Potosi: The Silver Mine that Changed the World

Spanish colonial rule in the Americas was a brutal regime that killed millions of native Americans and transferred a nearly unimaginable volume of wealth from the New World to the Old World. Awful though it was, the Spanish efforts in the Americas would profoundly change not just the Americas but also the entire world. Rarely remembered today, Potosí and its mountain - Cerro Rico, literally “Rich Mountain” - would play a pivotal role in history.
This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
You can purchase the bow tie worn in this episode at The Tie Bar:
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All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Non censuram.
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Script by JCG
#history #thehistoryguy #potosi

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

At 11:43 I mention the town of Potosi Michigan. That is an error- there is no town called Potosi in Michigan. There are towns in Wisconsin, Missouri and Texas, a ghost town and mountain in Nevada named after Potosi.

[@farber2]

Petosky mich.

[@eduardoribeiro383]

Very very nicely done. May I suggest that you look at the Gold Cycle happened in Brazil a few decades later, that paid for the reconstruction of Lisboa, generated wealth for the Hanseatic League, England and other colonial powers. To this day, in Portuguese the verbs Exploit and Explore are only one word (explorar) its a great reflection of how language and ethics reflect each other.

[@cvoskuil]

Now Potosi, WI makes beer.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

They pronounce it Poe Ta see 👀. Not knit picking! Just thought you'd like to know!

[@russcondk]

You may have been thinking of Petoskey Michigan, named after the Petoskey stone scattered around in that region. The stone is a fossilized coral from the coral reefs that were here oh, about 400 Million years ago (+/-, as I wasn't here then...). Found one on the beach yesterday.

[@BlueBaron3339]

Not was wasted word in this episode. Never has so much significant history been packed into fewer than fourteen minutes. Outstanding writing!

[@ChuckHickl]

Spot on. Was going to post similar but you beat me too it.

[@jonathanwetherell3609]

Totally agree.

[@sunnyjim1355]

Except there were things he could have said but didn't.

[@BlueBaron3339]

@@sunnyjim1355 😂

[@Mr.CliffysWorld]

@@sunnyjim1355 there is ALWAYS things that could have been said but were not . Besides, one only has so much time, if he said EVERYTHING there is to say about the effects on the world from that silver mine the video would be measured in years instead of minutes . 🤷🏼‍♂️✌️

[@USBearForce]

One interesting side effect of tapping Potosi’s riches is that it actually stunted Spain’s long-term growth. Countries such as England, France, and the Netherlands had to develop more advanced economic and financial systems while Spain was able to get by on simply extracting silver. Eventually, the glut of silver left Spain mired in inflation while funding the early industrialization of its main rivals. The “Resource Curse” is nothing new.

[@skybluskyblueify]

That and Spain's unwillingness to get rid of absolute monarchy and use some of the ideas that their European neighbors did at the time.

[@JTA1961]

No SPAIN~No GAIN

[@Ozymandias1]

One of the folk heroes in the Netherlands is Piet Hein, a privateer who captured the entire Spanish silver fleet. A children's song was written about him that every Dutch child used to know (of course kids today now only know the theme song of SpongeBob Squarepants and the like).

[@kitrichardson2165]

They call that “dutch disease” which has been going on since the 16th century. Should be called “Spanish disease”

[@maxd161990]

Dubai is trying to avoid that…

[@monte4150]

As a coin collector of Spanish and Mexican 8 Reales as well as chop marked coins, this video was so well researched and presented I'm speechless. Very well done! Bravo History Guy!

[@toddbellows5282]

Except that there is no Petosi Michigan. It's Petoskey.

[@user-js4vh2lw6n]

The History Guy should be considered a national treasure!

[@andreasproteus1465]

His blank camera staring face is irritating while his cadence is frequently over the top.

[@privatepilot4064]

I totally agree!

[@dr.floridaman4805]

Only in death. While alive a person has the ability to taint their legacy.

[@nightlightabcd]

@@andreasproteus1465 - Then what do you think of treasonous, criminal Psycho Don's and his treasonous fascist parties and propagandist daily retarded, encouraging and supporting treasonous BS?

