Early this year, we learned that Elon Musk may become the first trillionaire in world history.

My friends on the left of the political spectrum have been fuming about this story as the ultimate example of the rich getting richer and the poor getting crumbs.

When I appeared on "Real Time with Bill Maher" not long ago, Bill questioned me about the prospect of Musk becoming a trillionaire. "Isn't that excessive?" he asked.

Similar questions about the super wealthy have been asked throughout American history. The first multimillionaire, John Jacob Astor, amassed his fortune in the fur trade and in Manhattan real estate in the first half of the 19th century.

The first billionaire in America was John D. Rockefeller – arguably America's greatest business mind. As the owner of Standard Oil in the early 20th century, he brought access to cheap energy to the masses. Yet the government sued him and broke up his company.

The first centibillionaire – someone with a net worth of $100 billion – in America was Bill........

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