Daniel Keith Ludwig (June 24, 1897 – August 27, 1992) was a United States shipping magnate, businessman with numerous companies, and billionaire. He pioneered the construction of super tankers in Japan, founded Exportadora de Sal, SA in Mexico and developed it as the largest salt company in the world, built a model community in association with his huge Jari project on the Amazon River in Brazil to produce pulp paper, and had numerous hotels around the world.
Even though he was one of the wealthiest men of his day, with operations spanning 23 countries, his name was little known. Throughout his business life, he maintained a low profile; he ceased speaking to the press in the 1950s. Ludwig has the distinction of being #1 on the first Forbes 400 "Richest Americans" list published in 1982.
Daniel Keith Ludwig was born in 1897 to Daniel F. Ludwig (1873–1960), a captain in the merchant marine who was nicknamed "Lud", and Flora Belle Ludwig (1875–1961) in South Haven, Michigan, on the shores of Lake Michigan. His father was one of seven brothers in a family of 13, most of them born in Pennsylvania. They had moved to Michigan when he was young, and four brothers plus Daniel made their lives in Port Arthur as adults. Four of Daniel's uncles made their living as captains of Great Lakes vessels. His father's oldest brother, Lancaster Columbus Ludwig (1855-1954), served as a captain on a passage steamer from South Haven to Chicago for many decades.
Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means, "God is my judge", and derives from two early biblical figures, primary among them Daniel from the Book of Daniel. It is a common given name for males, and is also used as a surname. It is also the basis for various derived given names and surnames.
The name evolved into over 100 different spellings in countries around the world. Nicknames (Dan, Danny) are common in both English and Hebrew, although in some instances "Dan" may be a complete given name rather than a nickname. The name "Daniil" (Даниил) is common in Russia. Feminine versions (Danielle, Daniela, Daniella, Dani, Danitza) are prevalent as well. The Dutch names "Daan" and "Daniël" are also variations of Daniel. A related surname developed as a patronymic, Daniels. Other surnames derived from "Daniel" include McDaniel and Danielson.
In the United States, the U.S. Social Security Administration reports that Daniel has peaked as the fifth most popular name for newborns in 1985, 1990, 2007, and 2008. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in the 2000 census, "Daniels" was the 182nd most common surname in the U.S., while "McDaniel" was ranked at 323, and "Daniel" (without a final "s") was ranked at 380.
"Daniel" is a song by English recording artist Bat for Lashes, from her second studio album, Two Suns. It is her best selling single to date, selling over 46,000 copies worldwide. The song was announced as the lead single from Two Suns in January 2009, then released as a digital download single on 1 March 2009, and as a 7" vinyl single on 6 April 2009. The track was written by Natasha Khan and produced by David Kosten, as with all tracks on the album. Ira Wolf Tuton from Yeasayer provided the bass lines for the song and Khan did the rest of the instrumentation herself. Khan said in an interview with The Sun newspaper that "Daniel" is based on a fictional character that she fell in love with as a teenager. The single's cover features Khan with an image of the character Daniel LaRusso, from the film The Karate Kid, painted on her back. A character much like LaRusso also features at the end of the music video which goes with the song. The B-side of the 7" is a cover version of a 1980 single by The Cure.
Daniel is an English department store chain and Royal Warrant holder, with its flagship store situated in central Windsor. It was established in 1901 by Walter James Daniel, and is privately owned.
Coordinates: 51°28′55″N 0°36′35″W / 51.4820°N 0.6097°W / 51.4820; -0.6097