[@glennraydavis]

yes yes I concur

[@artjones2498]

ive said this 100 times...but if you were my teacher in high school i think i wouldve gotten a degree in history....and be a teacher....instead of being a heavy equipment mechanic....your the best teacher ive ever had....thank you

[@gus473]

👍🏼 History's important, but we'd be in sad shape without skilled mechanics! 😎✌🏼

[@johneverson2433]

History taught in most schools has been censored so as not to offend people. I remember talking to my Grandfather about the Great Depression and how the banks closed. That’s when he told me what really happened was the banks took all of your savings and at the end of the month you had better not be late on your mortgage payment or they came and took your house

[@HE-162]

@@johneverson2433 unfortunately this is the case in all nations. History is taught selectively and with bias to align with national interest. American children today learn nothing about the last 200 years of American imperialist actions across South America, despite the effects of those efforts(mass South American immigration) being central to modern politics. One has to wonder how the world might be if nations simply owned the truths of their past, and how the world might be if the world taught its children the truth instead of the party line.

[@chloehennessey6813]

@@HE-162 In my school we learned about all of our history. Including the bad stuff. Okay, I acknowledge America’s ancestors were colonials and did some bad things. Now what?

[@tissuepaper9962]

@@HE-162 we definitely learned more than "nothing" about our meddling in SA, but we definitely didn't get taught nearly enough about it.

[@analuna1771]

I am a Bolivian. Thank you History Guy for showing the world that Potosi still exists.

[@theonlygoodlookinghabsburg2081]

I really appreciate this episode. I love it when history channels shed light on the working people of the past and not solely focus on the glories of kings, generals and emperors.

[@jimdandy8119]

@@sunnyjim1355 Well they aren't anymore. Think that might become a problem for the "elites"?

[@goldgeologist5320]

As a mining geologist I approve this episode. Well done History Guy! How about a few more geology subjects.

[@pp7x79]

hi fellow geologist! i hope to specialize in mining next 3 years. so nice :)

[@O-sa-car]

yeah an episode on Tambora would be cool

[@mcgam2000]

As fluent Spanish speaker, it took me a long time before I realized what you were saying Potosi' the accent is on the last sailable potoSI

[@rogerodle8750]

I see offerings of The History Guy about subjects that I can't imagine being interested in. But I watch them, because... the power of The History Guy compels me. I am never disappointed.

[@dsc4178]

Silver robbed a bank; when caught, silver's sterling reputation was tarnished.

[@rbnhd1976]

3/10 nice try (jk)

[@goodun2974]

Silver's reputation will forever be tarnished by the things men will do to get their hands on more of it..

[@scottydog1313]

Ore was it? Things might pan out for him, and he'll be fine.

[@bremnersghost948]

Long John Silver approves

[@kevinhorne7881]

That's truly horrible... in the very best possible way!

[@st3v3b0b7]

Potosi, MO in the center of the Missouri Lead Belt known for producing the Lead for Ammunition and Batteries

[@handimanjay6642]

🤔 so they town of Lead Mine was…..?

[@elcastorgrande]

Our word "dollar" comes from the Joachimsthal silver mines (modern Czech Republic). The coins struck were called "Joachimsthaler" at first, then shortened to "thaler".

[@MervynPartin]

There was also Uranium deposits in the Joachimsthal mines, but the only use for it in those days was as a green pigment for staining glass in church windows.

[@dr.ofdubiouswisdom4189]

There is a city named Petoskey Mich. No silver, just Petoskey stones. History Guy...you do find some gems tho, thanks!

[@samiam619]

I’m far far away, but I’ve heard of these Petoskey stones… I’m outside East Jordan, Michigan! 😀

[@spawniscariot9756]

Well, I'm certainly glad THG erred about this. Now I've learnt about Petoskey stones as well!

[@belliott538]

I learned about Petoskey Stones along with Puddin’ Stones watching “Michigan Rocks” here on YT...

[@jimrathert4960]

Excellent and very fluent presentation. I dare say “You are blessed with a silver- tongue “

[@kendavis8046]

As part of my economics courses 4 decades ago, I read "The Wealth of Nations". A very dry read, but it was obviously a tremendously important work. Thanks, History Guy!

[@erikjohnson9223]

People with kids: I credit Adam Smith's book with teaching me how to reason from evidence, which in turn enabled me to reason well and write good essay responses, skills that enabled me to ace most of the Advanced Placement tests I attempted. Some books are classic for a reason.

