Before there was Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, the richest man in the United States was John Jacob Astor, who was so rich he became America’s first millionaire! Leaving behind a fortune of over $200 billion in today’s money, John Jacob ensured that his family would remain Read more…
Today, magazines like Time, Fortune, Sports Illustrated and Life are all pretty well known household names. What you probably didn’t know, however, was that they were all started by the same man: Henry Luce. As the head of one of the largest print magazine empires of the 20th century, Luce Read more…
Today, when we think of the word “industrialist” we tend to think of people like Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick. Yet, in the 1950’s, the world’s most powerful industrialist was none of these people, it was Henry J. Kaiser… Starting with nothing, Henry J. Kaiser soon became Read more…
During his lifetime, Conrad Hilton went from the son of an immigrant, to respected WWI officer and veteran, to being both well-respected and feared within his industry, earning him the nickname “Hotel King” for his hotel empire! As the progenitor of the Hilton family that still owns a portion of Read more…
Today, Malcolm Glazer has a bit of a mixed reputation. On the one hand, he was respected for going from nothing to having a literal empire, on the other hand, how he handled his sports teams has made him one of the most hated figures in business ever. Getting his Read more…
Today, names like Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates are synonymous with “wealth”. For the Medieval world, the name Jakob Fugger had the same implications. Yet, adjusted for inflation, Fugger was richer than Buffett, Gates and Bezos combined! Indeed, Jakob Fugger was so rich that he was known as Read more…
Today, Walmart is the world’s second largest supermarket chain, with the controlling Walton family being among the richest families in the world. This is all thanks to one man – Sam Walton – the founder of Walmart. Going from humble beginnings, Sam Walton would soon establish a supermarket empire that Read more…
Today, Armand Hammer is famous for having been one of the richest men of his time. Yet despite this, it may surprise you to hear that he was once a communist, with he and his entire family being under FBI surveillance for their entire lives! As head of Occidental Petroleum, Read more…
Today, the Rothschild family is famous for being among the world’s richest families. Whilst most members have been undeniably wealthy, by far the wealthiest was Nathan Mayer Rothschild, who founded the British branch of the family! At the time of his death in 1836, Nathan Mayer Rothschild was the richest Read more…
