Who are the wealthiest people in history?

Inspired by this Moneyfarm infographic, we’ve been taking a look at some of the richest people in history and how they made their money can certainly teach us some lessons in regard to improving our own wealth. Whilst we will probably never amass the wealth owned by popular figures such as Cleopatra or John D. Rockefeller we can certainly take a look at some of the tactics they used and try and replicate this in our own lives to improve our own prospects. Here we’ll examine how some of the richest people in history grew their wealth. 

John D. Rockefeller 

The Rockefeller family is still well-known throughout America and remains extremely influential, although they are not in the public eye. It was John D. Rockefeller,   who paved the way for them, however when it came to their wealth. Indeed, Forbes reports that at the time of his death, Rockefeller’s assets were equal to 1.5% of the total economic output in America. This wealth was amassed through the development of the gasoline industry and many speculators have attributed Rockefeller’s success to his attitude to risk. He chose to invest in oil refinery over oil speculation because he preferred taking the option that might deliver smaller profits but was more stable, this proved to be one of the best strategic moves in the history of business. 

Emperor Shensong 

Whilst we don’t know anything about his personal fortune, we do know that during his lifetime (1048-1085) Shensong helped China to become the richest nation in the world, with MSN reporting that by today’s standards their GDP was equivalent to more than 30 trillion dollars. It is thought that he did so well because of his diligence in tax collection and investment in technology. He also invested in people, developing policies to improve the lives of the poor. Whilst you are unlikely to ever control a nation, Shensong can certainly teach you a thing or two about personal investment. 

King Solomon 

King Solomon ruled Jerusalem between 970 to 31 BC and is quite possibly the richest man to ever live. Indeed, Wealthresult.com have estimated his fortune by modern standards to be 2.1 trillion dollars. King Solomon is also remembered as one of the wisest men of all time, having requested the gift of wisdom from God, according to the Bible. Solomon wrote a lot about diligence and hard work, perhaps it is through these virtues that he amassed his wealth. 

Andrew Carnegie 

Andrew Carnegie started with nothing but became one of the wealthiest men in the world, with Forbes estimating that he would be worth around 4.8 billion dollars today. The key to his success it seems is diversification, he began investing in telegraph services and the railroad and moved on throughout his lifetime to the oil and steel industries. He was particularly good at shrewd investment, investing in the right product at the right time.