(mellow music) - [Narrator] What would you
buy if money was no boundary? How about a diamond-encrusted car, or even a pigeon worth hundreds
of thousands of dollars? Well, billionaires from around the world have already purchased such things, and I'm sure they still have
more than enough cash left over to last them a lifetime. For when you have too much money, take inspiration from these
10 most ridiculous items bought by some of the
richest people in the world. (playful music) - Amazing. - [Narrator] Number 10,
the Search for Alien Life. Have you ever wondered if perhaps there happens to be alien
life out beyond our planet? Well, you wouldn't be the only one. Yuri Milner, a Russian
billionaire, is so interested in the search for other life that he has spent $100
million of his own money on research to see what else is out there. Teaming up with Stephen Hawking, he created project Breakthrough Starshot, which focuses on sending
out tiny starchip devices which use light sailing to
travel 100 million miles per hour for the next 20 years. Crazy, right? These devices have the
capability of capturing images of nearby planets and stars, and they plan to use them to capture data from the nearest star system,
known as Alpha Centauri, which happens to be about
4.37 light-years away. To get there, it's estimated
to take these devices between 30 and 20 years, with about four years needed just to notify Earth of
a successful arrival. Who knows if they'll ever
find other life out there. It was worth $100 million
dollars though, right? Number nine, the Most
Expensive Pigeon Ever. How much would you spend on a pigeon? All right, crazy question, I know. It's more likely you'd pay to get rid of one of these
projectile-pooping birds. It may then come as a
surprise that back in 2013, $400,000 was spent on one by Chinese businessman, Gao Fuxin. As surprising as it may seem, pigeon racing is a very lucrative
sport to get involved in. Enthusiasts will spend a lot
of money on prize pigeons that can travel the furthest distances in the shortest amount of time. Former heavyweight champ
Mike Tyson even competes. He got into the sport after a bully pulled the
head off his pet pigeon, and now he owns a huge collection of them. Auctioned in Europe by a Belgian breeder, the $400,000 year-old
pigeon was being offered for a relatively high price, and plenty of people
from various countries were bidding for it, but Gao stole away the auction with his bid of about $400,000. He plans on using it for
breeding more racing pigeons and auctioning them off. The prices for these pigeons
have doubled in China in the last few years,
and I'm sure that Gao will make his money back rather quickly. He'll probably have enough leftover to buy himself a few more pigeons. Number eight, Visible from Space. One Arab Sheik decided to literally leave his mark on the world, and it's something you can't quite miss. Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan
decided to write his name in the sand so large that
it can be viewed from space. He came up with the idea
to sketch his name in sand on the island of Al Futaisi. It was definitely a work in progress. It took his men many weeks to create this large piece of graffiti that measures 1,000 meters
high and two miles long. The piece was so well thought out that Hamad even made sure his
name would never be erased, but instead, the letters
would form waterways that absorb any approaching tide. Hamad, also known as the Rainbow Sheik, has always been a lover
of luxurious things and making a statement. With a fortune only
second to the Saudi King, Hamad is thought to have over 200 cars, the world's largest truck, and even a motor home that's
shaped like the Earth, and one-millionth of the size of it. While Hamad is sure to
have made a statement with this large graffiti, it's only a matter of time
before he comes up with something on an even more grand scale. Number seven, One of a Kind Haircut. We all have our preferences
when it comes to our own hair. Some will only have trusted
stylists touch their hair, some will only cut it themselves, and some will shell out the big bucks to ensure they get the haircut they want. When it comes to the latter, the Sultan of Brunei,
Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, did exactly that. The sultan spent about
$21,000 on his haircut, enough to pay most people's
rent for a couple years. There's usually only one person who's allowed to cut the Sultan's hair, and that person is none
other than Ken Modestou, who is the owner of a salon in the Dorchester hotel in London. It's not unusual for Ken to fly out to cut the Sultan's hair. He actually does this about
every three to four weeks. Making sure Ken is taken care of, the Sultan usually provides
Ken with a first-class seat that sits at a price of about $14,000. Everything is paid for for Ken, whether it's the luxury food, or the hotel that he stays at. The reason for the exceptionally
higher price tag of $21,000 was because there happened to
be an outbreak of swine flu amongst the passengers
of Singapore Airlines. Because of this, the
Sultan wanted to ensure that Ken would stay healthy, so he arranged for him to
travel in a private suite. Number six, Touch of Gold. For many people, flying can be a somewhat
uncomfortable task. When you take into account
the long waiting hours, the cramped seating and
the limited leg room, it makes sense why some people
dread the thought of flying. Topping this list once again, the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, doesn't have to worry about the problems of flying economy class anytime soon. Actually, he doesn't
even need to worry about flying first class either, and that's because he
has his own personal jet. You're probably wondering what's so special about a private jet? Don't most billionaires have one? While they may have one, how many have one with a
gold and crystal interior? Hassanal spent around $100 million just to purchase the Boeing 747-430, and then he spent an
additional $120 million just to make sure the plane
has a luxurious interior fit for a sultan. Comprising of golden walls
and washbasins made of gold and Lalique crystals, I'm sure
anyone who enters this jet will be shocked by how glamorous it looks. The sultan has a rather extensive
collection of aircrafts, which include two Airbus A430s and a 767, but the Boeing 747-430 is his largest and most extravagant aircraft to date. Number five, Dream Car. Have you ever dreamed
of having a fancy car? What about a diamond-encrusted Mercedes? If that sounds a bit unbelievable, I don't blame you for thinking so, but it actually does exist, and the proud owner of it is none other than Prince
