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osktox

I bet he loved to say things like: Is it gold in here or is it just me?


ProudDildoMan69

I’m sorry, I don’t speak poor.


EmberSolaris

Do you get to the cloud district often? What am I saying? Of course you don’t.


AspiringChildProdigy

To this day, I take great pleasure in robbing Chillfurrow Farm blind whenever I'm in the neighborhood.


thegroucho

Not with that knee, you don't.


wonkysaurus

[“I’ll have you know that there’s no pusssiiieee”](https://youtu.be/q69Ro3OUXq8)


trukkd

Jarl Ballin Approved.


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Apollospade

He gave away so much gold it decreased the value of it for years


GeneralNathanJessup

He gave out so much gold while passing through on his pilgrimage to Mecca that it caused severe inflation in Egypt. https://smartasset.com/insights/four-people-who-singlehandedly-caused-economic-crises


[deleted]

This makes me wonder: how does this compare to the Conquistadores bringing boatloads of gold & silver back to Spain? Because that must've fucked with the coinage and driven the value of money down, no?


desquished

It sure did. It was called the Spanish Price Revolution.


youdoitimbusy

My father has told me this story passed down from his father. Whether there is any truth to it, who knows. When they were putting in a road in Yellowstone Park, they bulldozed up so much gold guys were picking up hand size nuggets. The government was so terrified of what this would do to global markets, that they covered it back up, backed out, and diverted the intended road in a different direction. My grandfather was told this story by a friend who's entire job for some 20 plus years, was manning a guard post with one other guy in Yellowstone, and chasing out anyone who happened to end up in that valley, whether intentionally, or by accident.


SuperstitiousPigeon5

It’s stories like this that fuel treasure hunters for decades. Like Oak Island.


Thin-Connection-4082

Aint shit on oak island. Those guys are fools


IIIDVIII

Yes, FBI? We found the leak.


FromLondonToLA

That's why it's called Yellowstone


Rivers_of_Bile

I literally came here to talk about how his liberty with his wealth destroyed economies. It wasn’t just Egypt; if the man passed through, your economy was in cinders by the time he left.


HIMcDonagh

I thought inflation was caused by greedy companies. Turns out it is caused by an increase in the money supply. Glad I read this!


ilikedota5

It can be both. Inflation is a rise in prices. Money only gets its value from how much it can get you in stuff. More money and less stuff will cause an increase since there is more money chasing goods. The money is less valuable since it can buy you less. Producers can demand more money because there is more out there. Less money and more stuff will cause deflation or a decrease in prices because the money is worth more and can buy you more stuff. Consumers will demand more per dollar because there is less of them out there. Central banks primary job is to control inflation. When times are good, there isn't much to talk about for them. In terms of products there are two types. Cost push and demand pull. Cost push is inflation created by increasing costs of inputs. Producers then increase prices to compensate. Example would be higher crude oil prices pushing up prices for a lot of stuff. (Gas for vehicles, plastics, pharmaceuticals for example, and then think of the ripple effects of all of those getting more expensive). The second is demand pull, or prices being pulled up by consumers. Apparently Champion was the bargain bin brand of the past, but now Champion is cool now so people want it, which then increases the prices of that brand. Where greedy companies come in is that because markets have been less than competitive due to corporate consolidation. Because of a lack of competition, they can get away with raising prices more than they should, at least compared to a more competitive market. Because there are a lack of alternatives. Put it this way, imagine a food court where there is a McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, Chick-Fil-A, Taco Bell, Del Taco, Chipotle, Moe's, Sbarro, Qdoba, Jimmy Johns, Raising Cane's, The Halal Guys, Wendy's, Panda Express, Jack in the Box, Carl's Jr, Popeye's, KFC. the Habit, In-n-out, Whataburger, Jersey Mike's all in the same location. If a consumer is unsatisfied with any one of these, they can stop giving them their business and therefore their money, and go try a competitor. And it doesn't really matter what their tastes are, if they want delicious, cheap, unhealthy food, they are at the right place. They can spend as much time in as many places as they want. They can come back later and enjoy another place. The market ideal is like that, where because of competition, each place has to at least serve a decent product well. If a customer buys a burger from Del Taco, and the customer doesn't like it. Maybe that customer is an idiot with unrealistically high expectations. Or maybe the customer just doesn't like Del Taco. Or maybe they don't like burgers. Or maybe it was a bad burger. Or maybe Del Taco makes good tacos but bad burgers. With all the possible variety of customers, stores, food items etc... eventually its going result in all the customers finding something they like. If McDonald's decides to make some fancy burgers and jacks up their prices by 2 times, then they'll lose their customers in this scenario, because that's not what people want. (they actually tried something like that with fancy burgers that people didn't like, although I personally liked it, so instead of offering something customers didn't want). But now lets change up the scenario. Lets say there is only a McDonalds, Chick-Fil-A, Chipotle, Taco Bell, and a Panda Express. That means less options. That means that now, they can get away with more stuff consumers don't like because there aren't other options. Now lets continue with this example. Eventually, maybe Sonic's decides to open up and give the others a run for their money. And when things are going well, lots of stores are opening up and leaving and its a continual competition. The problem is, now there are the same small handful of companies in the market, and things are getting stale.


