They say money can’t buy happiness, but it certainly can buy spectacular spectacles. In this roundup of 10 ridiculously fabulous displays of wealth throughout history, we dive into the most outlandish, jaw‑dropping ways the ultra‑rich chose to flash their fortunes.
10 Ridiculously Fabulous Examples of Opulent Excess
10 E. Berry Wall And His Leather Boots
Evander Berry Wall, a true fashion maverick of late‑19th‑century New York, turned heads the moment he stepped onto the boulevard. Born in 1860, he amassed a fortune by eighteen and, by twenty‑two, was swimming in multimillion‑dollar riches after inheriting a million from his father and another million from his grandfather.
From the instant the cash hit his pocket, Wall went on a sartorial binge, snapping up 5,000 neckties and 300 pairs of gloves. He famously swore off any drink other than champagne, earned the dubious honor of being America’s first tuxedo wearer, and once altered his outfit forty times in a single morning just to win a wager.
His flamboyant wardrobe attracted the curious eye of reporter Blakely Hall, whose sensational columns amplified Wall’s ego and sparked a rivalry with actor Robert C. Hilliard. The two men locked horns in a series of bets to see who could out‑do the other with the most absurd ensembles.
After weeks of turning up in checked suits and full‑tweed outfits, Wall’s pièce de résistance arrived when he stormed a bar during a blizzard, striding in thigh‑high, gleaming black patent‑leather boots that stopped traffic.
9 Caligula Literally Swam In Gold
Emperor Caligula, notorious for his cruelty, also possessed a flamboyant penchant for gold that bordered on the insane. While his reign is remembered for depraved parties, his lesser‑known obsession involved using gold as a personal plaything.
He commanded his servants to heap his vast gold reserves into massive piles so he could roll around in the metal, relishing the sensation against his skin. Legend says he fed his prized horse oats laced with gold, served guests loaves of solid‑gold bread, and even tossed gold onto the floor just to stroll across it. He also delighted in wearing women’s garments glittering with jewels, flaunting a fashion sense that shocked Roman sensibilities.
Historical accounts estimate that during his brief rule Caligula squandered more than 27 million gold pieces on these extravagant whims.
8 Edward Hughes Ball Hughes And His Gambling Problem
Edward Hughes Ball Hughes, a dandy of the early 1800s, burst onto high society after inheriting £40,000 a year in 1819 at just twenty‑three. He paraded his newfound wealth by amassing an endless wardrobe and filling a sprawling house with the finest trappings.
Even when indulging in aristocratic pastimes such as hunting, Hughes was never without a retinue of servants bearing guns, wine, and provisions. His reputation for extravagance was eclipsed only by his insatiable love of gambling.
Hughes would wager thousands of pounds on the flip of a coin, shrugging off losses with a casual air. By 1824, local pamphleteers warned the gullible heir that his companions were siphoning his fortune, cautioning that he could lose everything.
Defying the warning, Hughes once lost £45,000 in a single evening—roughly £37 million in today’s terms. Fleeing the mounting debts, he escaped to Paris, where he spent his remaining days in quiet, albeit reduced, comfort.
7 The 5th Marquis Of Anglesey And His Dressing Gowns
Henry Cyril Paget, the 5th Marquis of Anglesey, became a legend in late‑Victorian England for his prodigious spending and eccentric fashion sense. He was often seen strolling with a toy poodle perched under his arm, all while sporting a diamond‑encrusted tiara for no discernible reason.
Paget’s annual allowance of £110,000 (about £8 million today) vanished almost entirely on clothing. He commissioned jewel‑studied costumes that he wore once before consigning them to the darkness of his wardrobe. When his finances finally collapsed, a liquidation revealed a cache of 100 unworn silk dressing gowns.
His most outlandish display of wealth manifested in a fleet of custom‑built automobiles whose exhausts emitted fragrant perfume, turning every drive into a scented parade.
6 Gordon Bennett And His Cow Yacht
James Gordon Bennett Jr., heir to the New York Herald founder, inherited a silver spoon and a taste for theatrical excess. While his father built a respectable publishing empire, Bennett Jr. pursued a life of flamboyant indulgence.
