Before there were coins or bills, there was interest. Creditors have been lending money (and before that, seeds and animals) since the eighth century BC. The Mesopotamians recorded their loans on clay tablets, not unlike your credit card companies or the bank that services your mortgage. The First Financial Crises We don’t know exactly when […]
Do you care about the future?
Human civilization is relatively young—and it could last for a very long time. If humanity manages to persist for millions of years, it means that those of us living today will be considered the ancients, living at the very beginning of history. Choose Wisely Ask yourself, are you a good ancestor? Or the type whose […]
A daring rescue mission in Ukraine
Benjamin Hall had dragged himself away from the fiery explosion when he noticed that his right leg was gone. On assignment last year to cover the war in Ukraine, Hall and his team for Fox News were driving to a village that had been destroyed by Russians the week before when their caravan was attacked. […]
When Ignorance Ain’t Bliss
When did ignorance become a virtue in American politics? Comedian and satirist Andy Borowitz says that US media clearly favors politicians who are entertaining and extreme over classic qualities like intelligence and competence. In his latest book, Borowitz traces this disappointing heritage. The Guy Who Dumbed Everything Down Poor old Dan Quayle. No politician wants […]
Is Bernie Sanders Really Radical?
In the 2020 Democratic primaries, Senator Bernie Sanders’s ideas were dismissed as “radical” by political elites and many in the media. But millions of people supported his grassroots campaign, so it’s not exactly fair to describe his agenda as fringe. What should we make of his politics? Making America Great Again (Bernie Remix) If Americans […]
Megathreat Creep
Nouriel Roubini has a pretty cool nickname for an economist. But “Dr. Doom,” as he’s known, doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the future, particularly since he predicted the 2008 economic collapse. His new book, Megathreats, is about how interconnected economic, technological, environmental, and political problems may be the end of society as we know it. Dr. […]
How Did We Get Here?
How does a cataclysmic event alter the world? It’s an interesting question to ponder as we watch the effects of COVID-19 continue to unfold. Recognizing that history doesn’t actually happen overnight, business prof Scott Galloway analyzes almost a century’s worth of crisis and change in the United States, including events like World War II and […]
The Inside Story of a Failed Assassination Plot
In 1943, Nazi Germany attempted one of the most ambitious assassination plots in history. Hoping to take out Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin in one fell swoop during a conference in Iran, a group of German assassins planned to storm Churchill’s birthday dinner. Their plan failed (obviously), but the thrilling story of how […]
The Secret Keeper
John F. Kennedy liked to swim naked at lunchtime. Franklin D. Roosevelt made staffers hide his wheelchair at dinner parties. Lyndon B. Johnson complained about the water pressure. J.B. West, who served as head usher at the White House for 28 years, absorbed a lot of interesting tidbits during his decades on the job—and he […]
Hanging Out with Kim Jong-Un
“You’re fired.” Mike Pompeo, who served as director of the CIA and US Secretary of State under Donald Trump, was the only member of Trump’s core team who didn’t hear those words or quit of his own accord. Over four years of delicate negotiations with volatile leaders in North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Russia, Pompeo worked […]
