Peter Minuit was born in 1580 in Wesel, Germany, and he died on 5th August 1638 (aged 58 years) in Saint Christopher, West Indies. Peter Minuit is known for ‘purchasing’ Manhattan from a native–American tribe in 1626. He was named the director of the New Netherland colony in 1626 which stretches from the present day Delaware into Connecticut. There, he negotiated a deal to buy the Island of Manhattan from the natives. He also developed a flourishing fur trade in the region. Later, he founded a Swedish colony in Delaware Bay by convincing the Swedish Government before his death in a Carribean hurricane.
Do you know: Peter Minuit is said to have purchased Manhattan for 60 guilders which is equivalent of $ 24.
