17. The Richest Passenger
John Jacob Astor IV was worth $85 million, which is about $2 billion today. Astor was a prominent member of the Astor family, a real estate builder, investor, inventor, businessman and writer as well as a lieutenant colonel. He died in the sinking of the ship as one of the 1,514 people never to return home. He was not only the richest passenger on board, he was one of the wealthiest people in the world at the time.