<description>&lt;p&gt;In 19th-century America almost anyone could print their own money – and many did. One of the most notable figures to take this up was a man named James Brown, a charismatic conman who built a fortune producing fake banknotes. In this episode of The Story of Money, Stephen Mihm, a professor of history at the University of Georgia, introduces hosts Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth to “the hardest working man in counterfeiting”.&amp;nbsp;They discuss the parallels between banking in the Wild West and the advent of cryptocurrencies today, and the role trust plays in all financial systems.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Further reading:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A Nation of Counterfeiters: Capitalists, Con Men, and the Making of the United States, by Stephen Mihm (2007)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Square and Tower: Networks, Hierarchies and the Struggle for Global Power, by Niall Ferguson (2018)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, and also follow the show's dedicated YouTube channel&lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt; here&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learn more at &lt;a href="http://ft.com/tsom" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;ft.com/tsom&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guest: Stephen Mihm&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Producer: Lulu Smyth&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Senior Producer: Michela Tindera and Laurence Knight&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Executive Producers: Flo Phillips and Manuela Saragosa&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Original music: Breen Turner&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Broadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros Giuompasis&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Podcast Development: Laura Clarke&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;FT Global Head of Audio: Cheryl Brumley&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Video editor: Kristen Kenyon at Podcast Discovery&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.ft.com/content/8e97870d-c2c7-4255-8bbd-8f4c05fcad9d" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'&gt; Hosted on Acast. See &lt;a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'&gt;acast.com/privacy&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The counterfeit money boom that holds lessons for crypto today

In 19th-century America almost anyone could print their own money – and many did. One of the most notable figures to take this up was a man named James Brown, a charismatic conman who built a fortune producing fake banknotes. In this episode of The Story of Money, Stephen Mihm, a professor of history at the University of Georgia, introduces hosts Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth to “the hardest working man in counterfeiting”.&nbsp;They discuss the parallels between banking in the Wild West and the advent of cryptocurrencies today, and the role trust plays in all financial systems.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Further reading:A Nation of Counterfeiters: Capitalists, Con Men, and the Making of the United States, by Stephen Mihm (2007)&nbsp;The Square and Tower: Networks, Hierarchies and the Struggle for Global Power, by Niall Ferguson (2018) To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, and also follow the show's dedicated YouTube channel<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> here</a>.&nbsp; Learn more at <a href="http://ft.com/tsom" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ft.com/tsom</a>&nbsp;&nbsp; Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin WigglesworthGuest: Stephen MihmProducer: Lulu SmythSenior Producer: Michela Tindera and Laurence KnightExecutive Producers: Flo Phillips and Manuela SaragosaOriginal music: Breen TurnerBroadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros GiuompasisPodcast Development: Laura ClarkeFT Global Head of Audio: Cheryl BrumleyVideo editor: Kristen Kenyon at Podcast Discovery <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/8e97870d-c2c7-4255-8bbd-8f4c05fcad9d" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com</a><hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

When money went rogue: banking in 19th-century frontier America 

<description>&lt;p&gt;Every now and then a new technology comes along that changes everything – electricity, computers, potentially AI. In mid-19th-century America, that technology was the steam locomotive. It knitted the US economy together, driving the nation’s industrialisation during the Gilded Age. But along the way, it also caused one of the biggest financial crises in American history. FT Alphaville editor Robin Wigglesworth tells his co-host, FT columnist Gillian Tett, the story of the great railway bubble that ended in the Panic of 1873. It’s also the story of the spectacular rise and fall of Jay Cooke, the greatest banker of his day, who lost a fortune betting on a railroad that would eventually span the North American continent – just not in time to repay its debts. Robin and Gillian discuss what lessons the financier’s fate holds for the investors gambling on today’s AI boom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Credits: New York Times Archive, Otto Herschan Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images, Hulton Archive/Getty Images&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Further reading:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Jay Cooke: Financier of the Civil War&lt;/em&gt;, by Ellis Paxson Oberholtzer (1907)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Jay Cooke's gamble: the Northern Pacific Railroad, the Sioux, and the Panic of 1873&lt;/em&gt;, by M John Lubetkin (2006)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America&lt;/em&gt;, by Richard White (2012)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pop! Why Bubbles Are Great For The Economy&lt;/em&gt;, by Daniel Gross (2007)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;A Fabulous Debt: The Epic Story of How Bonds Built the Modern World&lt;/em&gt;, by Robin Wigglesworth (2026 – forthcoming)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, also on the show's dedicated YouTube channel&lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt; here&lt;/a&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Producer: Lulu Smyth&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Senior Producers: Michela Tindera and Laurence Knight&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Executive Producers: Flo Phillips and Manuela Saragosa&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Original music and sound design: Breen Turner&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Broadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros Giuompasis&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Podcast Development: Laura Clarke&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;FT Global Head of Audio: Cheryl Brumley&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Video editor: Josh Divney at Podcast Discovery&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.ft.com/content/2a59a2f6-a16d-4d1a-8821-c1ec6d1ab132" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'&gt; Hosted on Acast. See &lt;a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'&gt;acast.com/privacy&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