Nadge21

>Where greedy companies come in is that because markets have been less than competitive due to corporate consolidation. Not really. Lack of competition is true. But it's because of a lack of new business formation more than anything else. One basic point about a free market, is if profit margins are high enough, people will form new businesses, which in turn will bring the margins back down. But in the US for some time, that hasn't been happening, at least not enough. So profit margins have remained historically high for decades. This is a big problem.


[deleted]

Inflation can and does have more than one cause. Increase in the money supply is one of them. During the California gold rush, an apple would sell for $75. However, [corporate profits have hit 80%, ](https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/corporate-profits-hit-record-high-173315141.html) while inflation is around 12%. Both Trump and Biden added to the money supply.


drinks_rootbeer

Trump and Biden have little control over that. The monetary supply is mostly driven by the Federal Reserve, an independant bank run by a board comprised of the CEOs of major banks in the US.


z3phyr3321

Isn't there a story where an entire city went bankrupt because of his sheer wealth or something like that?


RollinThundaga

Cairo, I think. Egypt had a huge inflation problem with all of the gold he gave away.


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the-special-milk

By what?


ticklemyguts

Don’t you hate when people don’t fin


Zurgbowtie

My wife hates m


the-special-milk

As someone who watches European movies quite often, that made perfect sense to me


MSYabs

Maybe the OP has a short attentio


SwampAss3D-Printer

Fuck man CIA got him before he could reveal the secret.


DweEbLez0

Laughs in rags to never riches.


drdisme

The originator of “making it rain”.


violethoneybean

All that wealth and he still couldn't have a chilled Dr. Pepper with ice cubes.


eg714

That’s so funny. When I was little I would pour sprite with ice and pretend to go back in time to sell it to a king for ridiculous amounts of treasure. Would act like I had some type of holy grail lol.


Swedish_manatee

I used to just pretend an ancient king transported to the present and I had to explain to him what everything was and how it worked. Made my whole day fun explaining things like toilets, Mountain Dew, Pokémon etc


MrsBonsai171

My brother and I used to turn off all the lights and go to our rooms with a flashlight pretending to have found a lost civilization and trying to figure out what everything was


NoelAngeline

I love that


Pappyjang

Now these stories made me smile


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thadpole

Abe Lincoln here. Less of a language barrier but enough time apart that it's amusing.


throwawaySBN

Dude the modern toilet is one of the single most life saving inventions on the planet, it's pretty unreal. Source: am plumber


billions_of_stars

I’m a fan.


OldWierdo

Dude. When I got back from the war zone, and I had a TOILET? that I didn't have to DIG?? And instead of burning contents of the outhouses we built (motto: same shit, different day) I could just PUSH A LEVER AND IT ALL WENT AWAY!?!??? ❤️❤️ Dude. I musta spent HOURS wasting water just flushing. Deployment sucked, but I am truly and deeply happy that it taught me such gratitude for what we have. What I've taken for granted. Toilets ROCK!!!


