Aristotle Onassis

The twentieth Century’s most famous Greek shipping magnate, Aristotle "Ari" Onassis was born in January, 1906 in Izmir, Turkey. Born into a middle-class household, the Onassis family moved to Greece as refugees. In his late teens, Onassis moved to Argentina, where he revived the family's tobacco business, and soon after received both Argentinian and Greek citizenships.

A determined entrepreneur, Onassis engaged in various business partnerships, acquiring commercial ships, tankers, and whalers. In 1954, he was investigated by the FBI for fraud against the U.S. government, and subsequently charged with violating shipping laws, paying $7 million for the offenses. This did not stop Onassis from his enterprises, however, and three years later, he founded the Greek national carrier Olympic Airways, which is today known as Olympic Airlines.

In 1946, Onassis married Athina Livanos, daughter of shipping magnate, Stavros Livanos. The couple had a son, Alexander, who died in 1973 from a plane crash; and a daughter, Christina, who died in 1988. After Onassis divorced from his wife Athina, she went on to marry his arch shipping rival, Stavros Niarchos I, whose grandson is currently dating Paris Hilton.

Onassis also had an affair with opera singer, Maria Callas, with whom he had a son who died shortly after birth. Onassis attempted to end his affair with Callas when he married Jacqueline Kennedy in 1968; however, he continued to see Callas during his marriage to Jacqueline Onassis, and Callas was generally considered to be the love of his life.

On March 15, 1975, Onassis died at the age of sixty-nine in France of bronchial pneumonia. He left half of his fortune to his daughter, Christina. At one point following the death of her father, Christina had lost all of her immediate family members within a twenty-four-month period, leaving her severely depressed and a frequent target of U.S. tabloids, as living proof that money can’t buy happiness. Christina passed away at age thirty-seven, from drug abuse and damages wrought by a long-term eating disorder.

The other half of Onassis’ fortune went to a foundation set up to honor his late son, Alexander Onassis. Jacqueline Onassis reportedly inherited $10 million from Onassis’ death, negotiated by her former brother in law, Ted Kennedy.

An intense workaholic, Onassis was frequently sleep-deprived, and reportedly even attempted to tape his eyelids open. His disregard for sleep was evident in his advice, "Don't get too much sleep and don't tell anybody your troubles. Appearances count. Get a sun lamp to keep you looking as though you have just come back from somewhere expensive. Maintain an elegant address even if you have to live in the attic. Never nickle when short of cash. Borrow big, but always repay promptly."

YUDDY