This is a solution to the "Rice and Chessboard" problem. As a reward for creating chess, a ruler in India allowed a man many riches, but he asked for one thing: Each day, the king would put rice in the next square of a chessboard, doubling the amount each day. The king's treasurers said the unusual amount of rice would outstrip the king's resources, and the inventor was punished. This story is the basis for the Rice and Chessboard problem.
meh.