Alwaleed Bin Talal. He's even rumored to charge people $1000 just to touch the car. Yet, the private office of
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal has stated that the Prince
does not, and has never, owned a diamond-encrusted Mercedes. It's said that the car was
actually a Mercedes-Benz SL-600 that was covered in 300,000
gold shadow crystals, and designed by a Japanese
automotive accessories company in Japan. But this claim has to be
taken with a pinch of salt because the Prince has come
under fire before for his wealth and its likely just an attempt to understate his extravagance. What do you think? Is it actually the prince's car, or just part of an auto show? Either way, this card
holds a hefty price tag. Number four, Living in Luxury. The richest man in India,
Mukesh Ambani, built a home that's worth over $1 billion, and it's definitely a
home built for a king. Located on Altamount Road in South Mumbai, this building reaches an
impressive 4 million square feet and towers over the city. While the building is
technically only 27-stories, because of its double-height ceilings, it actually reaches a
height of almost 40 stories. It's no surprise that
with that size of a home, it contains plenty of
room for guests and staff, and even contains an entourage room where security and bodyguards can rest. In fact, the building contains
over 600 staff members. While there may be plenty
of staff in the building, apparently, the kids still have
to clean up their own rooms when they're home. Besides the rooms where guests,
family and staff can relax, this building also contains
a health spa, a salon, a ballroom, a private
theater with seating for 50, three swimming pools,
yoga and dance studios, and six stories of parking. It seems as though you'll
rarely need to leave the home. The family lives on the very
top floor of the building and the reason for that? They wanted sunlight, and the top rooms are the best for that. Number three, The Secrets of da Vinci. Bill Gates has such a vast fortune it must be difficult to find
things worth buying with it. That's probably why he
spends so much of it on benefiting the world through
his philanthropic efforts. In the '90s though, he saw an investment that he wanted to make, and he was going to pay
anything to achieve it. Gates has always had a love for anything that challenges his mind, and so it's no surprise that he was drawn to a certain multitasker from the past. During an auction in 1994, a
journal was put up for auction, and it happened to be none other than the work of Leonardo da Vinci. Gates had his eye on the journal, otherwise known as the Codex Leicester, and willingly spent $30.8 million to learn the secrets that
da Vinci had left behind. Gates explained that he
was drawn to the journal because of the inspiration that is the person who created it. That no matter what, with no feedback on whether
what he was doing was correct, he kept pushing himself. If you wish to view the journal, the British Library
has a digitized version which shows off da Vinci's fluid drawings and the inner workings of his mind. Number two, Clock in a Cave. Collecting clocks and watches
is a rather popular hobby, but the billionaire in this example takes it to another level. And if you thought the anonymous bidder who bought this $24 million Patek Philippe
Supercomplication pocket watch was being extravagant, then think again. Imagine something even more
complicated and complex than a supercomplication watch,
and what you'll arrive at is the project undertaken by
Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, who is funding a clock
housed within a cave. There's no set date for when
the clock will be completed, but once it's finished, it will be open to the
public for everyone to view. The project is inspired by
The Clock of the Long Now, which was thought up by
Danny Hillis in 1986. The idea was to create a mechanical clock designed to keep time
perfectly for 10,000 years, hence its name, the 10,000 Year Clock. You can still view this prototype at the Science Museum in London, but two more recent prototypes exist at the The Long Now Museum and Store at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. Jeff Bezos' Bezos Expeditions is funding a similar technical project
costing upwards of $42 million, and his clock is being
created 500 feet down into a Texan mountain
that Bezos himself owns. We don't know how long it will take, but we're sure that this clock in the cave will be a sight to behold, and will be able to keep time for thousands of years to come. As to why he's doing this, Bezos explains that
it's essentially a clock to keep us humble. The clock reminds us that we're small in the grand scheme of things, and that most of our lives will last at the very most, a fraction of 1% of the aspirational life of the clock. Before I reveal the most
outrageous example in this list, I'd like to remind you to
subscribe to Be Amazed. We upload amazing
fact-filled videos every day, so don't miss out on learning
some amazing new information. Also, hit that bell icon for notifications on more amazing fact-filled videos. Number one, A Painting Worth a Fortune. Spending a large amount on a
painting isn't anything new, especially in the world of billionaires. Painted with skillful hands and hard work, many people want their homes to be adorned by wonderful works of art. You may have even spent a pretty penny on a piece of artwork that you loved, but would you ever buy one that
was worth over $150 million, even if you were a billionaire? That was the price of one
of Picasso's paintings known as Le Reve, which billionaire investor
Steven Cohen purchased in 2013. Le Reve is an oil painting
created by Pablo Picasso in 1932, and it portrays a portrait
of his 22-year-old mistress, Marie Therese Walter. Cohen actually had to wait about six years after purchasing the painting, as it had to be restored
after the original owner, Steven Wynn, put his elbow through it. The restoration team
clearly did a great job, as the painting also hopped
up from $139 million in 2006 to $155 million in 2013. But that happens to not be the only piece of expensive artwork
that Cohen had purchased. He also bought a sculpture of
a preserved shark in a tank by the artist Damien Hirst, and it happens to be titled The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living. While the art has been showing
signs of deterioration, it's value is still continually going up. It's clear Cohen has an art
collection to be envious of. Which of these purchases did
you find the most bizarre? What crazy thing would you purchase if you were a billionaire? Let me know in the comments down below. Thanks for watching. (playful music)
