In 80 years we've moved from this:
World's richest man is the Nizam of Hyderabad, 45-year old monarch of 13M Indian Muslims. Fortune is estimated at over $2B; during the war he contributed over $50M to the British govt. He is said to have over $500M in gold in his treasury. On a visit to New Delhi two years ago, he traveled in a special train of 22 Pullman cars; his luggage was sent ahead in four special trains, one devoted to carrying part of his collection of 400 cars.
To this:
Carlos Slim Helu, a Mexican telecommunications tycoon, has earned the title as the world's richest man, worth an estimated $53.5 billion. A self-made billionaire, Helu holds a controlling interest in several Mexican telecommunications companies, including American Movil, the largest mobile phone business in Latin America. His net worth climbed $18.5 billion just in the past year.
Incidentally, one piece on Mr. Slim (whose father emigrated from Lebanon, said he was the first person from a developing country to be the richest man. As the piece on the Nizam shows, that's not true. If memory serves, before Bill Gates, a big shot from Borneo was also the richest. Else an oil man from the Mid east. I may be foolishly optimistic, but it's possible more rich people have "earned" their money, rather than being the beneficiary of unearned wealth.
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