Topic

Business & Economics

A collection of 86 issues

Forged in Failure: The Enduring Legacy of the Apple Newton

Apple's Newton MessagePad was a visionary PDA ahead of its time. Despite its commercial failure due to flawed handwriting recognition and a high price, the ambitious project provided crucial lessons that directly informed the design of future successes like the iPhone.

From a Moscow Lab to the Game Boy: The Unlikely Journey of Tetris

Created by a Soviet scientist in 1984, Tetris was a simple experiment that was never meant to leave the lab. Its journey across the Iron Curtain ignited a complex intellectual property battle, a story of Cold War intrigue that culminated in its iconic pairing with the Nintendo Game Boy.

Intel's Uphill Battle to Reclaim Silicon Valley's Crown

Decades of chip dominance ended for Intel due to costly manufacturing delays and fierce competition from rivals like AMD. Now, the silicon giant is executing an ambitious and risky roadmap to reclaim its position at the forefront of the semiconductor industry.

The Banned Book That Used the South's Own Data to Argue Against Slavery

In 1857, a book by a white southerner argued not against the morality of slavery, but its disastrous economic impact on the South itself. Using census data, 'The Impending Crisis of the South' proved the region was falling behind the North, infuriating Southern leaders who banned and burned it.

From Rome to Riyadh: The Ancient Coin Hiding in Modern Money

The Roman Empire's influence survives not just in ruins, but in our wallets. The ancient silver denarius left an indelible mark on language, with its name echoing in the dinar and denar of nations across three continents, a 2,000-year-old legacy of a single word for money.

Dealt a Different Hand: The Hanafuda Card Company That Became Nintendo

Long before Mario, Nintendo's empire was built on handmade 'Hanafuda' playing cards. Founded in 1889, this core business laid the foundation for an innovative spirit that, after a century of deals with Disney and strange business ventures, would eventually lead them to the world of video games.