Business History

Today, we're sharing an episode of a show that loves asking questions just as much as we do. It's called Part-Time Genius and it's hosted by fellow knowledge junkies, Will Pearson and Mangesh Hattikudur. The episode you're about to hear delves into the surprising origins of 9 wintertime inventions. Did a 15-year-old really invent the snowmobile? What was the original use for a Kleenex? How come Eddie Bauer gets zero credit for his genius idea? And what's so special about Greenwood Champion Ear Protectors, anyway? Every inventor they spotlight was trying to solve a longstanding problem, and because of the solutions they came up with, the winter season is that much more comfortable, navigable, and delicious. Find Part-Time Genius wherever you get podcasts. Follow them on Instagram @parttimegenius and Bluesky @parttimegenius.bsky.social! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Young Warren Buffett became rich in anonymity - but in the 1980s he became a global star. During the excesses of 1980s Wall Street the middle-aged investor was reluctantly drawn into the spotlight to save troubled companies. And then came tech - which suited Buffett's style even less. Warren Buffett couldn't even use a computer - but everyone was telling him to buy tech stocks. How did Buffett navigate the dot com bubble when he'd never surfed the internet? And what will his company Berkshire Hathaway do in the era of AI as Buffett steps away? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warren Buffett rose from obscurity to become the richest person in the world - and he did it in a unique way. As a boy in Omaha he collected information obsessively - writing down car license numbers and hoarding bottle caps. As a young man, Buffett turned his focus on scouring business accounts to find companies that had hidden value no one else could spot. We tell the story of young Warren Buffett as he quietly worked building up the expertise and accumulating the wealth that would allow him to become the most famous investor of our age. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The stock market was once a Wild West free-for-all. There were few rules or regulations. Investors were more or less gambling, or manipulating stocks to make a profit. This is the world Jesse Livermore came to dominate. He would often bet against the market, making money when businesses failed. By 1929, Livermore was rich and famous. And then the Wall Street stock bubble burst. Share prices went through the floor, fortunes disappeared, and lives were ruined. Many blamed Livermore, some even sent him death threats. But what of Livermore's fortune? Did he make the right calls during the Wall Street Crash? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Curt Flood was the best center fielder in baseball and one of the game's highest payed players. He helped the St Louis Cardinals reach the 1968 World Series... but then got traded. The rules said he had no say in the decision. He either could go to Philly, or quit the sport. So Curt decided to sue. Curt argued that Major League Baseball should act like any other business and let workers sell their labor to whichever team they liked. But for decades, courts had ruled in favor of the team owners. Curt’s fight would destroy his career; anger many parts of American society; and change sports forever.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.