stackyFACTSThe greatest swindle in real estate history involved a few shiny beads and some utter confusion.
The greatest swindle in real estate history involved a few shiny beads and some utter confusion. In 1626, Dutch colonists supposedly bought the island of Manhattan from local Native Americans for trade goods valued at about sixty guilders. However, modern historians point out that the Native Americans didn't share the European concept of absolute land ownership and likely thought they were just agreeing to share the area, making the 'purchase' a massive cultural misunderstanding.
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