[@loke6664]

Very interesting, I wouldn't min another episode on the silver mine in Germany where the term "dollar" comes from as well. Spain was annoyed that many of the new world silver mines were mixed with the worthless platinum metal, I think they dumped a lot of the platinum at sea. Not a great idea in hindsight.

[@danielplazak8131]

Joachimsthal (now Jachymov) was never in Germany, but Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). The silver coins minted there were called "Joachimsthalers", shortened to "thalers", corrupted by the Dutch to "dalers", and passed on in English as "dollars". The 8-real coins (pieces of eight) becxame known as Spanish dollars, and became the model for the American silver dollar.

[@stefanschleps8758]

I want some.

[@dbmail545]

I was told that they considered platinum to be "green gold" and threw it back in the river to "ripen"

[@Smokey298]

Any time you can collect a lot of something its valuable.

[@jliller]

The changes in the South American silver mints helped identify a shipwreck on the Florida East Coast as the 1659 wreck of the San Miguel Archangel.

[@charlesclager6808]

This piece of history certainly DOES need to be remembered. Excellent video.

[@goneutt]

An inflation example. If you base your economy on a scarce resource like silver, finding too much of it makes everything a joke. I remember a African king going to Mecca ruining the economy by paying way too much for resources on his way.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJ_EYniEjpqbn5Y

[@goodun2974]

Basing your economy on something that sorta kinda *does* grow on trees, like Holland and tulips historically, didn't work out so well either.

[@goodun2974]

And now, we have the special type of inflation caused by *gentrification*, where people with money move in to an area formerly populated by lower middle class or poor people,and as the money comes in with the rich people it drives up the price of everything from rent to food to taxes, so that the poor people can't afford to live there anymore.

[@farticlesofconflatulation]

Even then they were “makin’ it rain”!

[@Foolish188]

@@goodun2974 And then the Middleclass creates laws, zoning and ordinances designed to protect "Property Values" and finish driving the poor out.

[@mikeorclem]

A termite walks into the bar and asks, ‘Is the bar tender here?’

[@kurtdietrich5421]

My brother-in-law and his brother were divers for Mel Fisher when they found the Nuestra Senora de Atocha with hundreds of ingots of silver from Potosi. Very cool story.

[@Dan4CW]

Cool!

[@ryurazu]

Thanks for well presented short info into silver for Potosi

[@neddreadmaynard]

WHAT?? A mention of the golden age of pirates but no "every good story involves pirates "!! Wonderful content as expected. Love from the UK.

[@ianmacfarlane1241]

Doesn't every good story contain pirates...? Pieces of eight...pieces of eight.

[@stevenhoman2253]

i have always prefered pieces of nine

[@ianmacfarlane1241]

@@stevenhoman2253 That reminds me of the old pizza gag. Pizza cook "Would you like your pizza cut into six slices or eight slices?" Customer "Better just make it six - I don't know if I'll be able to manage eight"

[@Face2theScr33n]

Then their gov't declared them to be "pieces of six"... Lord strike me dead if I'm wrong, but some things never change... Edit to add: not struck dead.

[@ThatBobGuy850]

Ian Macfarlane, thank you! I always remembered that riff: "Gold doubloons and pieces of eight...pieces of eight" But for the life of me I couldn't remember where it was from. Now that you "triggered" me, it only took a couple of clicks to find the song. Aint the internet grand? What would I have done in the "bad old days" before Google??

[@BlackMambo]

@@ThatBobGuy850 let me guess... "Treasure Island"? 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@andyrbush]

Every time I watch THG I am amazed at how much we were not taught in history classes. THG is green to listen to and learn from. Our history teacher was only good for sending us into study other subjects.

[@buddharuci2701]

Well done. And thanks. Several years ago I visited Potosi and learned quite a bit about the horrifying impact the mine and the Spanish overlords had on the indigenous peoples there. Even today, as you indicated, people - children - are dying as they work the mines. Wealth for some, death for others. Let us reflect.

[@sewwithmsjones1196]

As a Missourian, when I first read the title I assumed it would be about the mining industry in Potosi, MO. I had never heard of the silver mines in Bolivia.

[@billbeyatte]

Just about to write, "add Potosi, Missouri", to your list when I read your pinned comment. It's rare that I'm able find an inaccuracy in your exhaustively researched videos. Thanks.

