I learned today from Natalie Brunell's book Bitcoin is for Everyone that there was a huge currency cancellation in 1987 in Burma (Myanmar).

Basically, in September 1987, Burma’s government demonetized most of its circulating currency without compensation. I've seen estimates that from 60% to 80% was declared invalid. Three specific banknotes—the 25-kyat, 35-kyat, and 75-kyat notes became worthless overnight. Some government officials knew what was going to happen, and acted accordingly - they converted to hard assets.

From the book:

Everyone connected to people in power knew that this was going to happen. They started buying every hard asset they could—apartments, gold, land, you name it. Hard-working people had no idea that they were selling their belongings in exchange for a currency that was about to become little more than scrap paper. Most were financially decimated, and an entire generation was born into poverty.

This incident was apparently a big contributor to the 1988 uprising, which I had heard about, but had no idea that a currency devaluation was involved.

FYI about the book Bitcoin is for Everyone - I'm evaluating it as a first book to recommend people. But it doesn't appear to have very much about this history of money. That was the subject which really hooked me in the book The Bitcoin Standard, and got me started on the bitcoin path. I'm still reading it though.