Sam Walton opened his first Wal-Mart discount store in Rogers, Arkansas, in 1962. He died on April 5, 1992 at the age of 74, after creating one of the biggest chains of discount stores in the world.

His widow Helen R Walton, daughter Alice L Walton, and sons Jim C Walton, John T Walton and S Robson Walton, each with a personal wealth of $20.5 billion, have all been ranked among the richest Americans by Forbes.

The Walton family occupies the fourth to eighth spots in the list of ten richest Americans.

Photograph shows a Wal-Mart store in Riverside, Illinois, USA. (Inset) Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton.

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images.