[@tedthesailor172]

I used to think I'd had a reasonable education until I encountered The History Guy and discovered endless things of enormous consequence that I'd never even heard of...

[@kimfleury]

Even so, buyer beware. He's got some stuff wrong in this one. I could point you to his sources. If he's unaware of the sources that disagree with his, then his fault is in not looking thoroughly.

[@mattmacalpine2239]

My son and I love watching you're videos. Keep them coming.

[@nokiot9]

Holy cow I think I’ve been there! In armadillo near San Luis Potosí! I went with my metal detector. Found my first and only piece of Spanish silver in a river bed that runs right through town.

[@spddiesel]

Potosi, WI, is approximately 5 miles long and 2 blocks wide.

[@michaelkrick9524]

Another well done and highly interesting history video but I would like to point out an error. The name Potosi is pronounced with the emphasis on the last syllable so that it is correctly pronounced poe - toe - SEE. If it is viewed in print in lower case you will see the accent mark over the letter "i". Thanks again and keep the awesome videos coming,

[@homebuilthappiness2919]

My absolute favorite part of these episodes is when I hear, "It is history.... That deserves to be remembered."

[@philliphawkins6905]

Thank You History Guy! So much unknown history... thank you for bringing the stories of humankind's history to the light.

[@jeffbangkok]

More interesting history. My awakened brain cells thanks you

[@vsolyomi]

Definitely deserves to be remembered. Thank you.

[@pneumatic00]

Wow, the historical thread you constructed from the worldwide acceptance of Spanish pieces of 8; to the debasement of same and all the fallout therefrom...from China to Europe, is completely astounding. **I'm sure we've learned the historical lesson of what happens when you debase your currency**.

[@EricDPeterson56]

I have a Potosi minted 4 Real that came off of the Atocha shipwreck. It has no date stamp, but must have been minted around 1618.

[@stewartritchey7602]

Priceless history

[@eduardoribeiro383]

Very very nicely done. May I suggest that you look at the Gold Cycle happened in Brazil a few decades later, that paid for the reconstruction of Lisboa, generated wealth for the Hanseatic League, England and other colonial powers. To this day, in Portuguese the verbs Exploit and Explore are only one word (explorar) its a great reflection of how language and ethics reflect each other.

[@EricGreniervideo]

I think what I like the most is that you demonstrate your love for history in your passion.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

Potosi in Bolivia is an incredible place too visit. At 4090 metres you’re constantly sort of breath. It’s a huge effort just to go up the street to grab some food. If you ever acclimatise you can do a tour of the mines. Not advisable if you’re out of shape or get claustrophobia as many passages are very narrow.

[@utahroofingpros]

I lived in Potosi in 1984. I was able to ese inside the mines, I saw the mint (la casa de la moneda) where the slaves produce the coins. I saw their foot prints, worn in the stone floor where they stood for years

[@AllDayAirBalls]

I can’t wait for this channel to reach a million subscribers, I can’t think of someone who deserves it more. Keep up the good work THG!

[@PhilipAnderson]

Instead of THUG LIFE, THG LIFE should be admired!

[@justme8184]

as usual, an excellent story. i will however attempt to assist you in your pronunciation of the mine's name..Potosí is accented on the last syllable, different from most Spanish words . Keep up the good work, I look forward to many new episodes

[@marcellab3537]

Poetoe-See

[@richarddismore5901]

I miss watching your videos. I have been a subscriber for a long time and clicked "ALL" but I still seldom see anything new from you. This is one of your best and it makes up for not seeing anything new for awhile. Excellent presentation and I enjoyed it very much. Richard

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

I don’t know why you are not getting notifications. I have continued producing videos three days a week.

[@lizj5740]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I used to get notifications via email. Now, I have to go looking. Once I am on a KZbin site, I can click on the bell at the upper right (next to my avatar) and get a drop-down list of what's been happening both with new postings from sites to which I have subscribed and with replies to comments I have made on videos. Alternatively, if I go to a KZbinr's home page, on the left all my subscriptions are listed with a blue dot to the right of those that have posted recently.

[@tomallen9179]

Remarkable episode, thanks!

[@jeffreymartucci7184]

I have several pieces of silver from Potosi from the Atocha.

