Famous person's story

In the seventh year of the Qingli era of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Jiangnan region was plagued by continuous rain, lasting from March to September. Crops in the fields failed completely, affecting 127 counties. Rice prices soared; by October, they had risen from the original 400 wen per dan to 1,500 wen, leaving the common people in utter misery. Officials in various prefectures of Jiangnan requested aid from the imperial court while simultaneously cracking down hard on price gouging and punishing profiteering merchants. Once someone was found inflating rice prices, they faced severe punishment: light offenses resulted in confiscation of property and conscription into military service, while serious offenses led to immediate execution. Through these thunderous measures, rice prices in Jiangnan finally stabilized, remaining around 500 wen per dan.

Jacques Chirac, former president of France, was undoubtedly a prominent figure on the world political stage. Like any president, during his time in office many people speculated about the extent of his personal wealth—especially foreign journalists. Some claimed Chirac must have at least ten million euros, but perhaps that was too low; maybe he had tens of millions, or even over a hundred million. Although these were merely speculations, they usually had some basis—after all, there's no smoke without fire. It wasn't until half a month before Chirac left office that the relevant French authorities, following standard procedure, publicly disclosed his complete personal assets. This included the bank deposits he shared with the First Lady, totaling 1.3 million euros.

In 1781, George Stephenson was born in a village called Wylam in northern England. His father was a coal miner and his mother a housewife; neither could read or write. Like his parents, Stephenson never attended school. At the age of eight, he began herding cattle for others. By ten, he was doing odd jobs at the coal mine, and at fourteen, he started working alongside his father underground. Due to his impoverished background and lowly origins, Stephenson's childhood was spent enduring ridicule, yet he never took the mockery to heart.

To others, he was arrogant, headstrong, and even violent and cruel. Yet he possessed a clear mind and unwavering will, realizing his dreams through superhuman calmness and perseverance. He was a true "Iron and Blood" hero. In modern German history, the mere mention of Otto von Bismarck (hereafter Bismarck) evokes a vivid image: a towering, arrogant, obstinate, domineering, haughty, coarse, and even violent and cruel figure. Like Peter the Great and Napoleon, Bismarck was a legendary figure widely celebrated during his lifetime. Using "iron and blood" tactics, he accomplished the unification of Germany, thrusting the nation onto the world stage as a great power.

Traditional Chinese literati usually avoided discussing money, regarding it as vulgar and tainted with the "stink of copper." As a result, many talented scholars and writers neither engaged in productive labor nor understood the principles of business and finance. However, there were exceptions—individuals who were not only intellectually brilliant and creatively gifted but also possessed exceptional economic acumen and financial wisdom. Kang Youwei stands out as a prime example. He had a keen eye for real estate investment, and with just a few ventures, he earned substantial profits. His precision in identifying opportunities and decisiveness in action would have made even today's seasoned real estate speculators feel inferior.

International film superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947, in Thal, a village near Graz, Austria. His father was a police chief and also Schwarzenegger's life mentor. On his 10th birthday, his father asked him to share his life aspirations. Standing before the candles on his birthday cake, young Schwarzenegger made three wishes: first, to become the strongest man in the world; second, to become a successful businessman; and third, to become an outstanding politician. The police chief father was deeply pleased upon hearing his son's ambitions. However, unlike many other fathers who might shower their children with praise, he chose instead to tell his son a story: