The top five richest people on the planet have a combined net worth that sits well over US$1 trillion. They have amassed their fortunes in a number of interesting ways, but while these businessmen are (figuratively) swimming in gold, their wealth actually pales in comparison to some people in history.
Things are certainly not as valuable as they once were, but if you use inflation to adjust the wealth of some of history’s most famous individuals, their riches eclipse those of even the most well-off billionaires today. Click through this gallery to see which historical figures were the wealthiest, with their net worth adjusted to today’s standards.
All figures are in USD.