The Hidden History of Business

12/24/2016

What do Protestant choirmasters, Renaissance pacifiers, mass retailers, and a 700 lb chocolate sculpture of Neil Armstrong have in common?

They're all connected to the history of our favorite Christmas treat. Join Emily, Meredith, and Frank as we explore the economics of the candy cane -- and what it teaches us about consumer behavior.

Merry Christmas, history fans!

What do Protestant choirmasters, Renaissance pacifiers, mass retailers, and a 700 lb chocolate sculpture of Neil Armstrong have in common? They’re all connected to the history of our favorite Christmas …

12/24/2016

Meet James Reavis, the greatest con man you’ve never heard of.

Called the Baron of Arizona, Reavis defrauded thousands of people — scamming them out of more than $150 million in today’s dollars. Using his forgery skills and a love of Spanish romance novels (yes, really!), he literally stole most of Arizona from legal landowners. And the most famous newspapermen, railroad giants, government officials, and Spanish aristocrats of the 1800s fell for it — hook, line, and sinker.

Join us as Emily breaks down the largest and most diabolical scam in American History.

Download on iTunes, Google Play, our site, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Meet James Reavis, the greatest con man you’ve never heard of. Called the Baron of Arizona, Reavis defrauded thousands of people — scamming them out of more than $150 million in …

11/22/2016

SEASON TWO IS FINALLY HEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!!!!!!

And we're kicking off by mythbusting Black Friday.

(SPOILER ALERT: Everything you know about Black Friday is wrong)

(Except the mob violence and greed. You're definitely right about that)

Really. It has nothing to do with slave markets or retailers' profits moving into the black. It's not the biggest shopping day of the year, and it definitely doesn't have the best prices of the year, either. Frank, Meredith, and Emily separate fact from fiction while exploring the cultural and business evolution of Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and holiday shopping.

And because we love you, we included outtakes at the end of the episode. Emily speaks jibberish. Meredith sings. It's spectacular, folks.

Follow the link to stream, or find us on iTunes, Google Play, or where ever you get your podcast.

Everything you know about Black Friday is wrong (except the mob-driven violence and greed. You’re definitely right about that). It has nothing to do with slave markets or retailers’ profits …

11/08/2016

Smile for the camera if you just recorded Episode 1 of Season 2!
*smiles*

That's right: new episodes of The Hidden History of Business start November 21st!

It's been a while. We know. Our "brief summer hiatus" was unexpectedly extended by a major family medical emergency (which we'll explain in the new episode). And when we were ready to come back, it took Meredith three weeks and a prodigious amount of swearing to figure out the new soundboard and mic set up. Oh yeah - you read that right: our sound quality is better and clearer this year (you can practically hear us roll our eyes at each other!).

We can't wait to share all of the historical stories, twists, and unexpected connections we've uncovered this season. We've got a lineup full of pirates, robber barons, the economic history of marrying off European princesses, the connection between feudalism and the company store, Black Friday, food -- and of COURSE more booze history.

Thanks for your patience. We're glad to be back!

07/01/2016

Hello, history fans! We're taking the summer off to research, remaster our old episodes, and work on some other projects. But we've got a few episodes we saved up to release during the hiatus. We'll start releasing those in the next few weeks.

And if you have any request or questions you'd like us to address next season, shoot us a message or comment here. Thanks!

05/26/2016

Did you take our listener survey yet? It only takes a minute, and we'll use what you tell us to help make the show better.
Thanks!

Welcome to the Audience Survey for The Hidden History of Business Podcast. The survey should take only a couple minutes to complete. Information you provide in this survey will be used anonymously. See our Privacy Policy for more details.

05/21/2016

Here's more information on Rita Cowan, the Scottish woman we profiled in our latest episode on "Whiskey, Women, & Walgreens."

Check out the episode here: http://bit.ly/hhobiz48

How Rita Cowan, from Kirkintilloch, came to be known as the mother of Japanese whisky.

05/21/2016

A lot of listeners messaged us yesterday about something we said in Ep48 (Whiskey, Women, & Walgreens) about putting "mash into a still."

"Aren't you supposed to strain the mash out first??" they asked. And "Never put solids in a still!" they insisted.

So who's right? In 7 minutes, Meredith breaks down how, why, and when whisky/whiskey mash should and should not be strained - and how Prohibition nearly wiped out the American tradition of distilling "on the grain."

Shouldn’t you always strain your mash before distilling it? What is “on the grain” distilling? Meredith breaks down answers to listener questions in this quick minicast. Our last episode (Ep …

05/20/2016

Forget everything you know about whiskey, Prohibition, and the modern liquor industry. The real story is a wild ride full of little known tales, plot twists, and unexpected connections that shaped the drink we call aqua vitae – the water of life.

We’re not kidding about the “crammed” part. We explore the connections between:

Mesopotamian perfume makers & Alexandrian alchemists
The Jewish female alchemist who invented the still
Baptism by fire in Gnostic traditions
Monastic infirmaries and the origin of gin
Walla Walla onions and champagne
The real story behind anti-Catholic stereotypes of drunken priests
The anti-union, anti-immigrant, and anti-black agenda of the Temperance Movement
Myths about alcohol consumption in the 1800s
Why Prohibition caused a spike in rabbinical school enrollments and church attendance
Why the average bootlegger was a woman — not a mobster – who exploited cultural norms to outsell her male competitors 5 to 1!
How Walgreens became the largest drug store chain in the United States (SPOILER: Despite their official story, it has nothing to do with milkshakes)
That time the US government knowingly poisoned thousands of people
How the myth that women don’t drink whiskey originated after World War II
How a Scottish woman became the Mother of Japanese Whisky
and much more!
Really. This may be the most information-dense show we’ve ever done.

And Mer geeks out a lot (but that was kind of a given, right?)

Links to stream, iTunes, Google Play, and other podcast platforms after the jump.

Forget everything you know about whiskey, Prohibition, and liquor. The real story is wild ride full of little known tales, plot twists, and unexpected connections that shaped the drink we call aqua vitae - the water of life.

05/17/2016

Great news, everyone! We survived influenza, unexpected cross country jaunts, dog surgeries, and the dreaded iTunes feed issues -- and we're still standing!

(I think all podcasters will agree that of those four, the iTunes feed issues are totally the worst)

In the latest minicast, Frank works his summary magic on the Gold Standard.

Enjoy on our site, iTunes, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Confused about why politicians keep bringing up the Gold Standard? Frank explains the history, controversies, and economics of how currency is valued in just seven minutes.

05/09/2016

What do I love about this most?
Is it the idea of Nanni dictating a fuming letter to his poor scribe?
Or the fact that he actually included the words, "What do you take me for?"
Nope. I'm pretty sure it's the fact that it took "..three people and a horse to get this message to the merchant."

Waiting on hold for 5 minutes doesn't seem so bad now, does it?

People have been complaining about bad service for years. Thousands, in fact. Here is the oldest known written customer complaint in history.

05/05/2016

We weren't kidding about Mansa Musa literally putting Mali on the map! Check out this detail of the Catalan Map of 1375 that we talked about in Episode 46.

You can zoom in on all of the amazing details on the Cresques Project site.