The 10 Richest People in History

Do you really think that Bill Gates is richest man who ever walked on the face of this earth? If yes, let me tell you that you are completely wrong here. He sure has a net worth of US$72 billion and he may definitely be one of the richest people on earth.

However, you will be surprised to know that there were some people who lived long before him and their net worth in current money is way more than Bill Gates.Surprised? Well, take a look at some of the wealthiest people in history and their net worth in current money.

#10 J.P. Morgan

Corporate finance and industrial consolidation is what brings John Pierpoint Morgan into this list. JP Morgan was responsible for merging two electricity giants to form General Electric. He was also the one who formed US Steel by merging two steel giants. He passed away in 1913. If you adjust the fortune that he left behind, keeping in mind inflation, his net worth will come to around US $41.5 billion.

#9 Sam Walton

If you don't know who Sam Walton, think Walmart. Yes, he was the founder of the world's largest retail chain. Sam Walton died in 1992. Walmart is definitely continuing to do great business. However, we are only talking about Sam Walton here. When he died, he left a fortune of US$65 billion. In today's money, this comes to around US$108 billion.Quite a lot of money, don't you think?

#8 John Jacob Astor

His full name was Johann Jakob Astor and he was a German-born American businessman and fur trader. He was the first multi-millionaire in USA. Astor traded in furs, opium and real estate. When he died, he was worth US$20 million. Now, when we adjust this for inflation and convert it into today's money, it will come to around US $110.1 billion.

#7 Henry Ford

Everyone knows who Henry Ford is. The founder of Ford Motor Company easily makes it to the list of richest persons in history. He is known for using the assembly line to increase production and reduce prices of the automobiles that he manufactured. He has an inflation adjusted net worth of US $188.1 billion.

#6 Asaf Jah VII

The Nizams of Hyderabad in India were quite rich. However, the richest of them all was Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur. He was the last of the seven Nizams and ruled it from 1720 to 1948. Asaf Jah VII appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1937 as the richest man in the world. He used to print his own currency and he also had a vast private treasury. This benevolent ruler promoted education, science and development in his state. He inflation-adjusted net worth comes to around US$ 225.1 billion.

#5 Cornelius Vanderbilt

Shipping and railroad made Vanderbilt quite a rich man. His net worth was US $105 million at the time of his death. If you convert it to today's money, it comes to around US $232.54.

#4 Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov

If you don't know who he is, think about the Tsars of Russia. Knowns as Nicholas II, he was 26 years old when he became a ruler. He remained in power for more than 20 years. Nicholas II is considered to be the richest ruler in history. His net worth, when adjusted for inflation, comes to around US$300 billion.

#3 Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of Carnegie Steel Company. He sold his company to J.P. Morgan for US$480 million, and thus was formed one of the biggest steel giants, U.S. Steel. The sale took place in 1901. When adjusted for inflation his net worth is estimated at US$310 billion in 2014. He donated most of his wealth to his philanthropic activities and had US$30 million left at the time of this death.

#2 Musa I

Let's go back further into history and take a look at Musa I. Mansa Musa became the ruler of the Mali Empire of Western Africa in 1312. His pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 made the world took notice of his wealth. He traveled with 60000 men, 12000 servants dressed in silken robes and golden staves, and 80 camels each carrying 50 to 300 pounds of gold dust. Mansa Musa's net worth has been valued at $400 billion in today's money.

#1 John D. Rockefeller

John Davison Rockefeller became one of the richest people in history by dominating the oil industry. He was the co-founder of the Standard Oil Company and was the first person to ever reach the US$1 billion mark. His net worth, when adjusted for the first decade of the 21st century comes to around US $663.4 billion. 

© Copyright Roohi Khan, 2014