Before 1450, books were written out by hand. It was slow and expensive. But Johannes Gutenberg borrowed a ton of money to create a printing press that could crank out Bibles and pamphlets and documents in huge numbers. Science, politics and philosophy were all up-ended. 

For example, the Catholic Church seized on the invention to sell special certificates absolving people of their sins - a move that made money, but caused a permanent schism in Christianity.   

And Gutenberg too found himself in trouble - when a financier sued the inventor to reclaim his loan, plus interest.  

Write to us at businesshistory@pushkin.fm

Before 1450, books were written out by hand. It was slow and expensive. But Johannes Gutenberg borrowed a ton of money to create a printing press that could crank out Bibles and pamphlets and documents in huge numbers. Science, politics and philosophy were all up-ended.&nbsp;
For example, the Catholic Church seized on the invention to sell special certificates absolving people of their sins - a move that made money, but caused a permanent schism in Christianity.&nbsp; &nbsp;
And Gutenberg too found himself in trouble - when a financier sued the inventor to reclaim his loan, plus interest.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Write to us at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:businesshistory@pushkin.fm">businesshistory@pushkin.fm</a>

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.

It&rsquo;s the history of business. How did Hitler&rsquo;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.

Business History

The Printing Press: The Invention Built on Debt and Sin

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/bc5d5958-6eb7-463c-bc0c-b48f00dbb24c/transcript

We're here with a preview of Blockers, a new audiobook from Michael Lewis, the author of Liars Poker, Moneyball, The Big Short and more. In Blockers, Lewis tells the story of a handful of people who dedicated their careers to public service—until the Department of Government Efficiency decided they were a problem. These were people who believed they had a calling—people who kept American's sensitive tax data out of the wrong hands, made sure that politicians and civil servants played by the rules, and figured out how to stop wildfires from destroying suburban neighborhoods—and then discovered they were no longer wanted.

Here's an excerpt from the audiobook. You can buy the audiobook exclusively at blockers.fm. 

We're here with a preview of Blockers, a new audiobook from Michael Lewis, the author of Liars Poker, Moneyball, The Big Short and more. In Blockers, Lewis tells the story of a handful of people who dedicated their careers to public service&mdash;until the Department of Government Efficiency decided they were a problem. These were people who believed they had a calling&mdash;people who kept American's sensitive tax data out of the wrong hands, made sure that politicians and civil servants played by the rules, and&nbsp;figured out how to stop wildfires from destroying suburban neighborhoods&mdash;and then discovered they were no longer wanted.
Here's an excerpt from the audiobook. You can buy the audiobook exclusively at <a href="http://blockers.fm/" data-airgap-id="19">blockers.fm</a>.&nbsp;

Blockers | A Preview of Michael Lewis's New Audiobook

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/97519d76-bb9c-4a95-bb68-b4da00f919cb/transcript

Business History is off this week, so we wanted to keep you entertained with a rerun, in case you missed our Beetle episode the first time around. (You can help us win a Signal Award for this episode by voting here.)

The VW Beetle was the biggest selling car of all time - and it found particular favor with people like hippies and surfers. But this icon of the 60s counterculture had its roots in Nazism. The Volkswagen - the People's Car - was an obsession of Adolf Hitler. He wanted to transform Germany into a land of drivers - and needed an affordable, but reliable automobile.  

Germany's private auto manufacturers knew the project was doomed to failure. So Hitler assembled a team of designers and factory managers to enact his vision - even if that meant enslaving workers and committing murder.  

Write to us at businesshistory@pushkin.fm

Business History is off this week, so we wanted to keep you entertained with a rerun, in case you missed our Beetle episode the first time around. (You can help us win a Signal Award for this episode by voting <a href="https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history" data-airgap-id="11">here</a>.)
The VW Beetle was the biggest selling car of all time - and it found particular favor with people like hippies and surfers. But this icon of the 60s counterculture had its roots in Nazism. The Volkswagen - the People's Car - was an obsession of Adolf Hitler. He wanted to transform Germany into a land of drivers - and needed an affordable, but reliable automobile.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Germany's private auto manufacturers knew the project was doomed to failure. So Hitler assembled a team of designers and factory managers to enact his vision - even if that meant enslaving workers and committing murder.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Write to us at <a href="mailto:businesshistory@pushkin.fm">businesshistory@pushkin.fm</a>

Hitler's Gift to the Hippies: The VW Beetle Story Part I – Rerun

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/bcca729e-71e7-4064-b690-b4d4013b6cac/transcript

Wayne Huizenga came from a long line of trash collectors. It was a rough, fragmented, mom-and-pops business which notoriously attracted mobsters. But Huizenga set out to buy his small competitors - to roll them up - to form the biggest waste management firm in the world. 

Huizenga bought up rival companies at a furious pace - several per week - and when he tired of the trash business he looked for something new. In the 80s, video stores also tended to be mom 'n pops outfits. Huizenga spotted that there was a golden opportunity to consolidate the rental industry, so used roll ups to build the giant Blockbuster Video chain.  

Write to us at businesshistory@pushkin.fm

Wayne Huizenga came from a long line of trash collectors. It was a rough, fragmented, mom-and-pops business which notoriously attracted mobsters. But Huizenga set out to buy his small competitors - to roll them up - to form the biggest waste management firm in the world.&nbsp;
Huizenga bought up rival companies at a furious pace - several per week - and when he tired of the trash business he looked for something new. In the 80s, video stores also tended to be mom 'n pops outfits. Huizenga spotted that there was a golden opportunity to consolidate the rental industry, so used roll ups to build the giant Blockbuster Video chain. &nbsp;
Write to us at <a href="mailto:businesshistory@pushkin.fm">businesshistory@pushkin.fm</a>

King of the Roll-Ups: The Man Who Created a Trash Empire, Then Built Blockbuster Video 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/32ec8725-c64b-4f49-8676-b4bd009eab12/transcript

The Printing Press: The Invention Built on Debt and Sin

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