Henry Ford

Founder of the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford (1863-1947) is better known for his hand in creating the American middle class.He managed this by applying the concept of assembly line manufacturing to the mass production of affordable cars, promptly revolutionizing industrial production.Born to Irish immigrants, Henry was the eldest of six children. He left home at 16 to work as an apprentice machinist, married, tried a bit of farming, ran a sawmill, experimented with internal combustion engines and eventually formed the Detroit Automobile Company with a few other investors.
Paul Allen

You can't help being among the world's wealthiest folk if, like Paul Gardner Allen (1953-), if you happen to co-found Microsoft.Allen's worth is estimated at $16 billion.Born in Seattle, Allen befriended Bill Gates while in school. Both shared an enthusiasm for computers, and would regularly sneak into University of Washington labs to work on projects. They were eventually caught, but managed an agreement with administrators by providing free computer help to students who needed it.Allen attended Washington State University, dropping out two years later to write software. He also convinced Gates to drop out of Harvard, to found the company that would make them famous.A few years ago, Allen was back in the news for funding the SpaceShipOne sub-orbital commercial spacecraft. As always, the sky continues to be the limit.
Ray Arthur Kroc

From ambulance driver to Hamburger King, Kroc dabbled in all kinds of trades. He happened to meet the McDonald brothers while working as a milkshake machine salesman.
Many consider Ray Arthur Kroc (1902-1984) to be the founder of McDonald's Corporation. This is not true. The restaurant chain was actually started by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald, 15 years before Kroc.That, however, is not the point. Even though the brothers established the principles of the fast-food restaurant, Kroc is the one who recognised its potential, buying them out in 1961 for a mere $2.7 million.He also tried, unsuccessfully, to convince another ambulance driver called Walt Disney to let him open a restaurant in the latter's new venture, Disneyland.When Time magazine released its list of the world's most influential titans of industry, Kroc was prominently featured. He had, during his lifetime, amassed a fortune worth $500 million.
Stanley Ho

He was a tough cookie and fate helped him too. Ho was a poor student, but now he is one of the wealthiest men in the world with a personal fortune of $7 billion.
When it comes to business, few people are as lucky as Stanley Ho, also referred to as the King of Gambling: he was granted a 35-year monopoly over Macau's casino business. The gambling business earned him billions.However, he was not always so lucky. Born in a poor family, he had to drop out of school when his father, having lost a lot of money in the stock market, went bankrupt and left his family. Stanley Ho's two brothers could not handle the grief and the pressure and committed suicide, leaving the young boy with his helpless mother.
Richard Branson

British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson (1950-) is known for the Virgin brand, one that has seen success in all kinds of ventures.His tale begins in 1970, the year he started a record mail order. A record shop in London came next, followed by the launch of Virgin Records in 1972. Virgin Atlantic Airways was formed in 1984, and Virgin Mobile launched in 1999.
Daniel Snyder

Daniel M. Snyder (1965-) is a marketing whizkid and also the owner of the Washington Redskins football team.Even while he was very young, the urge to earn money was very strong for Snyder. At 14, he worked in a bookstore and then went on to do odd jobs. At 20, he decided to drop out of the University of Maryland and start his own business: he essentially leased airplanes jets to fly college students to holiday resorts. In 1988, Snyder and his sister Michelle founded a marketing company, Snyder Communications Inc, which listed on the NYSE in 1996. He sold this successful venture of his to French advertising giant Havas for $2.3 billion.A football lover, Synder bought the Washington Redskins team in 1999 for $800 million. The team's annual profits today are in excess of $100 million.Synder's net worth is estimated at over $1.2 billion.
Francois Pinault

A high school dropout, Pinault's net worth is estimated at $14.5 billion. French billionaire Francois Pinault (1936-) is the owner of retail firm PPR.He also owns Christie's auction house, Samsonite luggage, Converse sneakers, Gucci, YSL, etc.A major art collector, he is said to have one of the largest art collections in the world.
Kirk Kerkorian

Born in 1917, this Nevada billionaire is President and CEO of Tracinda Corporation. That may not ring a bell, considering he's better known for two other things. One: Being one of the pioneers who shaped the city of Las Vegas as we know it. Two: Coming up with the concept of Megaresort - a resort integrating the services of a hotel and casino with dining, entertainment and shopping into a single venue.Kerkorian was born to Armenian immigrant parents. He was a skilled amateur boxer who went on to fly airplanes, founding Transinternational Airlines and selling it for $104 million.He first visited Vegas in 1944, as a pilot, and eventually bought a place there that eventually grew to accommodate the world famous Caesars Palace.
Sheldon Adelson

Sheldon Adelson (1933-) is an American billionaire who has made his fortune in casinos and real estate development. And he is one of the world's richest men with a personal net worth of $26 billion.Adelson was born in a modest family in Boston, where his father was a taxi driver. From a young age, Adelson was required to work to put food on the family table. He began as a newspaper boy, and then went on to sell various goods. He also worked as broker and an investment advisor. He did attend college but soon dropped out.He started his own business at age 16 and went on to set up dozens of companies. The major chunk of his fortune, however, came from real estate development and operating casinos.
Li Ka-shing

Li Ka-Shing, whose net worth is estimated at $18.8 billion, is one of the richest men in Asia.The chairman of Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong Holdings was only 12-years-old when his family fled from China after the Japanese invaded the country.They arrived in Hong Kong looking to make a life for themselves. However, when Li was only 15, his father passed away forcing him to drop out of school and support the family.
Roman Abramovich

Billionaire Russian businessman Roman Abramovich is best known for owning the United Kingdom's Chelsea Football Club.He started his business in the late 1980s after the then Russian President Michael Gorbachev set in motion a few economic reforms.Abramovich has invested around $500 million into Chelsea Football Club since buying it in 2003 and transformed the fortunes of the London team in just two years.He also owns the private investment company Millhouse Capital, and with a net worth of $23.5 billion, is one of the richest persons alive.