Estimates suggest he squandered around $40 million over his lifetime, engaging in stunts that would make a comic‑book billionaire blush. He famously tossed a roll of cash into a fire because it wouldn’t fit in his pocket, and later ordered an entire restaurant to be bought when a patron occupied his seat.
Bennett’s pièce de résistance was the private yacht Lysistrata, specially commissioned after he deemed his previous vessel insufficient. The yacht featured a dedicated cabin for a cow, ensuring fresh butter each morning. To keep the bovine comfortable, an electric fan blew gentle breezes in tropical waters, while a luxurious wool blanket warmed it in icy seas.
5 Howard Hughes And The Silver Slipper
When Howard Hughes was nineteen, his father’s death thrust him into control of a vast oil‑drilling empire. He swiftly secured legal adulthood, bought every share of his father’s company, and handed the reins to a more seasoned manager.
Never one to sit idle, Hughes ventured into Hollywood, producing hit films in the 1920s and 1930s, then bought an airline during World II, and later a film studio. By the early 1960s, his net worth had swelled into the billions.
In the mid‑1960s, as his health waned, Hughes declared a desire to dominate Las Vegas’s gambling scene. He arrived in pajamas, rented a room at the Desert Inn, and when the owner tried to evict him, Hughes purchased the hotel on the spot and ordered the proprietor to leave.
He then acquired several other casinos, including the Silver Slipper, solely to reposition its iconic neon sign. Later, bored by an empty television, he bought a local TV station just to broadcast movies for his personal amusement, despite owning a chain of theaters that could have served the same purpose.
4 Marie Antoinette And Her Boat Hair
Marie Antoinette’s legacy is riddled with controversy, yet her penchant for extravagance remains undeniable. While she never uttered the infamous “let them eat cake,” she did indulge in lavish habits that shocked the French populace.
She ordered 300 tailor‑made gowns each year, often discarding them after a single wear. Her obsession with appearance extended to her hair, where she once covered her towering pouf hairstyle in flour during a shortage, and on another occasion arrived at a soirée with an entire miniature boat perched atop her coiffure.
These flamboyant displays, though ridiculed, underscore a queen whose wealth enabled truly whimsical artistic expression.
3 Kim Jong Il And His Lobsters
During his tenure as North Korea’s Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Il leveraged his absolute authority to satisfy every extravagant craving. While ordinary citizens faced famine, the leader’s private wine cellar was stocked with thousands of bottles of cognac, and his dogs received finer fare than most staff.
According to a Japanese sushi chef who once cooked for him, each grain of rice was hand‑inspected, with any “defective” grain discarded. The ultimate testament to his opulence came from a Russian emissary who reported that live lobsters were air‑lifted onto the leader’s private train daily, where Kim dined on them using silver chopsticks.
2 Cleopatra And The Pearl
Cleopatra, the famed last Pharaoh of Egypt, wielded a fortune that placed her among the wealthiest individuals in recorded history—estimates suggest a personal net worth near $95 billion. Her riches funded a lifestyle of unrivaled luxury.
Among her most curious possessions was what is believed to be the world’s largest pearl. According to legend, Cleopatra dissolved this massive gem in vinegar to win a wager with Mark Antony, who had bet she could not spend a “small fortune” on a single meal.
Pliny the Elder recounts that she removed a pearl‑laden earring, placed the gem in a glass of vinegar, and drank the resulting mixture. The pearl’s value was said to equal 1,764 pounds of gold, and without the intervention of Lucius Munatius Plancus, she might have swallowed the equivalent of over 3,000 pounds of gold.
Modern researchers have verified that, when crushed, a pearl can indeed dissolve in vinegar within roughly ten minutes, lending credence to the ancient tale.
1 Pablo Escobar’s Whole Life
At the height of his power, Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel spent upwards of $2,500 merely on rubber bands to bind the endless piles of cash. The sheer volume of money was so massive that he paid locals to stash bundles within the walls of their homes, creating hundreds of hidden “caletas” each holding roughly $5 million.
Even while on the run, Escobar’s extravagance knew no bounds. His son recounts that the drug lord once burned millions of U.S. dollars simply to keep warm during a fugitive stint.
The pinnacle of his audacious generosity arrived when he offered to settle Colombia’s entire national debt—$10 billion—out of his own pocket in exchange for immunity. The proposal, as grand as it was, never materialized.
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