Who was the richest person ever in all of history?

Who was the richest person ever in all of history? This is a tricky question and one that often spurs debate.

But it’s not Elon Musk, actually, he’s not even the richest as of this writing - but he did just break the world record of losing the most money ever at $200 billion, oops.

New wealth accumulates constantly, making it difficult to pin down just who the wealthiest person in history has been. According to some estimates, it could have been Mansa Musa I - a 14th century African ruler whose fortune was estimated at around 400 billion dollars. Coming from the vast Saharan region, Musa I came to power after inheriting a fortune made up of gold and salt.

Not only did he possess unimaginable wealth, but he managed to spread it around during his pilgrimage to Mecca. He reportedly gave away enough gold that it depressed its value for years afterward!