[nina08]

Being rich can get you into exclusive clubs. It can get you dinners and dates with the person of your choice. It can get your arrest record wiped clean. It can also get you kidnapped and held for ransom. While most of us focus on all the awesome that comes with being rich, the threat of having all that net worth used against you weighs heavily on the minds of many wealthy people. There is an entire industry devoted to security for the seriously well-off, and their need for protection is not actually that far-fetched. What's that old saying by Joseph Heller? "Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't after you." The ten wealthy families below learned this the hard way, when various family members were kidnapped and held for massive amounts of money. Here are their stories.

[DrWatson]

John Paul Getty III was born into a wealthy family. His grandfather was oil baron, Jean Paul Getty, and Getty III was the oldest of four children. He was expected to carry on his grandfather's and father's footsteps, but he rebelled. He grew up in boarding schools in Rome and England, and was expelled as a teenager for painting the hallway walls. Rather than return to England, he chose to stay in Italy, where he basically lived like a hobo, selling art and occasionally appearing in Italian films in bit parts. more

[chupacabra]

Family Worth: $24 Million in 1953

[The_Infinite]

At one time, the political and military power of Rome dominated Europe and the Mediterranean. Roman roads facilitated speed of travel and communication to a degree that would not be surpassed until the development of the railroad, the steamship and the telegraph in the 19th century. Roman law and justice enabled the traveler to journey throughout the empire with a considerable degree of safety. "The benefits of the Pax Romana [the peace of Rome]," says Arther Ferrill in "The Fall of the Roman Empire," "included the development of one of man's most impressive codes of law and an administrative system that met the needs of men of varied languages, ethnic backgrounds and cultural traditions. The poet Virgil was not far wrong in claiming that his nation ruled the world in peace and justice."

[calmsupplements]

In A.D. 91, the government became deeply involved in the business of agriculture. Emperor Domitian, to reduce the production and raise the price of wine, ordered the destruction of half the provincial vineyards. here

[Ostrich09]

In 410, Alaric the Goth and his primitive Germanic tribesmen assaulted the city and sacked its treasures. For three days, Rome was plundered. Palaces and temples were stripped and Roman citizens were raped and killed by the thousands. The once-proud Roman army, which had always repelled the barbarians before, now wilted in the face of opposition. Why risk life and limb to defend a corrupt and decaying society?

[qbgtrfv]

Prior to the mid 4th century BC, all surviving figures are generally disregarded as completely fictitious, but after that, a pattern of reasonable population figures begins to emerge. However, it is still difficult to determine, especially as the Roman Republic expanded to include various provinces, whether population figures include these areas, or just the city of Rome itself. Also clouding the science of the census is whether or not the count in various years was limited to male citizens, citizens and their families, women, freedmen, slaves and/or everybody else in between.

[nickwit]

At the height of Roman power in the mid 2nd century AD, conservative opinion is that the Empire was comprised of some 65 million people. Assuming that the world population was still roughly about 300 million people, this would mean that the Roman population was approximately 21% of the world's total. However, less conservative estimates have added far more people living within the official borders of the Empire, perhaps as much as doubling the figure. here

[kdawson]

After the plagues of the 160's to 170's AD, and the wars of Marcus Aurelius, the population of the empire fell from its previous high, likely down to about 40 million in total. By the beginning of the 4th century, and the reign of Constantine, civil wars and foreign incursions had taken their toll. The number had grown again, likely to somewhere around 55 million, but the rate of growth had obviously slowed considerably.

[jennshriner]

“Every weekend was a party,” said Charles Goldgrub, the child of survivors and Mr. Blum’s godson, who also grew up in Queens. “They had survived Hitler so they thought they would live forever.” more

[turnerny75]

As for the group back in Queens, the divorce caused a rift and many distanced themselves from Mr. Blum. [links]

[storm]

“Everybody knew Roman. He built hundreds of homes over the years,” Bruno Betro, a broker at Volpe Realty, said. “Last time I tried to sell a piece of property for him, I’d give him an offer and he’d tell me he wanted $1 million more.” here

[xterm11]

In the 1960s, on a five-week trip to Israel on the Queen Elizabeth, Mr. Blum found a boy, an orphan, whom he wished to adopt. But friends who were with them said Mrs. Blum begged him not to go through with the adoption, convinced that her doctors would ultimately be able to help them conceive. They did not adopt the boy and never had children. here

[Bitcoiner]

The line above multiplies it by 1000.

[Golobulus]

This is a really good tool:It is good but
32767 must be XXXMMDCCXVII(The three X's in front is "upperlined"),
but it says it is MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMDCCXVII.
You must implement something for bigger numbers.
i agree with this. make your numbering system use upperlined and double upperlined numbers such as __M or __MCXVI with the number sys they mentioned your max is now __M__M__M__M__M__M__M__M__M__M__M Ten upperlined "M"s is max due to keeping things tidy but still i m p l i m e n t t h i s

[GoldRush]

What is 7400000008137 in roman numeral? Please tell me quickly,