How a truly transformative technology can still cause a financial crash

Every now and then a new technology comes along that changes everything – electricity, computers, potentially AI. In mid-19th-century America, that technology was the steam locomotive. It knitted the US economy together, driving the nation’s industrialisation during the Gilded Age. But along the way, it also caused one of the biggest financial crises in American history. FT Alphaville editor Robin Wigglesworth tells his co-host, FT columnist Gillian Tett, the story of the great railway bubble that ended in the Panic of 1873. It’s also the story of the spectacular rise and fall of Jay Cooke, the greatest banker of his day, who lost a fortune betting on a railroad that would eventually span the North American continent – just not in time to repay its debts. Robin and Gillian discuss what lessons the financier’s fate holds for the investors gambling on today’s AI boom. Credits: New York Times Archive, Otto Herschan Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images, Hulton Archive/Getty Images Further reading:Jay Cooke: Financier of the Civil War, by Ellis Paxson Oberholtzer (1907)Jay Cooke's gamble: the Northern Pacific Railroad, the Sioux, and the Panic of 1873, by M John Lubetkin (2006)Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America, by Richard White (2012)Pop! Why Bubbles Are Great For The Economy, by Daniel Gross (2007)A Fabulous Debt: The Epic Story of How Bonds Built the Modern World, by Robin Wigglesworth (2026 – forthcoming) To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, also on the show's dedicated YouTube channel<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> here</a>:&nbsp; Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin WigglesworthProducer: Lulu SmythSenior Producers: Michela Tindera and Laurence Knight&nbsp;Executive Producers: Flo Phillips and Manuela SaragosaOriginal music and sound design: Breen TurnerBroadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros GiuompasisPodcast Development: Laura ClarkeFT Global Head of Audio: Cheryl BrumleyVideo editor: Josh Divney at Podcast Discovery <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/2a59a2f6-a16d-4d1a-8821-c1ec6d1ab132" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com</a> <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Hitting the Buffers: The 1873 railway bust that broke one of America’s greatest financiers

<description>&lt;p&gt;Does scientific, artistic or political brilliance translate into investing success? It’s a topical question with hedge funds today accused of sucking talent away from the rest of the economy. So, the FT’s Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth sat down with reporter Toby Nangle, who has dug into the archives to assess the investment portfolios of Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill, John Maynard Keynes and other widely regarded geniuses of the past. What Toby found may surprise you, as will the historical wildcard he’s unearthed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, also on the show's dedicated YouTube channel &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learn more at &lt;a href="http://ft.com/tsom" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;ft.com/tsom&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Want more?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read Toby’s full FT article &lt;a href="https://www.ft.com/content/5d2166f5-965b-45b2-a604-9f0a6fc19a35" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Toby’s sources:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Churchill: &lt;a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-More-Champagne-Churchill-Money/dp/1784081817" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-More-Champagne-Churchill-Money/dp/1784081817&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On J.M.W. Turner:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5718586" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5718586&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On John Maynard Keynes:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2023011" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2023011&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2287262" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2287262&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Einstein:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://einstein-website.de/en/what-happened-to-the-nobel-prize-money/#:~:text=By%20May%201924%2C%20Mileva%20had,visible%20result%20of%20my%20musings%E2%80%9D" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;https://einstein-website.de/en/what-happened-to-the-nobel-prize-money/#:~:text=By%20May%201924%2C%20Mileva%20had,visible%20result%20of%20my%20musings%E2%80%9D&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Jane Austen:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/vol36no1/toran/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/vol36no1/toran/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guest: Toby Nangle&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Producer: Lulu Smyth&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Senior Producers: Michela Tindera and Laurence Knight&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Executive Producers: Flo Phillips and Manuela Saragosa&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Original music: Breen Turner&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Broadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros Giuompasis&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Podcast Development: Laura Clarke&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;FT Global Head of Audio: Cheryl Brumley&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Video editor: Josh Divney at Podcast Discovery&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.ft.com/content/55d6d601-503c-4919-b519-ba639ad9a361" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'&gt; Hosted on Acast. See &lt;a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'&gt;acast.com/privacy&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

