In April 1956 an outsider sailed a refitted tanker out of Newark with 58 aluminum boxes lashed to its deck. The expensive part of shipping was never the ocean. It was the dock.
One great business-history anecdote per day: deals, blunders, corners, and frauds — explained through the incentives that drove them.
Every new issue, by email
Every new Business History Daily issue by email. One tap to unsubscribe.
2026-07-07
The Trucker Who Cut Ship-Loading Costs by a Factor of Thirty-Six
2026-07-07
The Grocer Who Cornered Wall Street, Then Wall Street Changed the Clock
In March 1923 a Memphis grocer bought up his own company's stock until short sellers had nowhere to turn. He won for about six hours.