Rag to riches biography

Famous people who have overcome difficult odds to offer real rags to riches story. This includes both financial rags to riches stories, but also people who have triumphed in other fields such as sport and music.

Alexander the Great (356 – 323 BC) Despite mixed claims to the Macedonian throne.

Alexander consolidated his power before embarking on a global conquest stretching from the Aegean to India.

Genghis Khan – (1162 – 1227) Genghis Khan was orphaned at an early age, leaving him to forage in the wild.

But, from these humble beginnings, he united the Mongol tribes before leading the Mongols to conquer China, Asia and Eastern Europe in one of the largest Empires the world had known.

Olaudah Equiano (1745 – 1797) – Enslaved in Africa, he was taken to America, where he was able to purchase his freedom.

He wrote a best-selling book ‘The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano‘ He left an estate valued at £950 to his daughter