Not really. Ben Franklin died at 84, for example. Jefferson died at 83. Being poor, however, has always sucked. Being wealthy always meant you lived longer.

Not really. Ben Franklin died at 84, for example. Jefferson died at 83. Being poor, however, has always sucked. Being wealthy always meant you lived longer. The difference is that wealth concentration was much more strongly localized and concentrated in the past. And the famous people, who you have heard of, were generally the more wealthy people.