20 Richest People of All Time in History

On: August 12, 2020
In: People
By: Abhishek Dey

16. Alan Rufus, 1st Lord of Richmond – peak net worth: $195 billion

This medieval aristocrat amassed a huge fortune during his lifetime thanks to the patronage of William the Conqueror (later King William I of England), his ridiculously rich uncle and close companion. According to historian William Rubenstein, Rufus was worth £11,000 ($15,000) when he died in 1093, around 7% of England’s GDP at the time, which is the equivalent of $195 billion in 2016.

15. Henry Ford – peak net worth: $200+ billion

The founder of the hugely profitable Ford Motor Company revolutionized vehicle manufacturing and brought the car to the mass market, selling over one million vehicles in 1920. It’s no surprise then that, upon his death in 1947, Ford was worth the equivalent of $200 billion in today’s money, and then some.

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