[@sarahwatts7152]

Do you know if they're from a debased batch/clipped? I know this ruined the value of the coins way back when but I'd personally like them because of the story.

[@stewartritchey7602]

Priceless history.

[@BrianStocking]

@@sarahwatts7152 Atocha sank in 1622 before all the corruption at Potosi. Though some of the coins found on her and her sister ships, have shown a variety of errors and can be very rare or scarce. The corruption at Potosi coins would be 1640's through 1648, 4 and 8 Reales and would be quite rare.

[@sarahwatts7152]

@@BrianStocking That's wicked cool! (I didn't realize you were talking about a shipwreck!)

[@BCFalls1]

@@BrianStocking yes, we got 2 coins with a reverse stamp, one on obverse and the other coin the other side, that was, until one day we were comparing the 2 a few years later when I brought mine over to my Mother's for safe keeping, I said to her, what is reversed on your coin? She said Obverse, but my obverse is the same as your obverse yet my paperwork says the other side and it is, we discovered they made a mistake, my coin is reverse stamped on both sides and as far as I know, no other coin like that exists as only 2 coins could get through maximum with a flaw or 1 coin max on both sides before the stamp was replaced (and they would have missed the 1st reverse stamp altogether), my coin has all the markings and fully intact as a 1622 coin. I need to get it re-appraised but covid has delayed that for over a year now. It has to go the the Keys in Florida. As 1 of 1, can you even put a price on it? But at least get it on the books as existing.

[@oteliogarcia1562]

The Manila - Acapulco Galleon Trade. 250 years of global trade.

[@theoutlook55]

I'm so glad someone else is mentioning the Manila Galleon, also called the Nao de China. My dad talks about it pretty often. He is a history buff and has a whole PowerPoint presentation devoted to that one topic.

[@CedricSmith-un6vm]

Wow, thank you, I loved watching this video, learning about, Potosi.

[@Claytone-Records]

A shining example of what KZbin content can be.

[@KokkiePiet]

According to Paul Kennedy in rise and fall of the great powers the enormous amounts of silver that came from South America was a mayor factor in the downfall of the Spanish empire since it was basically the same as printing huge amounts of money. It became cheaper for Spain to import all products than produce them themselves. It did however blessed the Dutch economy who, while at war with Spain we sold them everything

[@TahoeJones]

An episode of coins from then till now would be terrific.

[@shelbybrown8312]

This is the kind of historical episodes that really Mark the history guys uniqueness in the field.

[@rodneycarey44]

Wow! A mountain summit sinking due to tunnels beneath. That is a lot of digging!

[@PaulfromChicago]

The beer in Potosi WI is rock solid. And the brewery is one of the oldest in the United States. It's history that is worth remembering.

[@alvaroiturralde1579]

If you ever go to Bolivia you should try Potosina, also a rock solid beer from one of the highest breweries in the world ;)

[@clydedopheide1033]

I love how you bring obscure history to the fore and explain how it's important.

[@gravityskeptic8697]

The Spanish had a convoy system to ship the silver to Europe called the Spanish Treasure Fleet. In 1628, during the Dutch revolt, Dutch Admiral Piet Hein captured the Spanish Treasure fleet. The silver that was captured was used to expand the Dutch army, which expelled the Spanish from the Netherlands, ushering in the golden age of the Netherlands.

[@currentriver4951]

Potosi, Missouri

[@micallef87]

Not one of his videos have I ever thought was a waste of my time and I’ve watched a fair few of them!

[@sunnyjim1355]

Then why haven't you watched all of them then?

[@matthewellisor5835]

If already produced, I couldn't find videos on A. Smith, F. Bastiat, H. Hazlitt or L. Read. Thank you for introducing me to so much history that deserves to be remembered!

[@BlackMambo]

+The History Guy , that was OUTSTANDING! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@Trigonography]

I was quite skeptical that the itty-bitty mining town of Potosi, where some of my ancestors are buried, had ever had a noticeable impact on the world... and then as soon as The History Guy pronounced it "pə·tō·si" and I knew he couldn't have been talking about the mining town where my ancestors are buried, which is in Missouri and is pronounced "tō·zi" (rhymes with "rosy".) Actually, I hadn't known about the one in Bolivia before I saw this video. Thanks for educating me! And now, for the rest of my life, I will be amused by the fact that the sentence "Potosi is a forgotten American mining town on a mountain once occupied by the Spanish and where there are deposits of valuable minerals such as lead and zinc ores" describes more than one place.

