The Irish captain David O’Keefe got rich as a money carrier, for stone money.

1871 · 1901 · apart: 30 years

He shipped huge discs from Palau to Yap, took payment in copra and became known as “King of Yap”; Hollywood later made a film about him.

◍ Show on the globe

The event

• O’Keefe and the stone money of Yap1871 · Yap. In 1871 the Irish-American David O’Keefe washed up on Yap. He began shipping huge stone discs, Yap’s money, from Palau on his own vessel, was paid in copra, and became known as the island’s “king”.

19th century · 20th century

More amazing facts

• 1869 1869: in March Mendeleev presented his periodic table, and in November the Suez Canal opened.
• 1870 · 1871 In besieged Paris in 1870, letters were photographed onto microfilm so a single pigeon could carry thousands at once.
• 1871 · 1914 Kimberley's Big Hole is held to be the deepest hole ever dug by hand: from 1871 to 1914 up to 50,000 miners with picks and shovels went 240 metres down and took out 2,720 kg of diamonds.
• 1871 On Yap, money takes the form of stone discs up to 3.6 m across.
• 1872 · 1873 In Japan, 1872 ended on the 2nd of December.
• 1872 The first official international football match ended 0–0: Scotland and England played it in Glasgow on 30 November 1872 before 4,000 spectators.

All amazing facts (1058) →