to your health
The shockingly recent history of people actually washing hands
“Cadavers, childbirth, and the rise of the Soap Industrial Complex all played a part in getting handwashing to catch on.” | learn more
Tag: history
big ideas
What you can’t say
This is an incredible essay by Paul Graham. “It seems to be a constant throughout history: In every period, people believed things that were just ridiculous, and believed them so strongly that you would have gotten in terrible trouble for […]
better doing
The single most important internal email in the history of Amazon
No opinion on whether the title is accurate, but the content is surely interesting. The Bezos email started off with this dictate: “All teams will henceforth expose their data and functionality through service interfaces.” | learn more
oh, chicago
The Illinois flag is terrible
“The North American Vexillological Association ranked Illinois’s flag 49th out of 72 state and provincial flags. So, what gives?” (From Wikipedia: Vexillology is the study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags or, by extension, any interest in flags […]
tech, startups, internet
History of public SaaS returns and valuations
This is a very data-driven analysis worth skimming at least. “The overall returns from public SaaS companies have been remarkable — the average SaaS company has returned almost 5x from their IPO price. For context, most venture capital funds strive […]
tech, startups, internet
A quick overview and history of tech VC
“In this 5-part series, we’ll review the birth and maturation of the industry, and with that context consider where it might be headed. This first post will focuses on the formalization of VC from the 1950s through the dotcom bubble.” […]
better doing
Five lessons from history
“Lesson #1: People suffering from sudden, unexpected hardship are likely to adopt views they previously thought unthinkable.” | learn more
oh, chicago
The history of derivatives in Chicago
This is a history of trading derivatives and the Board of Trade. In a way, this is a history of Chicago. “The opening of a canal in 1848 led to the birth of modern financial derivatives, and the early demise […]
fun facts
The chronological history of avocados 🥑
You probably have only eaten Hass avocados. They’re delicious, and all originate from one O.G. tree in California. Learn that story and more, dating back to the 1500s. | learn more
big ideas
The short history of global living conditions
These five charts tell a story that too many don’t yet know. It’s the same story that Hans Rosling told up until his death. It’s the story of the world getting better – way better – over the decades and […]