1. Cornelius Vanderbilt – His net worth was around $185 billion (in today’s money). He made most of his fortune from investing in railroads.
  2. The Rothschilds – Not a person, but the whole family’s net worth during the 19th century was around $400 billion.
  3. J. P. Morgan – Inherited a lot of money from his parents and invested it. He made $41.5 billion.
  4. John D. Rockefeller – One of the wealthiest person in the history with net worth of $340 billion. He controlled 90% of the oil industry in the USA during the 19th century.
  5. Andrew Carnegie – His net worth was over $300 billion. He made his fortune in the steel industry.
  6. Sam Walton –  Founder of the world’s largest retailer, Walmart. His net worth was $65 billion in 1992, which equal to around $100 billion counting with the inflation.
  7. Henry Ford – Founder of the Ford Motor Company. His net worth was around $200 billion.
  8. William The Conqueror – His peak fortune was around $210 billion in the 11th century.
  9. Bill Gates – Founder of Microsoft. His peak fortune was $101 billion, which is $136 billion in today’s dollar.
  10. John Jacob Astor – Fur trader and real estate investor. He made over $100 billion.
  11. Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov – The last tsar of Russia. His net worth was around $300 billion.
  12. Mansa Musa I of Mali – Also known as King of Kings. He ruled the Malian Empire. Most of his wealth was in gold, with today’s prices worth around $400 billion.