Who topped Forbes’ 1995 list of the world’s richest people?

Bill Gates topped Forbes’ 1995 list of the world’s richest people.

Gates’ fortune was built primarily through his large ownership stake in Microsoft, the software company he co-founded with Paul Allen in 1975. Microsoft’s rapid expansion in personal-computer operating systems and applications greatly increased the value of Gates’ shares during the 1980s and 1990s.

His 1995 appearance marked an important shift in the identity of the world’s richest person. Earlier lists were dominated by industrial, retail and property fortunes, while Gates represented the rising wealth of the software industry. He remained at or near the top of Forbes’ annual billionaire rankings for many years.

Forbes’ historical estimates are not directly comparable with modern rankings because the number of billionaires, stock markets and valuation methods have changed. The 1995 result refers to that year’s published annual list, not a real-time ranking.