From 1530 a royal act restricted all shipments of coal from Tyneside to Newcastle Quayside, giving a monopoly in the coal trade to a cartel of Newcastle burgesses known as the Hostmen. This monopoly, which lasted for a considerable time, helped Newcastle prosper and develop into a major town. The phrase taking coals to Newcastle was first recorded contextually in 1538. The phrase itself means a pointless pursuit. In the 18th century American Timothy Dexter, an entrepreneur, widely regarded as an eccentric, defied this idiom. He was persuaded to sail a shipment of coal to Newcastle by merchants plotting to ruin him; however his shipment arrived on the Tyne during a strike that had crippled local production; unexpectedly he made a considerable profit.
What was the American Timothy Dexter widely regarded as?
an eccentric an eccentric an eccentric,
In the 18th century American Timothy Dexter, an entrepreneur, widely regarded as an eccentric, defied this idiom.
In the eighteenth century American Timothy Dexter, an entrepreneur, widely regarded as an eccentric, defied this idiom.
What was the American Timothy Dexter widely regarded as?