The Richest People In History

The lavish lifestyles of rich and influential people have always been a subject of great interest for the masses. Many youngsters these days (or even old adults for that matter) surf glamor magazines to know the status of the bank accounts and properties possessed by the rich. The names which most of us know are that of Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet or even the Mexican Carlos Slim who has been grabbing attention for his wealth.  However, how well do we know our history and the lives of the wealthiest people who ever lived on this planet? This is a compilation of 10 such names, some of them who also lived before the birth of Jesus Christ.  Many of us might have heard of these names but the stories of their wealth will leave us in a state of astonishment. Many of us might be under the impression that money has been an important objective of their lives, but these stories reveal that there’s lot more to them apart from the moolah. Read these fascinating stories and share it with your friends.

1. Genghis Khan

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The founder of the Mongol empire is a hot favorite amongst lovers of history, not just for proving his mettle as a great leader, but his acquisitions as well. Genghis considered capturing land a great accomplishment. In this regard, he waged several wars and if history books are to be believed, Genghis managed to conquer a massive stretch of land which spanned between the Pacific Ocean and the Caspian Sea. As per today’s world political map, these places included Asian nations like Iran, Iraq, China, and Burma. Khan also managed to grab a good chunk of Russia as well. Thus, he was one of the very few individuals in the history of mankind to have possessed such a vast amount of land. He also ransacked his enemies and the possessions recovered from them would then go into his kitty.

2. Marcus Licinnius Crassus

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Although it has not been accurately estimated as to how much of money were accumulated by this man, historians are of the impression that this man’s wealth is around $169 Billion. Marcus who lived between 11BC to 53 BC, around the same time as the legendary Julius Caesar, was a merciless politician and his prime agenda seemed like acquiring more materialistic wealth. His possessions, be it land or precious metal such as Gold, are mostly those he acquired from victims of war and in most cases they were forcibly snatched from their owners. He had also a reputation of capturing land at throwaway prices.

3. Mansa Musa

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This compilation would be incomplete without mentioning the worth of Mansa Musa, the emperor from Mali, a West African nation. This great emperor was hailed by titles such as ‘Lord of The Mines of Wangara’ as well as ‘Emir of Melle’ by the masses. A research conducted in 2014 revealed that had the emperor been alive today, his fortune would have summed up to a breathtaking $400 Billion and would have surpassed all the Billionaires of today by miles. One famous episode of Musa’s tenure as a ruler was his pilgrimage to Mecca. The ruler’s journey was marked by a procession where slaves carried Gold bars and were draped in attires made of this expensive metal. Even the animals which participated in the procession carried bags containing this precious metal. It is believed that Musa donated a lot of gold amongst the underprivileged during this journey to Mecca. Apart from leading a luxurious lifestyle, Musa spent a good amount on the construction of centers of education and religious importance.

4. Alan Rufus

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Known to be the collaborator of the legendary ‘William The Conquerer’ in the latter’s military operations, Rufus is recognized for a completely different reason altogether. This man, who lived in the 11th century, was crowned the Lord of Richmond, which contributed greatly towards his personal wealth. Alan’s total earnings were approximately to be around $178.65 Billion, after including the inflation adjustments of today. Rufus was a great patron of architecture and even constructed the plush Richmond Castle during his time. He had also apparently acquired vast chunks of land during his tenure. Historians claim that Rufus had a religious leaning and even donated a good amount for religious causes.

5. Akbar

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The ‘Mughal Empire’ of India has been known for its lavish lifestyles, exotic palaces constructed at exorbitant costs and materialistic possessions. One such name from the Mughal era which is of great prominence in this regard is the famous emperor Akbar. It is believed that Akbar was no different from the Queen of England during his rule in terms of his wealth. Even India’s GDP at that time was pretty close to that of Britain. One of the reasons behind this emperor’s immense wealth was that a lot of earnings of the masses were extracted during his governance, which helped him surpass many big names of the west in terms of wealth.

6. John D Rockefeller

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Not many know that John D Rockefeller, the founder of the firm ‘Standard Oil’ is one of the richest humans who ever lived. When the earnings of this business tycoon were totaled at the time of his death, it summed up to a whopping $330 Billion (an approximate estimation). This figure was said to have surpassed that of the United States economy by 1.5%. His firm was the biggest oil refining organizations at its time and had employed over 60,000 people. However, the firm was dubbed ‘illegal’ by the US judiciary much later. Rockefeller also set an example for many other Billionaires to follow by spending a good chunk of his fortune in charity.

7. Andrew Carnegie

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How can one speak about the richest people on the planet and forget mentioning the glorious life of Andrew Carnegie? This man’s life is a perfect ‘rags to riches’ story since he earned wages as low as $2 during his early teens. At a later stage of his life he founded the ‘Carnegie Steel Company’ which was a reputed firm. Carnegie’s wealth went up sky rocketing when his firm was acquired by the renowned ‘J.P Morgan’ for a staggering $480 Million in 1901. He later sold many of his gold bonds which earned him a fortune of $230 Million. It is believed that a special vault had to be created for the storage of these bonds. Towards the last stage of his life it was estimated that his total wealth, as of today, would be around $310 Billion.

8.Muammar Gaddafi

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Also fondly known by his followers as Colonel Gaddafi, this political leader from Libya ruled his nation for a little more than four decades, spanning from 1969 to 2011, the year he was killed. According to many sources, it is believed that this dictator from Libya had amassed a fortune worth $200 Billion during his tenure, which made him far richer than Billionaires like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. Many followers of world politics are astonished as to how Gaddafi had earned so much of wealth since he was no billionaire. It has been claimed that Libya has great deposits of oil and the exploitation of this natural resource could have made Gaddafi the wealthy man that he was. The slain leader apparently had great possessions of gold in his motherland Libya and money distributed across Swiss bank accounts.

9. Henry Ford

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He is undoubtedly one of the few eminent individuals who revolutionized the approach towards automobile manufacturing in the United States. The ‘Ford Motor Company’ which he had founded went on to become a multi-Billion dollar firm. The enterprise had managed to earn revenue worth $144.1 Billion as per a research conducted by 2014. Henry Ford alone had earned a wealth which was approximately $199 Billion during his 50’s. He had also employed thousands of individuals for various tasks of the ‘For Motor Company’ and even paid them handsome salaries. He is still considered one of the most successful industrialists the world has ever seen.

10. Bill Gates

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Well not many of you are new to the fact that Gates has consistently been touted as ‘The richest Man on Earth’ by media sources for almost two decades now. Initiating the mighty information technology giant ‘Microsoft’ turned this man into a billionaire at a rather young age of 31. According to several sources, if the ‘Microsoft’ founder was to be considered a country, he would be the 63rd richest nation in the world. Currently his net worth is estimated to be around $79.2 Billion and Gates has been spending a significant amount of this money towards social causes. The IT czar owns two private jets and a luxurious home which overlooks the serene Washington Lake. The sophisticated mansion in which Gates lives is estimated to be around $120 Million as of now and the man is also the highest property tax prayer in the whole of United States.