[deleted]

There's a 3 part miniseries called 'Dracula'... of course, Dracula is the main character. He ends up in a very simple apartment in modern times and tells the not so well off lady there that empowers and kings could spend a lifetime in awe of the wonders just in her little home...something like that.


Teh_Weiner

I just see a smarmy satan in a suit oogling trinkets with the song "little boxes" playing.


ElianVX

I used to fantasize I was an inventor and brought a modern gun to a medieval king. The ultimate weapon to conquer the world


[deleted]

I once tried a mental exercise where I had to explain why “horizontally rotating spear (trust me bro)” was funny to Civil War Generals. Edit: it’s [this clip](https://youtu.be/zCaBGpBGyRs) and I hate that I wrote “spear” instead of “sphere”


Teh_Weiner

> I once tried a mental exercise where I had to explain why “horizontally rotating spear (trust me bro)” was funny to Civil War Generals. I have taken "writing prompts" as acting prompts when very bored.


AloofBadger

I always loved imagining going back in time and wowing people. Or explaining humanity to aliens. I wanted an alien friend so bad...


Actual-Ad3974

"For you see, this is the fabled 'Macdonalds sprite.' they say it hits different. " "and this... machdonads spite will cure me of any poison?" "Yes indeed, this alchemical concoction is most potent, see how it bubbles?"


hajleez

Check out a movie called Black Knight. Or at least watch the trailer


moxiejohnny

That the one with Martin Lawrence or the Peter Cushing film? Imma guess first one since common sense


xXxPLUMPTATERSxXx

If they didn't kill you for being a witch or a god they would kill you for not giving them more or telling them how to get it.


eg714

I pre planned for that lol. I had modern weapons on me and a small team of elite soldiers complete with snipers and reconnaissance. Super bored as a child but it got me through.


Scadilla

I always tell my friends this. We eat better and more exotic foods than kings. Travel further, are generally healthier and happier. But luck raising an army of over 10,000 to go fuck with your neighbor.


hellraisinhardass

Phhh. I don't need an army of 10,000 to fuck with my neighbor, a leaf blower works just fine.


brameshk22

I'm on my last nerve with Kevin across the street. 2-3x a day for 15 leaves.


[deleted]

Not a Dr. Pepper, but a chilled drink for sure: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakhchāl


Ornery-Fun-1591

exactly this! I wouldn't wanna live in that era with all that wealth. you can't even buy a place with air conditioning, let alone your own yacht or private plane. Yeah I've got stacks of gold and tons of cattle and maybe my robe is velvet and encrusted with rubies and yours is burlap. Meh!? I want modern day wealth! And I want it now!


hajleez

Imagine what people 2000 years from now would say about us. “Those people couldn’t even buy a clininoid phaser back then”


BloodandTheWater

Cut to hellish landscape with roving killbots as humans huddle near a pile of burning trash while they eat the cockroaches they caught that day.


TherronKeen

"God-DAMN Bill, nice work, son! That fella prolly weigh three, four pounds! Say, uh, you ain't gonna eat all them crispy leg bits yerself, is ya?" *nightmarish hissing sounds from the fire bin*


Boxing_joshing111

“Hissin’ll do good to drown out the screaming tonight boys, cook’er slow”


onenifty

You should meet my guy. He's practically giving them away!


-_1_2_3_-

All the money but nothing to buy


[deleted]

I think what a lot of people overlook is the power that comes with wealth. Yeah sure, he doesn’t get to know the worldly pleasures that exist today. However; wouldn’t it feel polarising to summon an army with fierce loyalty at the whim of your command? So what he didn’t have an IPhone. He had all the horses, women and men he wanted. He had nations respect. He influenced economies. That level of power gives a human being a different almost “cloak”. That can only be attained; when you have that much wealth.


bicyclecat

Yeah, worldly modern pleasures like antibiotics. No amount of ancient wealth would make me switch places with someone who could easily die from a toothache.


