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submitted 3 weeks ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

Summary

A new book, Ricardo’s Dream by Nat Dyer, reveals that Sir Isaac Newton’s wealth was closely tied to the transatlantic slave trade during his tenure as master of the mint at the Bank of England.

Newton profited from gold mined by enslaved Africans in Brazil, much of which was converted into British currency under his oversight, earning him a fee for each coin minted.

While Newton’s scientific legacy remains untarnished, the book highlights his financial entanglement with slavery, a common thread among Britain’s banking and finance elites of the era.

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[-] JeffKerman1999@sopuli.xyz 21 points 3 weeks ago

People in the past were huge pieces of shit. News at 11

[-] CaptainThor@lemmy.world 7 points 3 weeks ago

People in the past were products of their time, news at 11

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this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2024
239 points (90.5% liked)

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