Long before salaries, budgets, or bank accounts, survival itself was the financial system. In this episode, we explore how pre-modern humans managed risk, stored wealth, and built financial security before paychecks existed — and what it reveals about how we still think about money today.

In this episode, we explore the speculative frenzy of the South Sea Bubble in 1720s Britain, a period where financial innovation met widespread public speculation. We uncover how attempts to manage national debt led to an unsustainable stock market boom and its eventual dramatic collapse, leaving a lasting impact on financial regulations and public trust.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the South Sea Bubble

00:44 The South Sea Company's Proposition

02:09 The Rise of South Sea Shares

05:06 The Speculative Frenzy Spreads

10:30 The South Sea Bubble Bursts

15:34 Lessons from the Bubble

In this episode, we explore the historical phenomenon of Tulip Mania in the 17th-century Dutch Republic, examining how a market for exotic flowers transformed into a speculative bubble driven by contract trading. We discuss the societal conditions that enabled such speculation and the key factors that led to its eventual, yet contained, collapse.

Chapters

00:00 Tulip Mania's Beginnings

00:00 The Dutch Republic Market

02:04 Tulips as Status Goods

03:20 The Rise of Tulip Contracts

05:00 Low Entry, High Hype

08:25 The Logic of Bubbles

10:12 The Bubble Bursts

13:02 Lessons from Tulip Mania