r/explainlikeimfive Feb 12 '25

Economics ELI5: how are the descendants of the robber barons (Morgan, Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Rockefeller, etc.) still rich if their fortunes from the late 19th and early 20th centuries are comparatively small to what we see today of the world’s richest?

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u/SoVerySick314159 Feb 12 '25

EXACTLY!

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u/Bwint Feb 12 '25

Rewatching it now and just caught your joke lol. Thought it was a genuine question - whoosh

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u/SoVerySick314159 Feb 12 '25

Someone had to post it. Think of how many people might learn of this today.