The Different Meanings of Monopoly
Monopoly's real inventor was Lizzie Magie, a progressive Georgist, who believed that land should be collectively owned by all.
When People Thought Charitable Donations Would Save Their Souls
As the Middle Ages progressed, monasteries became a major engine of economic activity in European communities.
An Ad Campaign for Ads
Back in the 1920s and ‘30s, the magazine Women’s Home Companion tried explicitly appealing to its readers to take the ads seriously.
Before Net Neutrality, There Was Radio Regulation
Before today's fight over net neutrality, the US government debated commercial profitability & popular access in the context of a different medium: radio.
Are Free Markets Fictional?
Back in the 1940s, when America's post-war economic system was taking shape, many popular economists agreed that “free markets” were a fiction.
The Populist Power of the American Trucker
How did truckers nudge the American economy toward deregulation?
Elizabeth Warren
An early paper by Elizabeth Warren argues for a Financial Product Safety Commission that would regulate financial products.
Wampum was Massachusetts’ First Legal Currency
First Nations' seashell-derived wampum was Massachusetts' first legal currency, used as currency throughout northeastern America into the 19th century.
When America Went Crazy for Mulberry Trees
In the early 19th century, mulberry trees became associated with economic prosperity and morally upright productiveness, leading to a speculative bubble.
Paying People to Take Their Pills
The majority of medication-related hospital admissions were caused by noncompliance—when patients, for one reason or another, don't take their drugs.