Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (1869–1955), an Armenian oil magnate born in the Ottoman Empire, earned the nickname "Mr. Five Per Cent" from his personal 5% stake in the Iraq Petroleum Company — a share secured by brokering the 1928 "Red Line Agreement" that structured Middle Eastern oil development for decades. He died in Lisbon in 1955 as reportedly the wealthiest man in the world; his will established the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, one of Europe's largest private cultural and charitable foundations.
1317Notable Armenians
