Who is the richest person ever to live on this planet?

Robert Parker

CEO of Holborn Assets in Dubai

59w ago

Well, putting this into a more philosophical perspective - it is known that all the human beings that live today have a common ancestor. This is well known according to the Bible and also according to genetic science:

According to wiki:

In human genetics, the Y-chromosomal most recent common ancestor (Y-MRCA, informally known as Y-chromosomal Adam) is the most recent common ancestor from whom allcurrently living people are descended patrilineally .

The term Y-MRCA reflects the fact that the Y chromosomes of all currently living males are directly derived from the Y chromosome of this remote ancestor. The analogous concept of the matrilineal most recent common ancestor is known as "Mitochondrial Eve" (mt-MRCA, named for the matrilineal transmission of mtDNA), the most recent woman from whom all living humans are descended matrilineally.

What does the above mean? It means that at some point, there was a common ancestor that lived on this planed and probably enjoyed the most space. Even if he didn't possess sky-scrapers, gold or dollars, he could in theory benefit from the whole planet - no rivals, no fight. The fact that he could benefits from the whole earth’s resources makes him the richest person in the history.

Now, if we’re talking about our more or less ‘known’ history, the monarch and emperors possessed the whole empire, which is a lot of wealth. Based on more sources, here are the richest persons who ever lived:

Jakob Fugger - estimated wealth - $277–400 billion

Jakob Fugger (1459-1525) was one of Renaissance Europe's wealthiest citizens. His influence in royal circles continued to alter the continent's history for decades after his death. Though he was not the founder of the German mercantile and banking dynasty that bore his name, Fugger enriched it exponentially by entering into lucrative financial contracts with the Holy Roman Empire that gave him land holdings as well as profitable concessions in mining and trade.

John D. Rockefeller - estimated wealth - $340 billion

On September 29, 1916, Rockefeller became the second person ever to reach a nominal personal fortune of USD 1 billion. Rockefeller amassed his fortune from the Standard Oil company, of which he was a founder, chairman and major shareholder. By the time of his death in 1937, estimates place his net worth in the range of US$300 billion to US$400 billion in adjusted dollars for the late 2000s. When considering the real value of his wealth, Rockefeller is widely held to be the wealthiest American, as well as the richest person in modern history.

Andrew Carnegie - estimated wealth - $310 billion

Carnegie founded the Carnegie Steel Company, which was the most extensive integrated iron and steel operations in the United States; in 1901, Carnegie sold his company for US$480 million to J.P. Morgan, who then merged his company into U.S. Steel.
Capitalized at US$1.4 billion at the time, U.S. Steel was the first billion dollar company in the world. In his final years, Carnegie's net worth was US$475 million, but by the time of his death in 1919 he had donated most of his wealth to charities and other philanthropic endeavors and had only US$30 million left to his personal fortune. Carnegie's hundreds of millions accounted for about 0.60% of the U.S. annual GDP and has a real value estimated at about US$75 billion adjusted for the late 2000s.

Henry Ford - estimated wealth - $180–190 billion

Henry Ford was an American automotive engineer, entrepreneur, and founder of the Ford Motor Company. Through his designing of the Model T Ford and employing the assembly line means of rapid production, he was able to lower the base price of his product in order to reach a wider market. As production increased, Ford further reduced prices and increased salaries to reduce worker turnover. This resulted in a rapid increase in output, with Ford production rising from roughly 18,000 cars in 1909 to over 1 million cars in 1920. Despite Ford stating that his focus was increasing Ford Motor Company's benefit to society and to its employees, even at one point being sued by the Dodge brothers based on this premise, his company was massively profitable. His highest earnings were recorded at age 57 and he died at the age of 83 in 1947 at a net worth of USD 188.1 billion (inflation-adjusted value in 2008 dollars).

However, there are families that have possessed more wealth than that, like Rothschild or Rockefeller.

I hope this helps!

Richman Mthembu

Reading changed my life

59w ago

1. Mansa Musa, $400 billion

Musa depicted holding a gold coin from the 1375 Catalan Atlas.

Far and away the richest man to ever walk the face of the Earth was Mansa Musa,, or Musa I of Mali. As the reigning emperor of the Mali empire, Musa commanded a fortune worth a jaw-dropping $400 billion.

2. John D. Rockefeller, $340 billion

The Rockefeller name is deeply ingrained in American history, and John D. Rockefeller’s $340 billion fortune still stands today as nearly the largest the world has ever seen.

3. Andrew Carnegie, $310 billion

Andrew Carnegie, an incredibly wealthy and powerful industrialist, came to prominence during the mid-1800s by way of the steel industry. Having been born in Scotland, Carnegie came from a very poor family that entered the United States in the late 1840s.

4. Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov, $300 billion

Known as Tsar Nicholas II, Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov, amassed $300 billion worth of wealth during his tenure. Nicholas II is probably most famous for being the last emperor of Russia before the country fell during the Russian Revolution. Both he and his family were eventually executed in 1918.

5. Mir Osman Ali Khan, $230 billion

You may never have heard of Mir Osman Ali Khan, but he was without a doubt one of the wealthiest people the world has ever known . As ruler of the Hyderabad State in India, he grew his riches to a total of $230 billion.

6. Jakob Fugger, $221 billion

A relatively obscure historical figure compared to many other members of the world’s wealthiest, Jakob Fugger nonetheless was able to hoard $221 billion through his merchant and banking activities.

7. William the Conqueror, $209 billion to $229 billion

William the Conqueror’s wealth has been estimated to be between $209 billion and $229 billion. Best known for becoming the first Norman king of England William reigned from 1066 until 1087.

8. Muammar Gaddafi, $200 billion

One person who most readers are likely familiar with is Muammar Gaddafi, the recently deceased and overthrown ruler of the northern African country of Libya

9. Henry Ford, $199 billion

One of the major figures in American business history, Henry Ford was able to put together a net worth totaling just under $200 billion.

10. Cornelius Vanderbilt, $185 billion

railroads

shipping lines during the 1800s.

One of the most famous names in American history was built by Cornelius Vanderbilt, a man who came to fortune through the building of railroads and shipping lines during the 1800s. He is also the founder of Vanderbilt University and his family name still carries much clout today.

vanderbilt university campus