Via MentalFloss – data from Forbes: “Last month Forbes put out a list of the richest people in each state. Some were obvious, like Bill Gates in Washington ($78.8 billion) or Warren Buffett in Nebraska ($70.2 billion). Other states, like Delaware, involved a little more digging by journalists Dan Alexander, Kerry Close, Maggie McGrath, Chase Peterson-Withorn, and Rebecca Spalding. (Robert Gore and Elizabeth Snyder from Gore-Tex hold the title of Delaware’s most wealthy with $675 million). To settle on people, the journalists not only looked at public records but also valuations of private assets, like oil wells and coal mines. On the list, 40 of the wealthy people are self-made, leaving only 10 as what Forbes refers to as “do-nothing heirs.” Head over to Forbes to see the full list and find out what these people (or their parents) did to get so fabulously wealthy.”