A look back at the unbelievable wealth of the richest people throughout history.
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According to Forbes’ most recent rich list, the wealthiest man on earth is Carlos Slim, he of the $69 billion (as of March 2012) Mexican telecom fortune. A staggering net worth, to be sure, but how does it rank when viewed through the lens of history?
The folks at CelebrityNetWorth.com recently compiled a list of the richest people that ever lived, gathering a group of well-known luminaries and translating their wealth into today’s dollars*. The rundown features names you know well, though no women, and no tycoons, tyrants or royals who are still alive today. Who, then, was the richest person of all-time? Click through to find out.
* Where dollars were not used as a measuring stick, the most recent price for precious metals, like gold, were considered. All figures in this feature are in USD.
