Quote:Niall Ferguson makes a better case for the Baron de Rothschild, late 1800's, being the richest man in history, inflation adjusted, than Jester does for Rockefeller.
However, they both had piles of what I like to call "f___ you" money. Rich enough to say "f___ you to pretty much anyone and have the weight to get away with it.
Occhi
I have no stake in Rockefeller being the richest man in history. If Niall Ferguson has an inflation index and wealth figures that lead him to that conclusion, I'd trust him sooner than Forbes, or wherever the heck the wiki list is from.
However, the whole thing is an edifice constructed on quicksand, due to the fundamental impossibility of finding the "right" solution to the index problem. Depending on how you estimate wealth, and how you move it across time, I'm sure there are hundreds of people who might be considered "richest". Even this is to ignore the inherent absurdity of comparing wealth across ages. That I am typing this right now and posting it here means that, in some relatively impressive ways, I am richer than either the Rockefellers or the Rothschilds of the past.
On the other hand, I can't hire Careme to do my banquets.
-Jester
Afterthought: Which Baron de Rothschild?