During the quarter, Archipelago announced the purchase of the Pacific Stock Exchange, with which it has had a partnership since 2000.

FORBES: Thain Taking NYSE Public

And more recently, in the year 2000, NASA maneuvered a satellite to a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

NPR: Spy Satellite Expected to Return to Earth Soon

By 2000, container ships, jetplanes and the internet had shrunk the world even more, and the Pacific too became a trade highway.

BBC: Eurozone crisis: What it means for East and West

When Charles Zhang, the founder of Chinese portal Sohu, bought ChinaRen in 2000, Xu stayed on for a few more years until 2005 when he rejoined Chen at Oak Pacific Interactive and worked on the social networking site Chen acquired in 2006, Xiaonei, later renamed Renren.

FORBES: Chinese Tech Star Jack Xu Looks To PaPa For His Next Hit