Category Archives: Stories

The U.S. Social Security Act of 1935 introduced pensions and unemployment insurance, becoming one of the most important social safety nets in history.

In 1928, the Soviet Union introduced the first Five-Year Plan. It aimed to rapidly industrialize the USSR but came at the cost of famine and hardship.

The Great Irish Famine (1845–1852) devastated Ireland’s economy, forcing mass emigration. Over 1 million died, and another million left, reshaping global demographics.

The ‘Nixon Shock’ of 1971 ended the gold standard, detaching the U.S. dollar from gold. Since then, money has been fiat currency—backed only by trust in governments.

In the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher privatized many British state-owned companies. This shift toward free markets became known as ‘Thatcherism.’

The U.S. interstate highway system, launched in 1956, didn’t just change travel—it supercharged commerce, reducing shipping costs and fueling suburban growth.

Paper money was first introduced in China during the Tang Dynasty (7th century). Marco Polo later described it as ‘magical,’ since Europeans were still relying on gold and silver coins.

The Dutch East India Company, founded in 1602, was the world’s first publicly traded company. At its peak, it was worth more than Apple, Microsoft, and Google combined—adjusted for inflation!

The Great Depression of the 1930s wiped out nearly 25% of U.S. GDP, but it also gave rise to Social Security, unemployment insurance, and modern banking reforms that reshaped the economy.

Hyperinflation in Weimar Germany (1921–1923) was so extreme that people carried wheelbarrows full of banknotes to buy bread. Some even used cash as wallpaper because it was cheaper than paper.