Topic

Business & Economics

A collection of 99 issues

The Unwanted Convenience: How Hired Actors and a Folding Chair Sold the World on the Shopping Cart

The now-ubiquitous shopping cart was initially a flop. Invented by grocer Sylvan Goldman in 1937 from a folding chair design, it was rejected by men as effeminate and by women as an insult to their strength. He hired actors to popularize its use.

Inventions & Discoveries Business & Economics History

The Unproven Promise in Your Cough Syrup Bottle

Millions trust expectorants like guaifenesin (Mucinex) to clear chest congestion. Yet, multiple systematic reviews have found no solid proof it works better than a placebo. This challenges the foundation of a multi-billion dollar industry built on a promise.

Medicine, Psychology & Health Science & Nature Business & Economics

Heavy Metal Justice: When Cartier Brought a Steamroller to Fifth Avenue

In the mid-1980s, facing a flood of knock-offs, Cartier took a dramatic stand. On New York's Fifth Avenue, executives used a steamroller to publicly crush thousands of counterfeit watches, a bold act of marketing and a powerful defense of brand authenticity.

Business & Economics History Law, Crime & Justice

The Tetris Gambit: How a Soviet Puzzle Game Sparked a Cold War Showdown

Created by a Soviet computer scientist in 1984, Tetris sparked one of gaming's most complex IP battles after crossing the Iron Curtain. Its journey from a Moscow computer to the Nintendo Game Boy is a tale of Cold War intrigue and the universal appeal of elegant design.

History Business & Economics Technology & Innovation

The Wheelbarrow Economy: Germany's 1923 Hyperinflation and the Collapse of a Currency

Post-WWI Germany, burdened by immense war reparations, printed massive sums of money, triggering catastrophic hyperinflation in 1923. The currency became worthless, savings vanished overnight, and citizens needed wheelbarrows of cash for daily goods, fueling instability.

History Business & Economics Politics & Power

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