Interesting paragraph from something called the "Concise Encyclopedia of Economics"

http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/StockPrices.html

"Over time, the total return on stocks has exceeded that of any other class of asset. This is shown in [the chart below], which compares the total returns to stocks, long- and short-term government bonds, gold, and commodities (measured by the consumer price index). One dollar invested in stocks in 1802 would have grown to $1,250,000 in 1991, in bonds to $6,920, in Treasury bills to $2,830, and in gold to $14.20. The consumer price index has risen by a factor of 10.4, almost all of it after World War II. One dollar invested in 1802 would have grown, in inflation-adjusted dollars, to $109,000 in stocks, $605 in bonds, $248 in Treasury bills, and $1.24 in gold."