Economy
Discover facts about economy. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Economy

College textbook prices have violently outpaced the rate of standard inflation by over eight hundred percent since the late 1970s, making them one of the most aggressively…
College textbook prices have violently outpaced the rate of standard inflation by over eight hundred percent since the late 1970s, making them one of the most…
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United States politicians implemented the Cash for Clunkers program in 2009, offering citizens up to forty-five hundred dollars to trade in their older, less fuel-efficient vehicles for destruction.
United States politicians implemented the Cash for Clunkers program in 2009, offering citizens up to forty-five hundred dollars to trade in their older, less…
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Porsche secretly acquired a massive stake in the much larger Volkswagen group in 2008, using hidden financial derivatives to control over seventy percent of the company's shares.
Porsche secretly acquired a massive stake in the much larger Volkswagen group in 2008, using hidden financial derivatives to control over seventy percent of…
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Rapper 50 Cent filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015 despite having a net worth estimated at over one hundred and fifty million dollars just a few years prior.
Rapper 50 Cent filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015 despite having a net worth estimated at over one hundred and fifty million dollars just a few years…
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Swedish match king Ivar Kreuger controlled over two-thirds of the entire global match production in the 1920s by lending massive sums of money to desperate European governments…
Swedish match king Ivar Kreuger controlled over two-thirds of the entire global match production in the 1920s by lending massive sums of money to desperate…
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Blood banks in Sweden try to combat the economic concept of donor fatigue by sending a polite text message to the donor every single time their specific bag of blood is used to save a patient's life in a hospital.
Blood banks in Sweden try to combat the economic concept of donor fatigue by sending a polite text message to the donor every single time their specific bag…
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Former baseball star Curt Schilling convinced the state of Rhode Island to hand his video game company a seventy-five million dollar taxpayer-funded loan in 2010, promising to…
Former baseball star Curt Schilling convinced the state of Rhode Island to hand his video game company a seventy-five million dollar taxpayer-funded loan in…
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Before ride-sharing apps completely disrupted the transportation industry, the artificial scarcity of New York City taxi medallions drove their individual value up to over one million dollars apiece by the year 2014.
Before ride-sharing apps completely disrupted the transportation industry, the artificial scarcity of New York City taxi medallions drove their individual…
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Retail giant JCPenney almost completely destroyed its own business in 2012 when the new CEO decided to stop using fake markdowns and just offer honest, everyday low prices to consumers.
Retail giant JCPenney almost completely destroyed its own business in 2012 when the new CEO decided to stop using fake markdowns and just offer honest,…
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During World War II, the United States briefly banned the sale of pre-sliced bread as a wartime conservation measure, theorizing that keeping bread whole would prevent it from…
During World War II, the United States briefly banned the sale of pre-sliced bread as a wartime conservation measure, theorizing that keeping bread whole…
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During the Reagan administration in 1981, the United States Department of Agriculture proposed classifying ketchup and pickle relish as actual vegetables in an attempt to…
During the Reagan administration in 1981, the United States Department of Agriculture proposed classifying ketchup and pickle relish as actual vegetables in…
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Marcus Licinius Crassus was one of the wealthiest men in ancient Rome who built his massive fortune entirely through real estate speculation and running the city's only heavily armed, privately funded fire department.
Marcus Licinius Crassus was one of the wealthiest men in ancient Rome who built his massive fortune entirely through real estate speculation and running the…
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Wampum consisted of traditional shell beads created by Native American tribes in the Northeast that early European colonists aggressively adopted as official legal tender because…
Wampum consisted of traditional shell beads created by Native American tribes in the Northeast that early European colonists aggressively adopted as official…
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Ugandan dictator Idi Amin attempted to solve his country's severe economic issues in the 1970s by simply ordering the central bank to print endless amounts of unbacked money so…
Ugandan dictator Idi Amin attempted to solve his country's severe economic issues in the 1970s by simply ordering the central bank to print endless amounts of…
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Borders bookstores totally dominated the retail literature market in the 1990s but made the incredibly fatal economic decision in 2001 to completely outsource their entire online…
Borders bookstores totally dominated the retail literature market in the 1990s but made the incredibly fatal economic decision in 2001 to completely outsource…
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Income tax in the United States hit a historical and eye-watering maximum marginal rate of 94 percent in 1944 on all earnings over 200,000 dollars as the government frantically…
Income tax in the United States hit a historical and eye-watering maximum marginal rate of 94 percent in 1944 on all earnings over 200,000 dollars as the…
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South African plastics manufacturers experienced an incredibly bizarre and massive economic boom during the 2010 FIFA World Cup thanks to the sudden global obsession with the…
South African plastics manufacturers experienced an incredibly bizarre and massive economic boom during the 2010 FIFA World Cup thanks to the sudden global…
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United States Treasury officials actually designed and printed a staggering one-hundred-thousand-dollar gold certificate banknote in 1934, making it the highest denomination of…
United States Treasury officials actually designed and printed a staggering one-hundred-thousand-dollar gold certificate banknote in 1934, making it the…
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British property law still features an archaic economic concept known as peppercorn rent, where an incredibly valuable piece of land or property is officially leased for the…
British property law still features an archaic economic concept known as peppercorn rent, where an incredibly valuable piece of land or property is officially…
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Starbucks currently holds roughly one point six billion dollars in unredeemed customer gift card balances, effectively making the coffee chain a larger financial institution than thousands of actual regional banks.
Starbucks currently holds roughly one point six billion dollars in unredeemed customer gift card balances, effectively making the coffee chain a larger…
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Manufacturers consistently charge an average of thirteen percent more for personal care products specifically marketed toward women compared to identical goods targeted at men, a…
Manufacturers consistently charge an average of thirteen percent more for personal care products specifically marketed toward women compared to identical…
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During the Irish bank strike of 1970, all major banks in the country closed for six months, but the economy continued to function perfectly because citizens just started using personal checks cleared by local pub owners.
During the Irish bank strike of 1970, all major banks in the country closed for six months, but the economy continued to function perfectly because citizens…
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Malaysian financier Jho Low orchestrated the 1MDB scandal by embezzling billions of dollars from a state economic development fund and using it to finance the Hollywood movie The Wolf of Wall Street.
Malaysian financier Jho Low orchestrated the 1MDB scandal by embezzling billions of dollars from a state economic development fund and using it to finance the…
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Urbanites in wealthy metropolitan areas are increasingly participating in the rent-a-chicken economy, paying companies hundreds of dollars a month to borrow hens for the…
Urbanites in wealthy metropolitan areas are increasingly participating in the rent-a-chicken economy, paying companies hundreds of dollars a month to borrow…
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