Editorial Team
The wallets of the following folks are so crammed with cash, even their accountants get vertigo. From ancient rulers to modern business tycoons, these people have amassed fortunes that could put Scrooge McDuck’s money bin to shame. So, put your penny-pinching thoughts aside and brace yourself for a ride through history‘s glitziest, ritziest money bags:
1. Mansa Musa I (c. 1280–c. 1337)
As the ruler of Mali Empire, Mansa Musa’s wealth was inconceivable. His lavish pilgrimage to Mecca and rampant spending reportedly disrupted Egypt’s economy for a decade.
2. Augustus Caesar (63 BC-14 AD)
Rome’s first emperor had a personal wealth equivalent to 20% of the empire’s economy. This would equate to about $4.6 trillion today.
3. John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937)
An oil tycoon, Rockefeller was America’s first billionaire and is often considered the richest American in history, with an estimated worth of nearly $400 billion in today’s dollars.
4. Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919)
Born into a poor family, Carnegie became one of the wealthiest Americans ever, amassing a fortune through the steel industry before becoming a major philanthropist.
5. Jakob Fugger (1459-1525)
A German merchant, mining entrepreneur, and banker, Fugger’s net worth adjusted for inflation would be a staggering $400 billion today.
6. Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (1868-1918)
The last Tsar of Russia was worth $300 billion at the time of his death.
7. Jeff Bezos (1964-present)
Founder of Amazon, Bezos’s wealth has continued to grow and he became the first person to amass a $200 billion fortune.
8. King Solomon (c.990-931 BC)
Known for his wisdom, the biblical King Solomon was also incredibly rich. The wealth he amassed from tributes and trade would be worth over $2 trillion today.
9. Akbar I (1542-1605)
As the emperor of India’s Mughal dynasty, Akbar I controlled a nation that produced about a quarter of global economic output.
10. Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877)
The shipping and railroad tycoon amassed a fortune of about $185 billion in today’s dollars.
11. Henry Ford (1863-1947)
The automobile magnate and founder of the Ford Motor Company amassed a fortune worth $200 billion today.
12. Genghis Khan (c.1162-1227)
The infamous Mongol ruler didn’t hoard wealth but controlled a vast empire, making his relative worth immeasurable.
13. Bill Gates (1955-present)
The co-founder of Microsoft, Gates has consistently been one of the world’s wealthiest individuals with an estimated net worth of over $100 billion.
14. Alan Rufus (1040-1093)
A companion of William the Conqueror, Rufus used his wealth from the Norman conquest to become one of the richest men in history.
15. Warren Buffett (1930-present)
The “Oracle of Omaha” built his fortune through savvy investments, amassing a net worth over $100 billion.
16. Carlos Slim (1940-present)
This Mexican business magnate held the title of the world’s richest person from 2010 to 2013 with a net worth of nearly $70 billion.
17. Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII (1886-1967)
The last Nizam (ruler) of Hyderabad, in India, was declared the world’s richest man in the 1930s by Time magazine.
18. Andrew Mellon (1855-1937)
Mellon made his fortune in banking and oil, and served as U.S. Treasury secretary. At his death, he was worth the equivalent of about $50.5 billion.
19. Stephen Girard (1750-1831)
Girard was a French-born banker and a shipping and real estate magnate who was once the richest man in America with a fortune of about $105 billion today.
20. Elon Musk (1971-present)
Twitter’s newest owner is worth an estimated $238.4 billion.
And there you have it, folks – a peek into the pockets of the wealthiest individuals in recorded history. One can only dream of having such vast fortunes!
