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The man who became a millionaire selling land on the moon

Curiosities - August 28, 2019

In 1967, the United Nations established the treaty on outer space, which prevents a country from owning any object beyond the earth, including any planet or star.

Image 1. The man who became a millionaire selling land on the moon

The first owner of the Moon

However, in 1954, before that document was issued, the Chilean Jenaro Gajardo Vera, went to a notary to declare that he was the owner of the Moon, a request that after having the respective formalities, approved and became effective. However, Gajardo did not make the most of it except to be accepted into a social club where it was necessary to have some property.

On her death she left her in leave her in leave her to the Chilean people, with such bad fortunes that Chile is part of the countries that have signed the Lunar Treaty, which prevents the total or partial possession of the moon by individuals, thereby being invalidated.

Dennis Hope

Parallel to this, in the year 1980, and using the legal vacuum in the outer space treaty in which a country is prohibited from owning any planet or star, but which says nothing about individuals, Dennis Hope, an American entrepreneur, registered in his name, not only the Moon, but also all the planets of the solar system along with their respective satellites.

He has since established the Lunar embassy on Earth and began selling plots on the moon so successfully that he has now sold lunar land to more than 6 million people worldwide and the profits he has accumulated from his sales are estimated to be approximately $120 million.

Sale of land and buyers

But Hope has not sold land on the moon to unwary and, quite the contrary, among its buyers are true stars of Hollywood, former Us President Jimmy Carter and prestante hotel chains such as the Hilton and the Marriot, not so motivated for the fact that they are effective owners of some land on the Moon, but for having a title, even if it is symbolic, of such property and, eventually, in case they could have any benefit in the future.

Selling other planets

But the controversial entrepreneur has gone much further, not only marketing land on the Moon but currently also selling plots on Mercury, Mars and Venus and is estimated to exceed 1000 sales per day. According to Hope himself, once he has sold all the lunar land, he expects to have raised $35 billion.

Image source: pixabay.com