Economy
Discover facts about economy. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Economy
Corporate purchasing catalogs are entirely detached
Companies selling pens and paper to large offices charge wildly inflated prices. They rely solely on the fact that the employee placing the order is using…
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How actuaries turn your lifespan into statistics
There is a whole profession dedicated to betting on when you will die. Actuarial life tables use complex statistical models based on your habits, zip code,…
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Why airtight caskets can speed up decomposition
Heavy protective rubber seals actually drastically accelerate natural decomposition by trapping unwanted organic moisture firmly inside. While heavily pushed…
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Why airplane tires still need rubber tree sap
Despite a century of chemical innovation, airplane tires still require sap from the Hevea tree. Synthetic rubber simply shatters under extreme aviation…
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The Roman leader who put his own face on coins
Dictators love a good branding opportunity. Before Julius Caesar decided to flex his megalomania in 44 BC, Roman coins traditionally featured dead ancestors,…
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When woodpecker crests served as money
Because bright colors were rare and highly coveted, these indigenous groups bypassed shiny rocks entirely in favor of striking bird parts. The brilliantly red…
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Why endless economic growth can't last forever
Our entire economic paradigm demands that companies produce and distribute more every single quarter forever. Trying to execute an exponential growth curve on…
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Tutorial completions sit at surprisingly low rates
Checking the global statistics reveals that roughly ten percent of buyers never even finish the basic introductory section before abandoning their purchase…
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In Argentina, candy can be your change
When a nation constantly suffers from coin shortages, merchants refuse to round down. Instead, they just hand you arbitrary pieces of hard candy to make up…
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Why rare-earth minerals are so toxic to process
The glowing touchscreen in your pocket comes at an incredibly dark environmental cost. Extracting the vital components for modern electronics requires bathing…
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Argan oil once came from goat-eaten fruit
Before this oil became a globally demanded haircare miracle, locals literally waited for tree-climbing goats to eat the fruit and excrete the undigested pits.…
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The stock market ticker was once a noisy paper machine
Long before multiple glowing monitors dominated trading floors, Wall Street's nervous system was completely reliant on loud, jamming mechanical telegraphs.…
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Allied nations created the modern global financial system
Before the dust even settled on massive global conflicts, international leaders met at a fancy hotel to completely rewrite international finance. They pegged…
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The lucrative business of spying on suspicious spouses
Nothing stimulates cash flow quite like extreme marital paranoia. Suspicious partners gladly throw massive sums of money at secretive individuals sitting in…
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The barcode began as lines drawn in beach sand
The technology that dictates literally every single retail transaction on Earth was born on a beach. Norman Joseph Woodland dropped out of grad school, moved…
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M&M's were made for soldiers in hot climates
The candy that melts in your mouth and not in your hand was designed for the brutal trenches of war. Forrest Mars Sr. saw soldiers eating chocolate pellets…
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The clock tax that nearly killed British watchmaking
Taxing the concept of knowing what time it is really backfired. In 1797, Britain introduced a tax on all clocks and watches. The public immediately stopped…
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Tired workers cost the economy billions
Bragging about operating on four hours of sleep isn't a flex; it's an economic hazard. Sleep deprivation results in slower cognitive function, massive errors,…
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Why modern money doesn’t need gold behind it
Gone are the days when coins were tied to physical gold bars. Modern bills have worth exclusively because men with badges declare they are valid for paying…
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A country can refuse to repay its debt
Unlike an average citizen, a sovereign nation cannot easily be repossessed. When a government runs completely out of capital, they just announce they are not…
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How one old oak can raise a home's value
Having a giant woody plant in your front yard is a massive financial flex. Real estate valuations absolutely skyrocket if a massive established tree sits on…
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When a marriage license was basically a tax
Because the state demands a cut of your eternal happiness. Requiring a paid license to legally wed was initially popularized as a clever mechanism to register…
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Massive corporations actively block new competitors
Barriers to entry are the beautiful walls incumbents build to keep startups away. Whether through massive startup costs or sheer scale, giants ensure the…
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Why tourists buy dirt from famous places
Resourceful hustlers recognize that tourists will buy literally anything if it has a famous location attached to it. They scoop up ordinary soil from near…
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