In 1775, Jewish merchant Haym Salomon began personally lending money to help fund the American Revolutionary War, eventually advancing over 650,000 dollars (worth roughly 20 million dollars in 2025). According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the government owed him more than 600,000 dollars, which was never repaid. Salomon died penniless in Philadelphia in 1785, after sacrificing his fortune to keep the fledgling American republic afloat.
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