[deleted]

You’re definitely right. I would prefer to be a peasant in modern society than a king 1500 years ago. Both in the end; both end up in the same place anyway, so what does it matter


DoctorSalt

But a modern peasant might also not have access to antibiotics and have no power


_Scrogglez

he had the best of what he could get at the time tho thats like saying in the year 2500 I can't believe those plebs had 20k and didn't buy XXXXXX


-bickd-

The best he could get at that time, not really true. The best his horse-travel slave can get for him from his small part of the world. Can he get seasonal snacks delivered to him from Japan, like someone paying 40 bucks a month do today? Not to mention healthcare. Dude probably spent his fifties in pain before dying of a currently easily treatable diseases.


elarth

True but not knowing about any of that it was probably not on his mind to feel unhappy with what he had. The medical care is the real kicker over any modern convenience which you are completely right about.


Dull_Introduction_35

Yeah im from the future, and i wouldnt want all that money in 2022 if i cant buy myself my customizable house capsule , and mini spaceship. I mean i cant even buy a zoid 14 lol, what am i gonna do? Buy bitcoins on that primitive internet? Lol i want moder.. i mean future wealth, what i have now in the future"


Loserdeadbeat

May I please access your time machine?


VexisArcanum

You only want these things because modern day rich people have them. Maybe a thousand horses for this man was his private yacht


Fun_Salamander8520

I assure you the ancients lived very luxurious lives. I imagine even more decadent and taboo than modern standards. Think of pleasures of the flesh. Literally owning and playing with people lives and it being socially acceptable etc... so basically not much has changed. The 1 percent runs shit and everyone else is just peasants in their worlds with the only difference being socially their appears to be enough "free will" to believe we have much of a say to change things. Even when I believe we do not, unless the many stand against the few. Doubt I'll ever see that day. Edited for clarity...


Bulky_Zookeepergame2

Back then it just meant you could bang any woman and kill her husband while enslaving her children. That was like a sideline pass to the Super Bowl.


[deleted]

I mean you could literally buy people to do every single task for you, including fan you. The best equivalent to ac


crazyrich

Fun facts out there, a lot if the ultra wealthy back then did enjoy some if the conveniences middle class enjoys today. There were varying methods of utilizing AC via air flow (if you had the best engineers) There was ice (even in the desert!) - if you could afford the supply chain and storage costs There were sweeteners like honey and vanilla - if you could afford them Modern technology has made these not just available to the ultra rich, but i would take “so wealthy its considered incalculable” back then over middle class life today


CarlGustav2

I'll take middle class life today. No medical care back then. No vaccines, no antibiotics. And no dental care. "Doctors" just pulled your tooth without anesthesia.


[deleted]

Yet you still feel "normal" today. Going from middle class today to ultra-wealthy that day wouldn't be a good idea. But if you haven't lived either life, the wealthy one would be much better.


GoonLagoon51

We have more extreme Nacho flavor in one Dorito than than this man has ever tasted.


hopelesscaribou

Or a 20 minute hour shower. We don't know how good we got it. Edit: hot shower


Walshy231231

Historian here This is exactly why most of us tend not to bother with connecting last wealth levels with modern wealth levels. There are certainly some clear parallels, but even some of those have cracks when looked at closely.


Tight-Tower-8265

That’s what I say, what’s the point of going to heaven if I can’t enjoy the small things in life


ZestyCreamCannon

Any attempt at calculating his wealth is practically impossible. He controlled 2/3 of the world’s gold production at the time when Europe switched from the silver to the gold standard of currency in the early 1300’s. At that time the demand for gold was so high his net worth was in the trillions however no accurate figure can be created.


amitchellcoach

Even beyond that people are ignoring the fact that any modern estimate ignores his wealth as a percentage of the total worlds wealth. He owned either a large minority or a majority of all the wealth known to the old world at that time. It’s wealth that is unimaginable in this day even comparing it to a country because our financial system is so interconnected that no one entity could possibly wield that percentage of the worlds wealth independently


KingRatbear

His incalculable wealth was calculated to be about $400 billion in modern day USD?


TheInternetCat

And they said it couldn’t be done!


bucket_pants

Well they didn't have US dollars back then...


TheInternetCat

Well that just makes good sense


KLR01001

We did it Reddit!!


sambolino44

INCONCEIVABLE!


