Mansa Musa destroyed the entire economy of Cairo in the fourteenth century simply by giving away too much free gold during a religious pilgrimage.

A closer look

Mansa Musa destroyed the entire economy of Cairo in the fourteenth century simply by giving away too much free gold during a religious pilgrimage. The incredibly wealthy ruler of the Mali Empire was traveling to Mecca with a massive entourage and handed out so much gold to the poor and local merchants that he accidentally caused hyperinflation. The sudden influx of precious metal completely crashed the regional market, heavily depreciating the value of gold for over a decade. It took years for the Mediterranean economy to recover from his aggressive philanthropy, proving once again that injecting massive amounts of stimulus into a localized market without warning is a fantastic way to accidentally bankrupt the very people you are trying to help