth $300 billion in today’s market.
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Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, last ruler of Hyderabad, a neighboring country of India, had a personal collection of gold that was worth more than $100 million and owned over $400 million worth of jewels, including the famous Jacob Diamond, which is worth $95 million today. Khan used the diamond as a paperweight in his office. He supposedly owned more than 50 Rolls Royces and with today’s inflation would be worth $236 billion.
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William the Conqueror, the King of England, made his riches by taking over kingdoms. At the time of his death in 1087, he left his sons the equivalent of $229.5 billion.
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If you’re in power for over 40 years, most likely you’d be on this list. Former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, comes in at an estimated worth of about $200 billion at the time of his death.
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Henry Ford was a one trick pony, but what better trick than the Ford Motor Company? At the time of his death, the Ford founder had a net worth of about $199 billion.
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Cornelius Vanderbilt, who is also the great-great-great-grandfather of CNN’s Anderson Cooper, was an industrialist and the third richest American ever, worth $185 billion. He made his first fortune in steamboats, then later made even more money after investing in the railroads.