How luminaries of the past managed their investment portfolios

Does scientific, artistic or political brilliance translate into investing success? It’s a topical question with hedge funds today accused of sucking talent away from the rest of the economy. So, the FT’s Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth sat down with reporter Toby Nangle, who has dug into the archives to assess the investment portfolios of Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill, John Maynard Keynes and other widely regarded geniuses of the past. What Toby found may surprise you, as will the historical wildcard he’s unearthed. To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, also on the show's dedicated YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here.</a> Learn more at <a href="http://ft.com/tsom" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ft.com/tsom</a> Want more?Read Toby’s full FT article <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/5d2166f5-965b-45b2-a604-9f0a6fc19a35" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.Toby’s sources:&nbsp;On Churchill: <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-More-Champagne-Churchill-Money/dp/1784081817" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-More-Champagne-Churchill-Money/dp/1784081817</a>On J.M.W. Turner:<a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5718586" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5718586</a>On John Maynard Keynes:<a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2023011" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2023011</a><a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2287262" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2287262</a>On Einstein:<a href="https://einstein-website.de/en/what-happened-to-the-nobel-prize-money/#:~:text=By%20May%201924%2C%20Mileva%20had,visible%20result%20of%20my%20musings%E2%80%9D" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://einstein-website.de/en/what-happened-to-the-nobel-prize-money/#:~:text=By%20May%201924%2C%20Mileva%20had,visible%20result%20of%20my%20musings%E2%80%9D</a>.On Jane Austen:<a href="https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/vol36no1/toran/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/vol36no1/toran/</a> Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin WigglesworthGuest: Toby NangleProducer: Lulu SmythSenior Producers: Michela Tindera and Laurence Knight&nbsp;Executive Producers: Flo Phillips and Manuela SaragosaOriginal music: Breen TurnerBroadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros GiuompasisPodcast Development: Laura ClarkeFT Global Head of Audio: Cheryl BrumleyVideo editor: Josh Divney at Podcast Discovery <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/55d6d601-503c-4919-b519-ba639ad9a361" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com</a><hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

They are history’s geniuses. But were they any good at investing?

<description>&lt;p&gt;Long before modern economics, rulers such as Hammurabi in ancient Mesopotamia grappled with a political problem that still haunts our economies today: when people’s debts grow faster than their ability to repay them, the entire economic system can start to crack. Hammurabi adopted a radical solution: cancel debts entirely. Amanda H Podany, professor emeritus of history at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and a research affiliate at New York University, tells The Story of Money hosts, FT columnist Gillian Tett and FT Alphaville editor Robin Wigglesworth, what these debt jubilees say about how the ancient Mesopotamian economy worked and what it might teach us about debt today.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, also on the show's dedicated YouTube channel &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learn more at &lt;a href="http://ft.com/tsom" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;ft.com/tsom&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Want more?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Check out Dr Podany’s book, &lt;em&gt;Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Producer: Lulu Smyth&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Senior Producers: Michela Tindera and Laurence Knight&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Executive Producers: Flo Phillips and Manuela Saragosa&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Original music and sound engineering: Breen Turner&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Broadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros Gioumpasis&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Podcast Development: Laura Clarke&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;FT Global Head of Audio: Cheryl Brumley&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Video editor: Kristen Kenton at Podcast Discovery&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.ft.com/content/711b47c1-2e94-4190-8454-df13d7c6782b" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'&gt; Hosted on Acast. See &lt;a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'&gt;acast.com/privacy&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

