The 25 Richest People Who Ever Lived

This list is biased toward Americans and Englishmen. I'm sure there are many others who deserve to be in the top 25. There are other problems; for example, property values in the middle ages are probably inflated. Nevertheless, it's an interesting list of men (no women). They are ranked by their estimated net worth in 2012 inflation-adjusted American dollars. You can find out more details at: The 25 Richest People Who Ever Lived – Inflation Adjusted.

There don't appear to be any scientists (or philosophers) on the list. Three of my ancestors are on the list (#6, #15, and #16) but I didn't inherit a penny.

1. Mansa Musa I of Mali (1280-1337): $400 billion
2. The Rothschild family: $350 billion
3. John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937): $340 billion
4. Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919): $310 billion
5. Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (1868-1918): $300 billion
6. Mir Osman Ali Khan (1886-1967): $230 billion
7. William The Conqueror (1028-1087): $229.5 billion
8. Muammar Gaddafi (1942-2011): $200 billion
9. Henry Ford (1863-1947): $199 billion
10. Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877): $185 billion
11. Alan Rufus (1040-1093): $178.65 billion
12. Bill Gates (1955 - ): $136 billion
13. William de Warenne ( -1088) $147.13 billion
14. John Jacob Astor (176-1848): $121 billion
15. Richard FitzAlan (1306-1376): $118.6 billion
16. John of Gaunt (1340-1399): $110 billion
17. Stephen Girard (1750-1831): $105 billion
18. Alexander Turney ("A.T.") Stewart (1803-1876): $90 billion
19. Henry of Grosmont (Duke of Lancaster) (1310-1361): $85.5 billion
20. Friedrich Weyerhauser (1834-1914): $80 billion
21. Jay Gould (1836-1892): $71 billion
22. Carlos Slim Helu (1940- ): $68 billion
23. Stephen Van Rensselaer (1764-1839): $68 billion
24. Marshall Field (1834-1906): $66 billion
25. Samuel ("Sam") Moore Walton (1918-1992): $65 billion
26. Warren Buffett (1930 - ): $64 billion

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