NEW YORK, March 11 (UPI) -- Microsoft founder Bill Gates enters his second decade as the world's richest man as Forbes Magazine releases its annual list of the top 400.
But this year's list contains some surprises. They include Thor Bjorgolfsson, the first Icelandic billionaire, who founded his fortune on selling booze in Russia, and a record 131 people who became billionaires during the year.
The top two names have a certain familiarity. Gates, with a fortune estimated at almost $50 million, tops the list for the 11th year, closely trailed by investment guru Warren Buffet at $44 million.
Forbes attributes the growing number of super-rich -- with 671 billionaires worldwide this year -- to an improving economy in much of the globe. A weak dollar has also helped many Europeans become billionaires in the United States if not in the Euro area.
The magazine also suggests that entrepreneurs are still finding a way to boost their own and others' fortunes. They cite the founders of Google, who went from being graduate students at Stanford to multi-billionaires in a few years.
