Peter  MINUIT

Biography
Peter Minuit was a 17th-century explorer and colonial administrator known for his role in the early Dutch settlement of North America. He was born in Wesel, in the Duchy of Cleves (now in Germany) in 1580, and he died in a hurricane near the Caribbean island of Saint Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1638.

In 1626, Minuit became the Director-General of the Dutch colony of New Netherland, which encompassed present-day New York City, the Hudson Valley, and parts of New Jersey and Delaware. He was appointed by the Dutch West India Company, a trading company that sought to establish profitable colonies in North America.

One of Minuit's most famous actions was the purchase of Manhattan Island from the Native Americans in 1626. The transaction is often portrayed as Minuit buying the island for $24 worth of trinkets, though the exact details of the deal are uncertain. Regardless, the purchase is significant as it allowed the Dutch to establish a more secure foothold in the region.

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1626 - May 6 - Dutch colonist Peter Minuit buys Manhattan Island from local Indians for 60 guilders worth of trinkets
On May 6, 1626, Dutch colonist Peter Minuit famously purchased Manhattan Island from local Lenape Indians in exchange for goods valued at 60 Dutch guilders. This transaction is often cited as the origin of the purchase of Manhattan, although the exact details and circumstances of the deal remain somewhat shrouded in historical ambiguity. The exchange is said to have occurred on the southern tip of the island, where the Dutch established New Amsterdam, a key settlement that later grew into modern-day New York City.

The value of 60 guilders, often equated to around $24, has become legendary, representing what seems like a paltry sum for an island that would become one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in the world.
Visit Manhattan, New York, USA (New York City) (New Amsterdam) (Washington Heights)

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