Скачать или смотреть The Luckiest Men of the Gold Rush

Let's explore the real-life stories of the men who struck gold, some quite literally, during history’s most iconic gold rushes. From those who stood on the edge of fortune only to watch it slip away, to those who walked away with unimaginable wealth, this countdown traces the spectrum of gold rush luck.

We begin with James W. Marshall, the man who discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill and unknowingly set off the California Gold Rush—yet gained nothing from it. His partner, John Sutter, would suffer a similar fate, losing his land and legacy as fortune-seekers overran his holdings.

Next, we look at George Carmack, the man credited with discovering gold in the Klondike, whose lucky claim sparked a stampede of prospectors and changed the course of Yukon history. Then there’s Clarence J. Berry, known as the "luckiest man of the Klondike," who turned his find into a long-lasting legacy of wealth and business acumen.

We also revisit the story of Samuel Brannan, California’s first millionaire—not from mining, but from strategically selling shovels, picks, and supplies to desperate prospectors. Then comes the tale of John Deason and Richard Oates, two men who unearthed the largest gold nugget ever found, the famed "Welcome Stranger." And finally, Kevin Hillier, a modern-day prospector who stumbled upon another record-setting nugget—the “Hand of Faith”—with a metal detector in Australia.

These stories remind us that luck in a gold rush can take many forms—from digging up a fortune to simply being in the right place at the right time.

0:00 7 - James W. Marshall
1:48 6 - John Sutter
4:06 5 - George Carmack
5:57 4 - Clarence J. Berry
9:37 3 - Samuel Brannan
11:38 2 - John Deason and Richard Oates
13:26 1 - Kevin Hillier