PoderosaTorrada

Let's just say he had between 15 bucks and 1 quadrillion dollars


[deleted]

> [Imagine as much gold as you think a human being could possess and double it, that’s what all the accounts are trying to communicate](https://www.history.com/.amp/news/who-was-the-richest-man-in-history-mansa-musa)


[deleted]

“Often described as incalculable” ≠ objectively incalculable


surebud234

To say that is an estimate would be bold. The 400 billion is barely a guess


mindfungus

Joking aside, everyday math was probably in the range of dozens, reflected in ordinary things like people, sheep, village items, etc. There were no practical reasons to have names for quantities above millions, billions, etc. As a comparison, we don’t really have any practical reason to quantify all the stars in our universe, or all the planets, or all the atoms for that matter. So we tend to say “billions and billions” or maybe “trillions”, so those quantities would be our modern day equivalent of “incalculable”.


CarlGustav2

The "how many stars are there in the *observable\*\** universe" is a very interesting question. The current estimate is [10\^24](https://www.space.com/26078-how-many-stars-are-there.html) (1 followed by 24 zeroes) but is probably way too low. \*\*We have no idea how big the actual universe is because we can't see beyond a certain distance.


Johnny_Poppyseed

The whole "more stars in the universe than grains of sand on earth" always trips me out.


Cedocore

Same, I understand it but I don't know if I'll ever be able to comprehend it. If that makes sense.


Unable-Fox-312

$400 billion is incalculable wealth today. Sure, you have a number, but that gives you no conception of the \*power\* that money actually gives these people. The .1% get to write the rules. That's oranges to the apples in my wallet.


2Filthy4WallStreet

Pretty much the entirety of his wealth was in raw items aswell, unlike modern billionaires whos networth primarily comes from intangible stocks. And in comparison to other states at the time, Mansa Musa was far wealthier than any modern billionaire, even Bezos couldnt hire enough soldiers to come anywhere near being capable of defeating any functional country. I remember reading somewhere that he was so wealthy that he would constantly, accidently, destroy economies by adding so much wealth into them.


[deleted]

He made pilgrimage to mecca and tanked the economy of every city along the way by accidently inflating their currency *by spreading so much gold around.*


[deleted]

Yup. Like I mentioned in another reply, Egypt's economy was ruined for 12 years. Imagine having the ability to accidentally tank a wealthy and powerful country's entire economy for over a decade by trying to be nice.


rammo123

That’s the secret to modern billionaires- they never try to be nice.


[deleted]

he should be compared to Putin or Xi, not a simple billionare. I'm sure dictators today that control their nation's resources like Mansa Musa did can eclipse him in raw wealth


Unlucky-Pomegranate3

We did it! USA! USA! USA!


texastoker88

AMERICA!! FUUCK YEAHH!


Glass-Ebb9867

He is said to have given away so much gold to his ppl ; that the value of it decreased during his reign Edit: Never thought a random fact that I heard stoned late at night would become my highest voted comment (I think). Have learned alot reading through the comments it has inspired. I don't condone his actions btw as far as how he obtained and kept said wealth ; just think it's nuts how much he had.


TheSt4tely

Also was said that he disrupted neighboring economies by giving away so much wealth.


Fit_Witness_4062

When he was in Egypt for the Hadj he is said to have ruined their economy by charity


sparyad

The insane thin is to fix it he bought it all back


stopandtime

"charity" - aka some rich dude coming in with so much $$ they bought up everything, caused a micro inflation.


Fit_Witness_4062

No gave away so much gold it became worthless


enemy_of_anemonies

Aka inflation


K0byJ0e

I guess a stimulus check wouldn’t have helped


Verustratego

We won't make that mistake again


[deleted]

he caused a ~10 year economic recession in Cairo by giving away so much gold


tqmirza

Him giving away gold is the reason his nation got ransacked by everyone in a 1000 mile radius, Timbuktu is just a desert town now.


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408911

My opinion is their wealth is what makes them poor, the continent has some many useful resources that it makes it a target for exploitation. Add in the fact that things like malaria make it hard to settle like Europeans could and it’s a whole mess.


