A collective subconscious where several people are pondering the same thing at the same time – ideas wondrously planted in our brains.  This was the topic of a recent conversation with a friend, where it was wholly evident that our ideas (not ancestral ones) must have been hijacked by others.  In common circles this might simply be called The News  – but it’s kinda fun to think otherwise.

With this in mind, I feel confident that I am one of a handful on the planet (or at least on my block) who have recently been talking (and previously thinking) about the world’s first trillionaire.  It was with sheer surprise then, that I stumbled across a post in the San Francisco Chronicle on the same topic and indeed with the aforementioned title. What are the chances?

Like the 4 minute mile, the soon to be cracked 2-hour marathon, and of course the first billionaire (see below for the amend in 1974) it is not in debate if there will be a trillionaire, but only who it will be and when.   Rather than looking to predict future contenders for this title, it’s much more interesting an exercise to try and grasp just how much a trillion dollars really is.  Making the unfathomable, fathomable, we can look to some quirky comparisons to try and put this into perspective.  Listed here are some of the best statistics I have been collating and calculating to add to useless analogies that could easily be a title for a new Malcom Gladwell book.  Failing that, they could also act as okay dinner party conversation.

Up until 1974, the UK was on the Long Scale System where a trillion was equal to a million billions.  Thankfully for general agreement and our basic ability for comprehension, they switched to the Short Scale System of the USA where a trillion is equal to a thousand billions*

*A trillion seconds ago = 31,688 years

*If you gave $145 to each person on the planet it would equate roughly to a trillion

*If you had $1,000 bills and stacked them up to make $1 trillion, the pile would be 80 miles high**

*If Americans continue their love affair with television it will take 5 years to reach a trillion hours watched

*John D. Rockefeller became a billionaire in 1916 – that amount is equivalent in today’s economy to nearly $400 billion (or nearing a half-trillionaire depending on how gracious you want to be)

*Today, Mukesh Ambani and Eike Batista own industrial conglomerates that are focused on the economies of India and Brazil.  If they see a 37 year run of 10% growth they will each become trillionaires***

*America has over 14 trillion dollars in debt (and as you read this post it will have increased by 1/2 million dollars)****

*Not far from 1/2 trillion hours of Warcraft are played each year – Total gaming hours is a whole other kettle of fish

*Facebook’s super optimistic IPO is valued at  1/10 of a trillion.  Go figure

*Charlie Sheen will have to do a whole lot more touring if he hopes to reach a trillion anytime soon..

Sources: *Wikipedia, **FrcBlog, ***Investopedia, ****Usdebtclock