[@charlescolson305]

The Bolivian city's name is more properly pronounced "poh toh SEE" due to the accented final /i/ as indicated in the Spanish rendition of the indigenous word. There is some disagreement whether it comes from Quechua (the language of the Inca) or Aymara but the New World Encyclopedia renders the meaning as "thunderous noise" and relates an interesting story of the name's origin.

[@richardmourdock2719]

Excellent episode. The endemic people still reside in the area, pronounced "Catch ah wah". Itchy Boots (a geologist as well as world motorcycle traveler) KZbinr, toured the working mine about two years ago. Having spent a career in mining, I still cannot believe the conditions that are "normal" there today. Highly recommend.

[@richellen6855]

What a fabulous episode. Well done, as usual!

[@laserbeam002]

Loved it. I had never heard of Potosi. Thank you for posting. Always look forward to a new post.

[@sleeper_san619]

That's a lot of silver. I can only imagine.

[@andrewgreen7234]

Excellent episode! Learned 100%. I love money history.

[@Wes32168]

Excellent episode Professor!

[@waltergazda6050]

Thank you for this wonderful production. Dr, Walter Gazda

[@garysilver718]

We have Cerro Gordo silver mines in California.

[@XmarkedSpot]

The channel of the chap who now owns Cerro Gordo: kzbin.info/door/EjBDKfrqQI4TgzT9YLNT8g

[@TheNimshew]

There's also a Potosi, California

[@AlphaGeekgirl]

Did they name them after you?

[@TheNimshew]

@@AlphaGeekgirl Only if he's about 300 years old.

[@sampetrie340]

As far as historical significance, I would suggest that the discovery of silver veins in Laurion was more important. The Spanish would have exploited other other sources of precious metals in the new world if Potosi had never existed. If Laurion had never existed, the Athenian fleet would never have been built and the Persian empire would almost certainly have nipped in the bud incipient western civilizations.

[@Mirrorseven]

Great episode, even more so than usual. Keep up the great work man, it is much appreciated

[@timeflysintheshop]

The labor to produce and transport all the charcoal up the mountain to process the silver ore would have been huge as there would not have been any trees near by.

[@Ammo08]

Potosi, Missouri is about two hours north of here...their riches in the old days were the lead mines.

[@hillbillyb4u]

I grew up two hours south of St. Louis. I just learned where Potosi MO got its name

[@NoahSpurrier]

Silver, gold, tin, aluminium, tungsten, titanium are my favorite metals.

[@oneshothunter9877]

Me: Lead and copper.

[@raydunakin]

@@oneshothunter9877 Manganese and molybdenum for me, just because they're fun to say. :-)

[@CAUSELESSREBEL]

This is a wonderful history lesson. Well presented. Thank you.

[@tomkelly6833]

Thank you history guy, another informative video. Keep them coming.

[@rnader9749]

Looking dapper

[@jeromebarry1741]

Regarding silver, a simple search of the term "silver" in the online King James Bible yields many references to it amounting to the vast majority of recorded human history. This present generation of bitcoin vs fiat money makes people forget that silver was once real money worth fighting for.

[@firstmkb]

One of my favorite quotes was by one of the Hunt brothers, after they failed to corner the silver market in the 70's: "A billion dollars isn't what it used to be."

[@goodun2974]

@@firstmkb , and, as has been said, " money can't buy you love"....

[@weekendjail1417]

Still is real money.

[@PhilipAnderson]

It will be again when America’s fiat money loses reserve currency status and hyperinflation kicks in. Very few will see this coming and be prepared for that upheaval in society. The retirement savings of large numbers of Americans will evaporate quickly, since few even know what the Weimar Republic was. Ignorance is what our heralded History Guy battles against.

[@sharky7665]

Your history lessons are golden.

[@stephenstevens6573]

Fascinating. Never even heard a whisper about this. Thank you

[@alanmoffat4454]

SO TALKING ABOUT PIRATES JUST HOW MUCH SILVER IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA .

[@ProvidenceNL]

Alot. $771 Trillion Worth Of Gold Lies Hidden In The Ocean, and thats just gold.

