The Richest Man That Ever Lived Was A Black Man (Mansa Musa)

King Mansa Musa's astounding wealth came
from his country Mali's production of more
than half the world's gold and salt,
Celebrity Net Worth said.
A photograph of Mansa Musa on a map of North
Africa circa 1375.
King Mansa Musa wasn't just the 1% of the 14th
century he may be the richest person of all time.
As the obscure ruler of West Africa's Mali Empire,
Musa amassed a jaw-dropping $400 billion during
his reign from 1312 to 1337, according to a new
inflation-adjusted list by celebritynetworth.com.
As for Musa's moolah, his "shocking wealth came
from his country's vast production of more than
half the world's supply of salt and gold,"
according to the Celebrity Net Worth survey,
which converted each billionaire's fortunes into
2012 dollars.
Musa was a devout Muslim who spearheaded an
extensive building program of palaces and
mosques.
But his money was eventually lost after his death
in 1337, when he was believed to be in his late
50s.
"His heirs were not able to fend off civil war and
invading conquerors. Just two generations later,
his world record net worth was gone," Celebrity
Net Worth said.
Of the list's top 25, 14 are Americans, including
Microsoft founder Bill Gates, whose inflation-
adjusted worth is about $136 billion.
The 25 billionaires and families listed have
made some megabucks, with a combined
worth of $4.3 trillion.
Celebrity Net Worth's list
1. Mansa Musa I, (Ruler of Malian Empire,
1280-1331) $400 billion
2. Rothschild family (banking dynasty, 1740- )
$350 billion
3. John D. Rockefeller (industrialist, 1839-1937)
$340 billion
4. Andrew Carnegie (industrialist, 1835-1919)
$310 billion
5. Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (last Emperor of
Russia, 1868-1918) $300 billion
6. Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII (last ruler of
Hyderabad, 1886-1967) $236 billion
7. William the Conqueror (King of England,
1028-1087) $229.5 billion
8. Moammar Khadafy (former Libyan leader,
1942-2011) $200 billion
9. Henry Ford (Ford Motor Company founder,
1863-1947) $199 billion
10. Cornelius Vanderbilt (industrialist,
1794-1877) $185 billion
11. Alan Rufus (Fighting companion of William the
Conqueror, 1040-1093) $178.65
12. Bill Gates (Founder of Microsoft, 1955- ) $136
billion
13. William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey
(Norman nobleman, ??-1088) $146.13 billion
14. John Jacob Astor (businessman, 1864-1912)
$121 billion
15. Richard Fitzalan, 10th Earl of Arundel (English
nobleman, 1306-1376) £118.6 billion
16. John of Gaunt (son of Edward III, 1330-1399)
£110 billion
17. Stephen Girard (shipping and banking mogul,
1750-1831) $105 billion
18. Alexander Turney Stewart (entrepreneur,
1803-1876) $90 billion
19. Henry, 1st Duke of Lancaster (English noble,
1310-1361) $85.1 billion
20. Friedrich Weyerhaeuser (timber mogul,
1834-1914) $80 billion
21. Jay Gould (railroad tycoon, 1836-1892) $71
billion
22. Carlos Slim (business magnate, 1940- ) $68
billion (TIE)
22. Stephen Van Rensselaer (land owner, 1764-
1839) $68 billion (TIE)
23. Marshall Field (Marshall Field & Company
founder, 1834-1906) $66 billion
24. Sam Walton (Walmart founder, 1918-1992)
$65 billion
25. Warren Buffett (investor, 1930- ) $64 billion