Show overview
Business History launched in 2025 and has put out 42 episodes, alongside 1 trailer or bonus episode in the time since. That works out to roughly 30 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 41 min and 48 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. It is catalogued as a EN-US-language Business show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 1 weeks ago, with 33 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2026, with 33 episodes published. Published by Pushkin Industries.
From the publisher
It’s the history of business. How did Hitler’s favorite car become synonymous with hippies? What got Thomas Edison tangled up with the electric chair? Did someone murder the guy who invented the movies? Former Planet Money hosts Jacob Goldstein and Robert Smith examine the surprising stories of businesses big and small and find out what you can learn from those who founded them.
Latest Episodes
View all 42 episodesThe DeLorean Saga: Fraud, Drug Deals and Marty McFly's Car
The Tangled Story of Instant Ramen
Billy Beer: When American Beer Hit Bottom, Then Bounced Back
The Printing Press: The Invention Built on Debt and Sin
The Robberiest Robber Baron: The Villainy of Jay Gould
The Factory That Was Wiped Off The Map (From Cautionary Tales)
The Nobel Winners Who Almost Crashed the Economy
A Store Owner You Can Trust: John Wanamaker, Returns and the Price Tag
The Boy Scout Who Brought us the Age of Disruption
Ida Tarbell: The "Muckraker" Who Beat John D Rockefeller and Big Oil
"Time is Money": How Ben Franklin's Sayings Created American Capitalism and Grind Culture
The Founding Father Who Got Rich in the Revolution
The Dumbest Business Ever... Shipping Melting Ice to Calcutta.
From History Daily: John S. Pemberton Sells the First Glass of Coca-Cola
The Match Maker Who Nearly Burned Down Wall Street
Did "Neutron" Jack Welch Nuke GE?
The Widow Who Ruled the Champagne World
The Business of Staying Young and Living Forever (with Kara Swisher)
Sinking the Global Economy: The Lloyds of London Story Part II
S1 Ep 21The Insurers Who ALWAYS Paid Out: The Lloyds of London Story Part I
Edward Lloyd opened a coffee shop near the River Thames in the 1680s - it became a place where ship owners and money men rubbed shoulders and a trade in marine insurance sprang up. The coffee-drinking insurers eventually decided to form an association and agree on a set of rules - and so Lloyd's of London was born. It became a key factor in keeping the global sea trade going, but soon branched out into insuring against burglaries, hurricanes and even earthquakes. Lloyds developed a principle that seems odd today. It ignored the small print and said: "Pay all our policy holders in full, irrespective of the terms of their policies.” Write to us at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.