[@mot0rhe4d40]

Less and less as naval ships map the ocean floor with new technologies. Yet even there a pocket full of Spanish Reales would bless you. 😉 Metal detectorists still locate from time to time Spanish Reales on the gold coast of Florida that are pushed ashore by tidal influences to this day.

[@jeromebarry1741]

Knowing it's there isn't similar to going out and getting it.

[@thezfunk]

A friend's Dad retired to Florida where he works as a salvage diver recovering gold and silver from shipwrecks. Their team hunts down old wrecks and they go out and recover whatever they can.

[@PhilipAnderson]

Don’t forget the “worthless” Platinum the Spanish dumped into the sea!

[@clayedwards987]

What happened to, "don't all good stories involve pirates?"

[@cornbreadfedkirkpatrick9647]

Aye Aye Capt'n

[@robertneal4244]

It does appear to be missing.

[@dirus3142]

Yet my brain heard him say it any way.

[@bobsmoot2392]

Sparkling insight into another leg of our journey. Amazing how it all interlocks. Thanks Professor.

[@michaelcerkez3895]

Very interesting history indeed. Thank you for teaching class today Mr HG.

[@allanlank]

Does man mold metal or metal mold man? The mine at Potosi Peru would have funded the Spanish wars in Italy and the Austrian wars in the Balkans. A dispute over silver mines in Iberia, flashed the Second Punic War. The silver near Athens kept it free from the Persians. A disruption in tin mining in Afghanistan may have triggered the "Great Bronze Age Collapse".

[@Jedikun]

You forgot Petosi, Missouri! A place as much associated with death and imprisonment as its South American counterpart

[@robertroberts5218]

Great story. Thank you for your team's work.

[@raymondoverson8715]

Wow that is amazing. Thanks for all your hard work.

[@TheDarthSoldier]

Good morning history junkies

[@larrybelken7568]

You should check out Cerro Gorda in California, once the largest silver mines in the USA. It has quite a story behind it and has a very successful KZbinr who owns it and is living there and trying to tell the history. Maybe a future story for THG?

[@gus473]

While we're at it, Panamint's boom and bust is a pretty good story too....!

[@gertsgarden]

My first thought when I saw the title. Please Mr History Guy…

[@deniseb3897]

That was really fascinating. Stuff like this is why I enjoy this channel so much.

[@TheHitsJustKeepComin]

This is probably one of your best videos content and unexpected consequences combined!

[@korbell1089]

Government: "OK the silver content in the old coins suck so we are going to debase the old coins and mint new coins. That will fix those scammers!" Scammers:"Hold my wine!" I learned about the Potosi mines when I played a game in the late 80's called "Pirates!"(and don't all good stories involve pirates) and anyone who has played that game can't tell me it didn't feel good to hit the Silver Train in Panama City!

[@francoistombe]

USA did something like this inn1965. Silver containing coins were replaced by the nickel faced and copper cored sandwiches used since. The silver coins disappeared within months.

[@pauleohl]

@@francoistombe The phenomenon is called Gresham's Law, that bad currency drives out good.

[@darrenchapman7203]

Look forward to watching your videos, if you haven't already done one, maybe the story of the eureka stockade in the Victorian gold fields of Australia the birth place of the Southern Cross flag which was at the time a symbol of unity to miners from around the world, now unfortunately often used by racist groups,

[@ScumfuckMcDoucheface]

no kidding? I'll have to read up on that. =)

[@goodun2974]

The co-opting of flags to represent something different than originally intended serves as a good example of why George Carlin once said "I leave symbols to the symbol-minded".

[@eatpasta]

Another great episode, @the history guy - I liked the observations at the end as well. 🤘 very eloquently presented

[@ThatBobGuy850]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: BEST damn channel on the internet! It's amazing what silver did for the world's economy. Thanks Lance! Oh, and thanks for slowing down your delivery. Those early videos were tough, especially since I'm such a slow listener. I have to put Ben Shapiro's KZbin videos on .5 playback speed ;) Your editing has gotten really, really tight - and as someone else here in the Comments section stated, not a single extra or wasted word in telling this story. Just awesome!

[@dougearnest7590]

If y'all think this is bad, you should see what greed did to my ex wife!

[@brycemiller2174]

Not just your wife……to us all my friend!!

[@BrianStocking]

I would love to hear that story.