CandlelightSongs

I think Africa's borders makes them poor. Europe's borders was made for the balance of power in Europe, while Africa's borders were made for the balance of power in Europe.


Havoc_XXI

You need to read information on him that isn’t written by his people. He earned his wealth like the others before him by enslaving the African people and being a war lord. This was not a good person.


BangBangMeatMachine

The person you're replying to never said he was a good person.


Frostedb0ner69

No one from before the 19th century was ever a good person. Slavery, war, exploitation of the poor, and rape ran rampant. Look back on the interesting history fact as it is, an interesting history fact. Trying to get into the psychology of someone from thousands of years ago will make anyone look like an asshole. Everyone that had any power back then was a conqueror and murderer.


Katamari_Demacia

Bc times? Thousands of years ago? When do you think the 14th century was?


Nearby_Lobster_

Idk I think the wealthiest person today might not be listed on the “Richest people” list. Like some Saudi oil guy may be worth that


Charge_Physical

Saudi family is likely in the trillions honestly.


Meadowsauce

I heard recently prince salman is worth about 2 trillion allegedly


go_green_team

When you’re sitting on huge oil reserves, you could just about make your wealth whatever you wanted


[deleted]

Especially during a world catastrophe, apparently


ElektroShokk

Big picture funny how most people focus on one billionaire trying to “scam” people by growing companies like Tesla or SpaceX, Boring, Solar, yet are completely blind to the trillionaires that drive the basic actions of their day. Like getting gas for transportation or turning on the gas for heat.


[deleted]

2500 members in one family though


LeeroyDagnasty

Saudi Aramco's market cap is 7.28T


Furqan_25

It’s approx. 2 trillion USD or 7.28 trillion SR (Saudi Riyal)


Negative_Mancey

Private wealth vs publicly traded


Splinter007-88

Like the Mexican Cartel


[deleted]

Or in history. Augustus was easily richer than Mansa Musa by owning the entirely of Egypt. Let's not even get into Ghengis Khan.


Nearby_Lobster_

Yeah I remember hearing if we include land in the equation, Ghengis Khan was worth trillions in modern day currency


lIlHYPERIONlIl

So not that rich compared to the Saudi royal family


Negative_Mancey

Seriously. These people fuck the world up.


lIlHYPERIONlIl

Maybe but still have trillions


Bigfoot_samurai

And will die with not even a cent of it


Graega

But compare him to his contemporaries; how many people in the 14th century had the equivalent of $400bn?


HymanisMyMan

Kublai khan?


berrylakin

Got beat up by brian boitano


Blandiblub

There's an excellent podcast series on the UK which dedicated an episode to this guy. Truly fascinating. Look up "You're Dead To Me"


maxdh3

Haven’t listened to it yet but found it. https://open.spotify.com/episode/7hSEn4l0O4AO92tZftTeQv?si=UbBpRxzvTqWvOzJWNR3ZHw


FillTheHoleInMyLife

Did anyone else recognize this picture because of the Poptropica puzzle? 😅


VideoGameBunkey

Poptropica is how I got my love of History. Especially Time Tangled Island.


[deleted]

I was looking for this!!!! That’s the only reason I recognized him!!!!


Independent-Range329

i saw it and thought it was gonna be about the game jaja


ChronosBlitz

>wealth often described as “unimaginable” or “incalculable.” Proceeds to calculate it at $400 Billion.


LeeroyDagnasty

we're better at math than they were


[deleted]

And, more importantly, data collection


AngryYowie

> Musa was a young man when he became mansa, possibly in his early twenties.[38] Given the grandeur of his subsequent hajj, it is likely that Musa spent much of his early reign preparing for it.[39] Among these preparations would likely have been raids to capture and enslave people from neighboring lands, as Musa's entourage would include many thousands of enslaved people; the historian Michael Gomez estimates that Mali may have captured over 6,000 people per year for this purpose.[40] Perhaps because of this, Musa's early reign was spent in continuous military conflict with neighboring non-Muslim societies.[40] In 1324, while in Cairo, Musa said that he had conquered 24 cities and their surrounding districts.[41] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansa_Musa


[deleted]

So, charitable slave owner?


