Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2014/03/12

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Subject: [Leica] Museum millionaires
From: mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)
Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 18:21:03 -0400

I was just thinking about 5th ave which is now called along Central Park
"the Museum Mile" but used to be called the "millionaires Mile".
I was thinking that the millionaires of the 19th century are no doubt the
billionaires of today. But then I thought maybe I should check on that.
Maybe I'm wrong! Maybe they had less? So I did as you can do that on the
internet now.
Turns out a million in 1800 is only 35 million now. I thought it would be a
billion.
And a billion is a thousand million. Or ten figures.
So by trial and era I figured out that if you had 28 million then you'd have
a billion now. I'm sure the Vanderbilts or the Whitneys or the Fricks at
least one of them had that much but will check on that after dinner.
Ok a quick check puts Cornelius Vanderbilt  at 105 million. So yea he  was a
Billionaire by two or thee times.
But as Leica was quite not around yet he could not buy all the lenes and a
bunch of bodies. Too bad!

http://www.cr.nps.gov/nR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/78vanderbilt/78facts1.htm



-- 
Mark William Rabiner
Photographer
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/