Donald Trump famously revealed that he kick-started his career with a "very small" million-dollar loan from his father, the real estate tycoon Fred Trump. By the time Fred passed away in 1999, he’d amassed a fortune of around $300 million (£240m) and gained a reputation as "the Henry Ford of the home-building industry." So how did the son of a German barber lay the foundations for the Trump Organization?

Read on to discover the secrets of Fred Trump – the man who watered down paint, was arrested at a KKK rally, and made "The Donald" an eight-year-old millionaire. All dollar values in US dollars unless otherwise stated and historic currency conversions correct for the time.