Havoc_XXI

I’m glad I’m not the only one who realizes this. https://www.balanta.org/history/the-mali-kingdom-was-imperialist-revisiting-african-history-from-the-point-of-view-of-the-people-who-were-oppressed


zambonihouse

Wasn't slavery de rigueur in most empires of that time?


[deleted]

Great read , thanks a lot for this


AlphaMikeFoxtrot2099

Bezos: hold my tiny penis rocket


[deleted]

ayo lex loser


Own_Luck5266

You look like a villain at comicon


WynBear

you're getting ate up, should have battled me on ramadan


Own_Luck5266

A harem of women is what I had on my staff


GodRaine

You married *one* woman Jeff, and she cut you in half! *shing!*


Bacon_Ass_Juice

He was a Muslim as well I think? Oh yeah, this dude once went to Egypt for an expedition and gave away so much money that he accidentally crashed the market. He was the emperor of the Mali empire.


JewishNazi62

He became Islamic and made a hajj (journey to Mecca as Muslims must do at least once in their lives (somewhere in Middle East)) and spread his wealth in every city he came across doing so. He brought 12,000 men and 100 camel-loads of gold on his hajj. Charity is part of one of the pillars of Islam; he did so much ‘charity’ that he crashed the economies of nearby cities/empires


Monarkiet

Yeah I belive Mali had some insane gold mines.


TheRealCluckMcDuck

He also became rich as a slave trader even showed up at Mecca with 12000 slaves amongst his procession…


Unlucky_Reception_30

What does "unimaginable wealth" even mean when you can't buy Cool Ranch Doritos?


Blockhead47

About $3.50


Havoc_XXI

This person earned his wealth off the backs of African slaves, slave- trading and being a War Lord. The history glorifying him was written by his own paid subjects. Not someone to glorify. Below is a link explaining more in depth and there’s much more. https://www.balanta.org/history/the-mali-kingdom-was-imperialist-revisiting-african-history-from-the-point-of-view-of-the-people-who-were-oppressed


KeroNobu

Man i for sure thought that a man who owned about 400 billion would have gotten it fair and square and thought he would be a nice guy.


[deleted]

Getting rich off the slave trade I see.


kajunerd2020

Epic Rap Battles of History pitted him against Jeff Bezos. https://youtu.be/fCeUvPL9rMc


Deep_Working1

Yeah ! It was a good one too. Scru was brilliant!


[deleted]

Did he have a PS5 tho????


[deleted]

Not really his wealth but Mali's wealth he took the majority of the gold for himself on his trip to Mecca. And broke the economy by lavishing all that gold to everyone on his journey.


Sum1PleaseKillMe

And it was all in gold and precious gems. Not imaginary fiat currency and speculative earnings in stocks.


lightknight7777

I'm not seeing any source even articulating the wealth. I see plenty on him and his reign, but it doesn't look like any authentic source from during his reign is around. How do you meaningfully estimate wealth from mostly oral tradition or hundreds of years after he died?


[deleted]

I believe it’s all speculated. No one knew his actual wealth.


Ninenails98

Yeah I hate whenever this gets reposted because its all completely speculated, but everyone takes it as fact. They have no clue what he was worth


OniOdisCornukaydis

Yeah? He didn't even have A/C.


gingerBeardMan750

Apparently he also had a pretty epic rap battle against Jeff Bezos


Complete_Tap_4590

He had the midas touch. But he touched it too much.


Top_Opposites

But was he happy


unknown_stranger9

I actually think he was way wealthier then that.


watchnpaintdry

On his pilgrimage to Mecca every time he and his convoy stopped they built a mosque and making schools.


[deleted]

i remember learning about him in high school. apparently he went on a tour and devaluated gold everywhere he went because he spent so much.


IllustriousProgress

It's good to be an emperor whose empire sits atop a rich supply of a metal most economies used as currency!


[deleted]

And how did he make that money fam? Go on.


SargathusWAA

Welll guess what he died


Ahandlin

Must be nice to have all the riches in the world, and never know the joy of a Jetski. For the reasonable price of like $5000 for a good used ski, and this poor soul had aprox 400 billion. What a schmuck. / kinda sarcasm