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Ancient Solutions. Modern Consequences. Join three business geeks and history junkies as they explore the twisty and unexpected history of business. From midwives in Colonial America to percussion manufacturers in modern Japan, from KFC to African empires, and from the Epic of Gilgamesh to modern irrigation systems in Peru — we’ll explore together how ancient solutions have modern consequences for anyone willing to see them. Join your hosts: Dr. Frank E. Hutchison, CQM/OE; Meredith Hutchison ...
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The Hidden History of Candy Canes (02×03)
25:46
25:46
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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. Show Notes:"…
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The Baron of Arizona, James Reavis – Part I (02×02)
38:04
38:04
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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, he literally stole most of Arizona from legal landowners. And the most famous newspapermen,…
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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 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 E…
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MINICAST: Distilling Whiskey – Mer Answers Your Questions
8:29
8:29
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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 48: Whiskey, Women, and Walgreens) sparked messages from listeners telling us we'd made a mistake when we talked about putting mash into a still to make whiskey…
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Forget everything you know about whiskey, Prohibition, and the modern liquor industry. 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.We're not kidding about the "crammed" part. We explore the connections between: * Mesopotamian perfume mak…
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Ep 47 – The Gold Standard in 7 Minutes (MINICAST)
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8:08
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Frank breaks down the history, controversies, and basics of the Gold Standard in just 7 minutes.Additional Links and Resources: Wikipedia is actually a great source to get the basics on the gold standard. No, REALLY. I know, I know. Your college professors promised to fail you if you even thought of using it as a source, and that has biased you aga…
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Ep 46: Mansa Musa- The Richest Person Ever You’ve Never Heard Of
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42:56
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What do large scale sea travel, the Hajj, Parson Weems's biography of George Washington, and Welsh naming customs have to do with the richest man in history? EVERYTHING, folks! They all help tell the story of how Mansa Musa became Emperor of Mali, amazed a fortune of $400 BILLION in today's dollars, and used business incentives and savvy PR stunts …
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This is the story of why tarring and feathering government employees is not a legitimate form of democratic expression. Also, booze.(Happy Tax Day! We're getting this up one day late - because, like many of you, we were still working on our taxes, too!)Additional Links & Resources:Read a quick overview of the Whiskey Rebellion from Encyclopedia Bri…
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Ep 44b: 11 Leadership Lessons from Godzilla
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15:49
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A few years ago, inspired by the films he watched during his naval training, Frank wrote this funny little blog post about Godzilla and leadership. Years later, it's still our most popular post - and it's even been used in a few MBA course syllabi. We've included the entire original post below: 11 Leadership Lessons From Godzilla (original post her…
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Godzilla is - and always has been -- more than a monster movie. April 27th will be the 60th anniversary of Godzilla's release in the U.S. Join us as we geek out about our favorite guardian monster, and explore: * how an 8 year old Frank fell in love with Godzilla * what really happened when the atomic bombs dropped * the aftermath of Hiroshima and …
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Ep 43: Nana Asma’u: Educational Innovator Extraordinaire
19:42
19:42
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Nana Asma'u is the smartest and most influential women you've probably never heard of. She was a teacher, princess, scholar, social reformer, teen mother -- and the original glass ceiling smasher. Oh, and in her spare time she just happened to revolutionize education for African women in the massive Sokoto Caliphate. In this episode, Emily explains…
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Ep 41: The Crimean War in 7 Minutes (MINICAST)
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8:52
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Frank explains the Crimean War in 7 minutes. This is a clip from when we recorded Episode 40 on Mary Seacole that we had to edit down for the episode -- but it was such a great explanation that we didn't want you to miss it! He also drops some awesome Pride and Prejudice references, discusses how buying commissions caused trouble for military leade…
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Ep 40: Mary Seacole: Nurse, Doctress & Social Entrepreneur
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49:55
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There's a reason Mary Seacole was voted the greatest black Briton in history. Long before Silicon Valley coined the term "social entrepreneurship," she was using her business savvy to address society's urgent medical needs and subsidize medical treatments for the poor. Did you know that indigenous people in the Caribbean understood germ theory hund…
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Happy St. Patty's Day! What do St. Patrick and Irish beer have to do with the Wicked Witch of The West? EVERYTHING! And we really mean EVERYTHING! Learn how competition between local Irish brewer created the modern witch caricature, how the Grain wars of the 1600-1800s changed the brewing industry, why the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars were onl…
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Ep 39: Mary Anning (Sells Seashells By the Seashore)
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35:53
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Mary Anning had the deck stacked against her from the beginning - not only was her family poor and part of a religious minority, she was a woman in Regency England interested in science (gasp!). Yet she was defining the fields of biology, zoology, and paleontology when Darwin was still in diapers. Blocked from joining the gentlemen scientists of es…
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Ever heard people say that "women entered the workforce during World War II?" Meredith, Emily, & Frank address why that belief is incomplete and inaccurate -- and how that myth was manufactured by media and propaganda in the 1900s. They review the history of women's work from hunter-gatherer societies through the 1960s, including: * How World War I…
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Episode 37: Leap Year & Government Bureaucracy (A Love Story)
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18:50
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Pirate operettas, misogynistic courtship rituals of uncertain origin, and varying levels of government incompetence? It can only mean one things, folks: We're talking about Leap Year! Join us as we explore what the Pope has to do with standardized calendars, why the calendar has always been controlled by business interest, and that one time Roman b…
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Episode 36: Southern Food, Aunt Jemima, & Innovation
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40:40
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Join Emily, Meredith, & Frank as they explore the real story of southern food. They discuss: * how a recent episode of the PBS series Mercy Street both illuminated and perpetuated the idea that white supervisors could claim credit for their slaves' innovations.the native, slave, and immigrant roots of iconic southern foods, * why early English sett…
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Episode 35: Commercializing History (The Murky Story of Nushu & Chinese Tourism)
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20:41
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Join Meredith and Emily as they explore the history of Nushu - a secret language used by Chinese women in Hunan province for centuries. They discuss how Nushu arose out of contract marriages, why the Chinese government can't decide if it's a dying language or not, and why they've spent so much money trying to control and manipulate its history. The…
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Episode 34: The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre & Organized Crime
19:38
19:38
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Join Meredith and Frank as they discuss the darker side of business. They'll explore what organized crime is (and isn't!), the real meaning of "mafia," and how both Al Capone and the FBI used image and media to manipulate public opinion. You've heard that Al Capone was finally convicted for tax evasion? We'll explain why the real story is much more…
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