Money WondersPlay

Money & Its HistoryOpportunity

Acres of Diamonds

In a famous 1890 lecture, a farmer sells his land to hunt the world for diamonds; the next owner finds them in the backyard stream

A farmer sold everything to chase a fortune across the world. It was in his own backyard the whole time.

You'll find out

  • What the search cost him
  • Where the diamonds really were
  • What one famous talk built

Why it matters

Most people chase money somewhere far away. This story asks what you might be walking past right now.

About 4 min7 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 9 · Zone 1

Play this lesson

Free to play in your browser or on iPhone

More in this zone

  1. 1Modern MoneyWhere Is Your Money?Your balance is a number on a screen; only about one US dollar in ten exists as cash
  2. 2What Money IsWhat Is Money, Really?Swap it, price with it, save it, and believe in it
  3. 3Time and MoneyWhat's Your Hour Really Worth?Your real hourly wage is lower than your paycheck says
  4. 4CoinsThe Four-Cent PennyMaking a cent cost the US Mint almost four, so in 2025 it stopped
  5. 5History of MoneyFrom Shells to CoinsCowrie shells, silver lumps and the first stamped coins
  6. 6History of MoneyThe Barter MythTextbooks say people bartered before money. Anthropologists can't find it
  7. 7History of MoneyPaper PromisesThe first paper money was an IOU you could pass on
  8. 8History of MoneyWhy It's Called a DollarThe name started in a silver mine in Bohemia