What interesting thing did you read today?

While on holiday recently in the west of Africa, I came across a certain book in the national archives. It was about Mansa Musa.

According to the author, even when adjusted for inflation, he is still billions richer than Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Bill Gates combined. Yet most have never heard of him. Here's the forgotten story of the richest person in human history (that you should know):

Historians estimate Mansa Musa's fortune to be around $400 billion in today's dollars. That's more than the GDPs of countries like Norway and Ireland combined. With near-limitless wealth, he could do anything he desired at any time. Here's what he did though:

Mansa Musa ruled the Mali Empire in the 1300s.

At its peak, the empire: • Spanned 500,000 sq miles • Included 5% of the world population • Rose rapidly during Africa's golden age of trade

The key to its wealth? Vast supplies of gold & salt.

In 1324, Mansa Musa embarked on an epic 2700-mile pilgrimage to Mecca.

His entourage included: • 100 elephants • 60,000 men & women • 80 camels carrying 21,000kg of gold • 12,000 slaves each carrying 2kg of gold

It was an entire movable city stretching beyond the horizon.

The Mali Empire's wealth came from its vast gold and salt supplies. Half of all gold in Europe, Africa, and Asia at the time came from just 3 Mali goldmines. Salt was also incredibly valuable, worth its weight in gold in parts of Africa where it was scarce.

Mansa Musa gave away so much gold during his pilgrimage that he crashed its price in major cities like Cairo, Medina, and Mecca. His extraordinary generosity caused a decade-long gold recession. He also built a new mosque every Friday during his 2-year journey.

Mansa Musa's pilgrimage put the Mali Empire on the map - literally. He appeared on the 1375 Catalan Atlas, one of the most important 14th-century world maps, holding a golden coin. His wealth and power attracted thousands of supporters, thinkers, and artists to Mali.

On his way back from Mecca, Mansa Musa annexed the city of Timbuktu. He transformed it into a global center of trade, culture, and learning. Mansa Musa paid 200kg of gold to build the Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu, which still stands today.

Timbuktu's university, Sankore Madrasah, had an enrollment of 25,000 students from around the world. Its library held over 1 million books - more than the Great Library of Alexandria at its peak. Yet Europeans wouldn't rediscover Timbuktu until the 1830s.

Mansa Musa used his vast fortune to: • Strengthen Mali's vibrant cultural scene • Establish world-class centers of learning • Expand Islam's reach through Western Africa • Uplift countless lives through his generosity

He showed the power of wealth to transform society.

Mansa Musa's reign lasted 25 years until his death in 1337 at the age of 57. Tales of his wealth and influence spread far beyond Africa, inspiring awe in the Middle East and Europe. Yet in the West, his legacy has been largely overlooked in favor of industrialists like Carnegie.

Despite his status as the richest person in history, Mansa Musa is barely remembered outside of Africa. His story highlights the Eurocentric bias in history education. Imagine how different the world would be if more knew of Mansa Musa's wisdom and visionary leadership.

The story of Mansa Musa is one of unimaginable wealth, Islamic faith, scholarship, cultural patronage, and generosity. As the richest man in history, he demonstrated the transformative power of trade and wealth in the hands of a visionary leader.

It’s always good to read about these diverse cultural forms. More information yields more knowledge. I certainly do appreciate these fun stories that would otherwise remain untold without the internet, so please send more my way.

Cheers!