What we can – and can’t – learn from the practice of mass debt relief

Long before modern economics, rulers such as Hammurabi in ancient Mesopotamia grappled with a political problem that still haunts our economies today: when people’s debts grow faster than their ability to repay them, the entire economic system can start to crack. Hammurabi adopted a radical solution: cancel debts entirely. Amanda H Podany, professor emeritus of history at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and a research affiliate at New York University, tells The Story of Money hosts, FT columnist Gillian Tett and FT Alphaville editor Robin Wigglesworth, what these debt jubilees say about how the ancient Mesopotamian economy worked and what it might teach us about debt today.&nbsp; To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, also on the show's dedicated YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here.</a> Learn more at <a href="http://ft.com/tsom" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ft.com/tsom</a> Want more? Check out Dr Podany’s book, Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East&nbsp; Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin WigglesworthProducer: Lulu SmythSenior Producers: Michela Tindera and Laurence KnightExecutive Producers: Flo Phillips and Manuela SaragosaOriginal music and sound engineering: Breen TurnerBroadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros GioumpasisPodcast Development: Laura ClarkeFT Global Head of Audio: Cheryl BrumleyVideo editor: Kristen Kenton at Podcast Discovery <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/711b47c1-2e94-4190-8454-df13d7c6782b" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com</a><hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

How ancient Mesopotamians solved runaway debt

<description>&lt;p&gt;The economist John Kenneth Galbraith once quipped that “there can be few fields of human endeavour in which history counts for so little as in the world of finance.” This show sets out to prove the opposite. Each week, FT columnist Gillian Tett and FT Alphaville editor Robin Wigglesworth dig into the ideas, personalities and institutions that have shaped global finance. From unregulated banking in 19th-century frontier America to institutionalised debt jubilees in ancient Mesopotamia, and from the birth of credit derivatives to the great market meltdowns of the past, Robin and Gillian uncover the story of money because time and again, the same manias and mistakes resurface. Tune in and you might just understand where the next financial opportunities and disasters could be hiding.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts and watch the show on &lt;a href=" https://www.youtube.com/@ftthestoryofmoney " rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learn more about the show at &lt;a href="ft.com/tsom" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;ft.com/tsom&lt;/a&gt;, and find out more about Gillian Tett &lt;a href="https://www.ft.com/gillian-tett" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and Robin Wigglesworth &lt;a href="https://www.ft.com/robin-wigglesworth" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Follow FT Alphaville &lt;a href="https://www.ft.com/alphaville" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Producer: Lulu Smyth&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Senior Producer: Michela Tindera&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Executive Producers: Flo Phillips and Manuela Saragosa&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Original music and sound engineering: Breen Turner&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Podcast Development: Laura Clarke&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Global Head of Audio: Cheryl Brumley&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'&gt; Hosted on Acast. See &lt;a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'&gt;acast.com/privacy&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

A history show for finance geeks and a finance show for history buffs

The economist John Kenneth Galbraith once quipped that “there can be few fields of human endeavour in which history counts for so little as in the world of finance.” This show sets out to prove the opposite. Each week, FT columnist Gillian Tett and FT Alphaville editor Robin Wigglesworth dig into the ideas, personalities and institutions that have shaped global finance. From unregulated banking in 19th-century frontier America to institutionalised debt jubilees in ancient Mesopotamia, and from the birth of credit derivatives to the great market meltdowns of the past, Robin and Gillian uncover the story of money because time and again, the same manias and mistakes resurface. Tune in and you might just understand where the next financial opportunities and disasters could be hiding.&nbsp; Subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts and watch the show on <a href=" https://www.youtube.com/@ftthestoryofmoney " rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a>. Learn more about the show at <a href="ft.com/tsom" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ft.com/tsom</a>, and find out more about Gillian Tett <a href="https://www.ft.com/gillian-tett" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> and Robin Wigglesworth <a href="https://www.ft.com/robin-wigglesworth" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> Follow FT Alphaville <a href="https://www.ft.com/alphaville" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin WigglesworthProducer: Lulu SmythSenior Producer: Michela TinderaExecutive Producers: Flo Phillips and Manuela SaragosaOriginal music and sound engineering: Breen TurnerPodcast Development: Laura ClarkeGlobal Head of Audio: Cheryl Brumley<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Introducing: The Story of Money

FT columnist Gillian Tett and FT Alphaville editor Robin Wigglesworth dig into the ideas, personalities and institutions that have shaped the history of finance. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

The Story of Money

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