Genghis Khan & Paper Money
Genghis Khan (1162-1227) was the great founder of the Mongolian Empire. His grandson Kublai Khan (1215-1294), emperor of the Yuan Dynasty of China, introduced paper money for the first time in the human history.
It is said that only twice mankind has had key currency without corroborating valuable goods: first in the era of Kublai Khan and second in the era after 1971 when America officially abolished the scheme of exchanging the dollar with gold.
When Genghis Khan was 13 years old, he had a friend, a Muslim boy, called Hasan. For 45 years, the two had been good friends for each other.
When Genghis Khan became a powerful king, he started to think about how to introduce coins. Then his friend Hasan introduced a Muslim called Mahmud Yalawach to Khan. As a condition to take up a post of the governor general of Samarkand, Yalawach requested a right to issue paper money from Khan. One day when his death was coming closer in the middle of his global conquest, Khan without knowing his fate finally authorized Yalawach to issue paper money. While doing so, Khan asked:
"Would paper money circulate long?"
"Paper money is a kind of goods. Its value is decided by relation between supply and demand. Issuing paper money more than needed decreases its value. When increasing paper money, demand should be increased or chances to use paper money should be increased," replied Yalawach, probably very respectfully.
Accordingly, for 80 years starting with Kublai Khan, paper money circulated in China, while trade in gold and silver was forbidden in market from 1268 to 1304.
(http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/alternative_politik/folder/847599.html)
Note: However value of Yuan's paper money fell when Emperor Kublai failed in the invasions of Japan in 1274 and 1281 trying to take the Japanese islands. This was the first all-out war where samurais of whole Japan were mobilized by a samurai government against foreign forces. In addition to valor of samurai of the Kamakura era, some tempest and strong winds are said to have attacked and sank hundreds of Yuan's ships. This is said to be the origin of "kamikaze (god's winds)."
Remarks: So, Japan in the 21st century can be a major factor to take on the dollar, the de-factoe key currency today.
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According to a fortune-teller in South Africa, the Japanese national football team will win a victory over the Cameroon national soccer team by 2-1.
However, it is a TV introduction here around Tokyo.
So, it can be 0-0, 0-1, 1-1, 1-0, 0-2, 1-2, 2-2, 2-0, 2-1, or even 0-3!