Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader sometimes just follows links on websites. That is the whole joy of the interwebs isn’t it? He doesn’t do it as much as he could - or probably should. But from time to time he winds up finding something interesting.

Your Maximum Leader has been listening for a long time now (at least a year) to a podcast recaping the history of the Roman Republic/Empire. From time to time he will go back to a book he owns or to a web site or Wiki article to read up on a subject. So it was that he stumbled across a Wiki page on the 200 wealthest people from history according to Forbes Magazine in 2008. The individual’s wealth is was adjusted into 2007 US dollars to make the list. Your Maximum Leader isn’t sure exactly how the good writers at Forbes were able to make some of their estimations of wealth, but the list is an interesting read nonetheless.

Here is the whole list for your reading pleasure: Wealthy Historical Figures 2008 .

Some interesting people on the list:

Marcus Lincinius Crassus - Number 8. (Yes. That one. The Triumvir. Lawrence Olivier if you remember the movie.)
King William II of England - Number 14.
Jay Gould - Number 37.
Cecil Rhodes - Number 60.
George Washington - Number 126.
Sir Richard Branson - Number 200.

There are lots of notables on the list. Your Maximum Leader was not surprised by Number 1. Indeed, it was exactly who he thought it would be. There were a few who were not as high up on the list as he thought they’d be. The one who’s low ranking truly surprised your Maximum Leader was J.P. Morgan. There were a few who were higher than he thought (namely Andrew Mellon and Henry Ford).

List is worth a look at any rate.

Carry on.