When many people think of inventors, they think of people such as Thomas Ediscon and Eli Whitney (the guy who invented the cotton gin). It’s not all that uncommon not to even consider someone who might still be alive today an inventor, because we tend not to see many tangible inventions. Most inventions these days are of the “more used and not seen,” variety. For example, the internet you’re using right now was an invention, but you can’t really see it so much as you can use it. Read on to find out who the most successful, wealthiest inventors of all time are.
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Thomas Edison – $178 million
Of course, when he was alive he did not have this much money. But when you take into account the cost of inflation and all that good stuff, he’d be worth somewhere around this today. He’s the man behind the light bulb, except he’s not really the man behind the light bulb. We think he invented it, but he didn’t. Someone else actually invented the light bulb. Edison simply took the concept and invented something that would allow it to shine for long periods of time rather than just a few moments all at once.
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Ty Warner – $1.7 billion
His name sounds familiar, but most people can’t place why that’s so. Ty Warner is the man who invented the Beanie Baby. Perhaps it’s not one of history’s most important inventions, but that does not change the fact that his invention is one of the most successful of all time. He is a college dropout who left school behind in favor of going door-to-door trying to sell his stuffed animal line, when the Beanie Baby finally took off. His net worth was higher, but he was accused of tax evasion and found to have hidden millions in overseas bank accounts.
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Mario Moretti Polegato – $1.8 billion
Mario Moretti Polegato invented something called Geox. It’s a type of shoe that features holes in the sole. The purpose of his is to allow feet to breathe, allowing in air that prevents feet from becoming so hot and sweaty. He wanted to sell his idea to companies such as Nike, but was turned down because big companies didn’t think it was a good idea. At that point, he decided to create his own business. When it went public, it became very successful. In fact, even the Pope wears them.
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Brad Hughes – $1.95 billion
Brad Hughes is not a household name. His invention is not one you find in every single household in the planet, and it’s not something most people even use on a regular basis. However, it is something most people do use at least once during their lifetimes and it is a successful invention. Brad Hughes invented Public Storage. That building you see everywhere when you’re taking a road trip; that’s his. It was originally named Private Storage, but the company didn’t really take off because most people thought that it wasn’t open to the public.
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James Dyson – $2.7 billion
The name is very familiar, correct? James Dyson is the man behind that awesome vacuum cleaner you use every day at home. He’s the man who decided the world needed a vacuum that used advanced spinning technology to help you vacuum without any clogged filters and with the best possible suction. His success is so profound that he’s gone onto open a school, the Dyson School of Design, and he’s created the world famous motto, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work,”.
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Hans Riegel – $3 billion
Back in 1920, a man by the name of Hans Riegel Senior took it upon himself to found a company called Haribo. While this might not sound familiar to you, Haribo is the company behind the invention of the gummi bear. Yes, Hans Riegel is the man that invented the gummi bear. It’s a delicious, fruit flavored treat that is chewy and fun to eat. Kids love them, adults love them, and they’re a fortune as far as business is concerned. Riegel died in 1945 and his sons took over the company on his behalf and continued to amass a fortune inventing different sweets.
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Chaleo Yoovidhya – $6 billion
Chaleo Yoovidhya is one of two very rich men behind a very successful invention. Red Bull is an energy drink designed to help you gain energy and get you through your otherwise very difficult days. However, Chaleo Yoovidhya is the man who came up with the recipe and the ingredients. He works behind the scenes in the actually making and inventing of the beverage, and his partner, Dietrich Mateschitz, is more of the upfront face of the company as he is the one who designs the marketing of the Red Bull product.
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Dietrich Mateschitz – $6 billion
He is the second half of the Red Bull invention. How he and Chaleo Yoovidhya came up with the idea to make an energy drink full of vitamins designed to get your system moving and motivate you to get things done is actually not a story they’ve shared with the public. However, Mateschitz is the man who made the product as popular as it is today. He decided to market Red Bull to those who needed it most; the party crowd and the athletes of the world. After all, they’re the ones who are the most tired and in need of energy.
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Ralph Lauren – $7.5 billion
Ralph Lauren is one of the most prolific and successful fashion designers of all time. He invented a product so ingenious that it’s almost upsetting that no one else thought of it. In the late 1960s, he launched a little design house in which he took your every day polo shirt and added his little horse logo. He then added an expensive price tag and sold them to people who were willing to pay a lot of money for the logo because it looked so elegant and casual chic. Now he’s one of the most high-end fashion designers in the world.
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Pierre Omidyar – $7.7 billion
At some point in his life, he made a decision that would change not only his life for the better, but the lives of just about everyone in the world. Pierre Omidyar thought about flea markets. They’re the place people go to sell their stuff, whether it’s of any value or not. They sell it, people buy it, and money is exchanged. A light bulb went off in his mind and he realized that there’s no reason you can’t use the internet to have a giant flea market, and the idea, concept and website known as eBay was created.
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Jeff Bezos – $8.2 billion
He has another of those incredibly famous names that you recognize but might not be able to pinpoint exactly who he is or what he’s done for the world. Well, Jeff Bezos is one of the most important men in your life. Why? Because he’s the man who invented Amazon.com. His invention stemmed from the realization that he could sell books online cutting out the overhead, which is a big inventory, electricity and decorating of bookstores, which meant he could make a lot of money selling books at a discount online. Now he sells everything online.
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Benjamin Franklin – $10.3 billion
Benjamin Franklin is long-famous for being the man who invented electricity (or at least figured out what it was and how to use it). If he were still alive today, he’d be a very wealthy man. However, what most people fail to realize is that he’s the inventor of many products we use in our households, and we don’t even realize it. Anyone who wears bifocals, for instance, is wearing a Franklin product. If you use the odometer on your vehicle, you are using a Benjamin Franklin product. He’s credited for inventing dozens of the world’s most used items.
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Michele Ferrero – $20.4 billion
If you’re sitting here thinking that this name sounds familiar, it’s because it is familiar. You’ve eaten Ferrero brand chocolate a dozen times in your life without even realizing that you’ve eaten it. However, you’ve also done something else; you’ve eaten, purchased, or at least heard of nutella. Nutella is the stuff you spread on your toast in the morning. It’s a type of chocolate that somehow is allowed as a breakfast food, even by the strictest of parents. Either way, it’s hugely successful and has made Michele Ferrero very wealthy.
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Mark Zuckerberg – $33.3 billion
He’s the young man (and we do mean young, he was barely 20 when he invented his invention) who decided that the world needed a place in which they could meet up, talk and reconnect with one another from all across the world for no money at all. He called it Facebook. It was begun as a place online for college graduates and students to connect and eventually became the kind of place just about anyone who can type and spell (or not, sometimes) can meet up and speak to one another, share photos, and connect.
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Bill Gates – $85 Million
He’s the most famous man in the world, as well as the richest man in the world. Why? Because it was his genius that produced what we all use and know (and are using right this second to write this article), Microsoft. He is the man who was the genius behind the concept that is known as Microsoft. In fact, he is a bit of a genius in general. He actually scored a 1590 out of 1600 on his SATS in high school and was accepted immediately into Harvard University. Surprisingly, however, he dropped out of Harvard and decided to pursue his desire to create Microsoft.
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*We’d also like to credit Steve Jobs – inventor of Apple and the iPod. And we’re sure there are plenty not on this list.
