List of most wealthy historical figures

This list of the richest people ever or the most wealthy historical figures is essentially the list of the richest people in the history of mankind since the dawn of civilization (from the time that money was invented) or the richest people ever born (ancient, medieval, and modern). John D. Rockefeller was the richest person of all time, with an estimated net worth of $330 billion.Fact|date=October 2008

Basis, purpose, and scope of the list

The list of most wealthy people ever born (who either inherited or acquired wealth) is based on calculations by Forbes. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Richest Americans in History |url=http://members.forbes.com/asap/1998/0824/032.html |quote= |publisher=Forbes |date=1998 |accessdate=2007-06-21 ] It is updated annually to reflect changes to GDP. However, their wealth or net worth is hard to estimate and the ancient historical figures are scarce in numbers or rare on the list.

The scope of the list is world-wide and all civilizations. This list might provide a numerical-benchmark for the measurement of achievements of all humans ever born. At present, there is no such comparable numerical-benchmark other than net-worth. Not only businessmen and politicians but also scientists and even engineers (e.g. Henry Ford) can be included in this list if they satisfy the defined criteria.

Ranking-process

The ranking process is done by the percentage of the total GDP of the nation they lived in at the time they were alive. Whether or not their fortune was inherited, the list records the people at the time of their greatest net worth, not by their current net worth, or their net worth when they died.

The list doesn't significantly change from year to year unless there is a new person who qualifies to be on the list or someone surpasses their previous peak amount. However, this can only really happen to those who are still alive. On occasion, there is an undiscovered billionaire from Ancient times, Middle ages and the Industrial age that wasn’t placed on the list before, or one of the billionaires already on the list has been found to have a higher peak net worth than previously thought. If this is proven, or a new billionaire is found, then the figure or net worth should be placed on the following list.

However, if the country where the member originally lived is now defunct, then the inflated net worth has to be averaged by the world GDP, rather than the country's. Because of this, the world GDP may be higher or lower than the other country's GDP and not tied to the same standard. This is really the only time where a member's net worth can be changed above the standard after he or she dies, thereby raising or lowering their rank on the list (e.g. Nicholas II of Russia).

Top ten: Current figures of mid-2008

: "Based on the international or World GDP" "Locked on the Gold Standard"

Notable mentions

* Anton Fugger and Jacob Fugger
* Croesus, in Greek and Persian cultures his name became a synonym for a wealthy man; in English, expressions such as "rich as Croesus" or "richer than Croesus" are used to indicate great wealth. Croesus himself is often credited with the invention of the first formalised currency systems and coinage.
* Warren Buffett, the richest living person, has an estimated net worth of $62 billion. According to the stock index of Berkshire Hathaway, his fortune peaked on December 11, 2007 at $66.09 Billion.
* Carlos Slim Helú, the second richest living person, has an estimated net worth of $60 billion.
* Bill Gates, third richest living person, has an estimated net worth of $57 billion. He reached $101 billion in 1999.

ee also

* Wealthy historical figures 2006
* Wealthy historical figures 2007
* Wealthy historical figures 2008

References

External links

* [http://www.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment/11_top_10_list.html Top 10: Richest Men Of All Time]