One of the most interesting histories I researched for Barbarians of Wealth: Protecting Yourself from Today’s Financial Attilas was the Mongol Empire under its ferocious ruler, Genghis Khan.
He was the first Mongol to unite all the tribes, becoming the second largest empire in history. The Mongols ruled over land stretching from the Korean Peninsula, down into northern India, and across to Eastern Europe.
But one area they didn’t conquer was Japan.
Kublai Khan, Genghis’ 13th century descendent, mounted two attacks on Japan. Both were rebuffed – not by a strong Japanese navy, but by the Kamikaze, two typhoons, seven years apart, that destroyed the Mongol fleet.
Archeologists believe they have found one of the ships from Kublai Khan’s “Lost Fleet” – 4,400 vessels that were destroyed in one of the typhoons. Read More
