Want to read something that will make your jaw drop? For want of better word, this list will surprise you like nothing else. We all know of the riches of the Hiltons of the world or Bill Gates and or maybe the Sheikhs of Emirates. This list will certainly surprise you, especially numero uno (number 1).
This list has been prepared using Celebrity Net Worth studies, who have taken the wealth of all major personalities in history and adjusted them with inflation factors. What you see is the net worth of these people if they were alive in today’s world.
10.  Cornelius Vanderbilt
Net Worth: $185 Billion
Vanderbilt was an American businessman and a philanthropist who built his wealth in railroads and shipping during the 1800s. The Vanderbilt University, which carries his name was constructed by him. Ever heard of CNN correspondent Anderson Cooper? He is a Vanderbilt.
9. Henry Ford
Net Worth: $199 Billion
Henry Ford was the founder of, you guessed it, Ford Motor Co. His work enabled cars and other automobiles to become publicly available. The assembly lines, now a mainstay of the automobile industry, were his creation as well.
8. Muammar Gaddafi
Net Worth: $200 Billion
I know you have heard this name (Gaddafi Stadium wink wink). The deceased Libyan Ruler ruled over the African country for a humungous 42-years. His mere mention is a source of argument, and he remains one of the most divisive politicians in all of history.
7. King William
Net Worth: $220 Billion
King William AKA William the Conqueror, William the Bastard, was the first of his lineage to rule over England. He reigned between 1066 and 1087. His association with bastards goes back to a school of thought, which believes that he was fathered by the Vikings. Well, that explains his knack for conquering at least.
6. Jakob Fugger
Net Worth: $221 Billion
Not many people know of Jacob Fugger. He was a merchant and a banker. Perhaps his non-political activities ensured that not many know of him. He lived from 1459 to 1525 in Germany and worked his magic in Austria, Bohemia and other neighboring countries.
5. Mir Osman Ali Khan
Net Worth: $230 billion
Mir Osman Ali was the ruler of Hyderabad in India. He was the original Nizam of Hyderabad and after the death of his father in 1911, he reigned till 1948. Mir Osman finally passed away in 1967 leaving behind a prosperous territory. He is said to have father 167 children who carry his name.
4. Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov
Net Worth: $300 billion
The Tsar of Russia, Niklolai was Tsar Nicholas II. He was the last emperor of Russia before the Russian Revolution. He along with his family were executed in 1918 as part of cleaning up of Russia. He was also a recognized Saint making him the wealthiest Saint in all of mankind.
3. Andrew Carnegie
Net Worth: $310 billion
Andrew Carnegie was steel magnate and a powerful industrialist in the 1800s. He was from a poor family that migrated to the US in the 1840s from Scotland. What is so remarkable about this man is that he gave away most of his $310 Billion fortune and is considered to be one of the biggest philanthropists in the world.
2. John D. Rockefeller
Net Worth: $340 billion
John D. Rockefeller has a legacy as big as the USA. He accumulated his wealth in the 1800s, but it remains in his family to this day. He was a revolutionary in the field of energy, oil and petroleum. He also formed two colleges in his time, the University of Chicago and Rockefeller University.
1. Mansa Musa
Net Worth: $400 billion
Mansa Musa or Musa I of Mali is hands down the richest person to ever walk the Earth. His $400 Billion is almost 4 times the wealth of the richest person in the world today i.e. Bill Gates (136 Billion). Musa lived from 1280 to 1337 and, therefore, no photo is available of him. The Muslim ruler led his country with distinction as he built mosques and schools with abundance. His work is spread throughout Africa and he is known as someone with a big heart. The mosque he constructed in Timbuktu still stands out as one of the best in the world.
