I read a stunning New York Times article over the weekend about a trade that occurred in 1667.
The context is the Dutch owned Manhattan, and the city within it was called New Amsterdam. Meanwhile, the English had colonised an island called Pulau Rhun, which was one of the only places in the world that grew nutmeg—a spice which at the time was worth its weight in gold.
As part of a treaty in 1667 following the Second Anglo-Dutch War, the Dutch agreed to trade the island of Manhattan for the island of Pulau Rhun. The English promptly renamed New Amsterdam to New York.
The roads these two islands have taken since couldn’t be more different. But it’s fascinating to look back on how these two islands—on opposite sides of the world—are connected in the history books.