In 1798, it was discovered by the rest of the world. When a British ship docked here. The captain of the ship, John Fearn, was so captivated by the beauty of this island that he named it the Pleasant Islands. The name of the British Ship was Hunter. And for the next 100 years, the destiny of the island was to be hunted.
Around the 1830s, several European ships came here for trading. They would take clean drinking water, coconut, fruits, and local palm oil from these islands. And in exchange, they would give them alcohol and guns. Back then, there were 12 native tribes living on these islands. Due to the alcohol and guns, in 1878, there was a 10-year-long civil war on this island.
The population of the people living reduced by half due to this. Later, the German Empire occupied this island and confiscated all weapons. In 1900, a man from New Zealand, Albert Ellis, discovered phosphate on this island. Phosphate is a mineral that can be used as an artificial fertilizer for farming. An important resource back then.
