While reading earlier this month, I came across a bit of information that prompted a question I passed around to friends and coworkers. It was interesting enough that I thought I would share it with the Mountaineer readers. There are some other bits and pieces of information added to make it interesting. Let me know if this bit of trivia is interesting and if you would like to see more of this in future issues. “Who is the wealthiest athlete of all time?” Most people guess Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods. Those answers are correct if the question is “Who is the wealthiest athlete alive today?” Michael Jordan’s net worth of nearly $2 billion makes him the wealthiest athlete in today’s world. However, he is nowhere near the wealthiest athlete in history. Gaius Appuleius Diocles (104 AD ~ 146 AD) leaves MJ in the dust. The Roman chariot racer was worth over $12.7 billion after his 24 year career ended. He won 1,462 races and placed in 1,432 additional races. This is no small feat in a sport where competitors were often killed during the races. Roman charioteers had developed the habit of tying their reigns around their waist, which freed their hands for other purposes. This meant they could be dragged in the event of a crash, and crashes happened in nearly every outing. Having read who the wealthiest athlete of all time was, I began to wonder “Who is the wealthiest man in history?” Many people assume that it is someone like Jeff Bezos ($177 b), Elon Musk ($155 b), or Bill Gates ($129 b). Those guesses are correct if we limit it to only people who are alive today. However, the wealthiest man of the capitalist era had more net worth than the two wealthiest men of today combined: John D. Rockefeller was worth around $420 billion. In fact, Jeff, Elon, and Bill don’t crack the top 5 list. Still, Rockefeller is not the wealthiest man ever. That honor is hard to pin down. If we leave out figures whose wealth is described as “indescribable” by historians and go only with people who can have a solid number attached to them, it gets easier. Emperor Augustus Caesar (63 BC - 14 AD) was worth around $4.6 trillion. He was said to personally own every acre of land in the nation of Egypt along with his other holdings and cash. Those people are pretty far out of the world we live in, so I began to wonder “Who is the wealthiest Montanan?” There are 4 billionaires who live in Big Sky Country. The wealthiest of the lot is Dennis Washington, whose current net worth is around $6.6 billion. It’s worth noting that the 87 year old billionaire is a self made man, having amassed his fortune through work and shrewd investing rather than inheriting it. Montana is no stranger to wealthy residents. At one time (1888 to be exact) Helena had the largest per capita population of millionaires in the world. This was mainly due to the gold rush, when prospectors were striking it rich in the “Treasure State.” Montana’s mineral wealth has created more than it’s share of wealth, but it also has made history in another way. The Montana Yogo sapphire is the only North American gem to be featured in the Crown Jewels of England. That abundance of wealth and prominence is no small feat for a state in which 46 of it’s 56 counties are considered to be “frontier counties.” Frontier counties have 6 or fewer people per square mile. In fact, cows outnumber people in our state by more than 2:1. Perhaps you are of the opinion that wealth in terms of money is less important than other kinds of prosperity. The Bible explains that wisdom is far more precious than gemstones, even Yogo sapphires. That’s why it’s such an important fact that Montana was where the very first Gideon Bible was placed in a hotel room, starting a tradition that has provided God’s word to people all over the world. I would argue that material wealth is nice, but it is not the most important thing in life. To those that agree with me, I would offer a couple quotes from John Steinbeck: “I’m in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration,
respect, recognition, even affection. But with Montana it is love.” As good as that line is, I much prefer another line from Steinbeck: “Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans” Either way, we live in a place where God’s handiwork is obvious every day and we are surrounded by good people. That may not be $4.6 trillion, but it is a kind riches that shouldn’t be underestimated.
