Timothy Dexter May Have Been The Most Ridiculous Accidental Rich Man That Ever Lived
Most self-made millionaires earned their riches by making smart business and financial decisions. In the case of Timothy Dexter, he made loads of mistakes, and it always seemed to work out in his favor. For example, he sold heating pans to the West Indies, despite the fact that it was very hot there, and no one needed them. So he re-marketed them as “molasses pans” and made a profit. There are countless examples of mind-boggling business deals that should have flopped, but he just got incredibly lucky. At one point, he started to lie to people, claiming that his wife was dead. When they saw her walking around the house, he said it was her ghost. And he faked his own death, just to see how people would react at his funeral. He punished his wife for not crying enough.