Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian economist who observed that for many events, roughly 80% of the consequences come from 20% of the causes. He found this 80/20 principle held true across different countries and datasets. For example, 20% of the pea pods in his garden contained around 80% of the peas. While the Pareto principle has been consistent for centuries, one exception has been wealth distribution in the United States, where the top 5% of the population holds around 75% of the wealth.