Thomas Edison didn’t invent the lightbulb, but he created something more important: the grid. Edison's system of power plants and wires brought lightbulbs to homes and offices and revolutionized modern life.

Edison was adamant that direct current (DC) should power America, and attacked competitors who said that alternating current (AC) was better. This sparked a bitter war between Edison and his rivals - and prompted Edison to become involved in the first case of a murderer being sent to the electric chair.   

Thomas Edison didn&rsquo;t invent the lightbulb, but he created something more important: the grid. Edison's system of power plants and wires brought lightbulbs to homes and offices and revolutionized modern life.
Edison was adamant that direct current (DC) should power America, and attacked competitors who said that alternating current (AC) was better. This sparked a bitter war between Edison and his rivals - and prompted Edison to become involved in the first case of a murderer being sent to the electric chair.&nbsp; &nbsp;

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

Edison, Tesla and the Electric Chair  (The Edison Story Part 2)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/114e8d82-cd58-4473-b340-b386010b6665/transcript

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.  

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;

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

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5feda9d2-0a0c-48b4-b1a1-b3b60115cf93/transcript

Jim Simons loved cigarettes and math. He started out as an academic mathematician and a Cold War code breaker - but decided to use his skills to write computer programs to spot investment opportunities in the financial markets. 

Simons and his fierce nerds bought up all the data sets they could find - reports, books, magnetic tapes - and built machine learning algorithms to hunt for tiny market discrepancies they could exploit. The investment funds Simons started made extraordinary profits - so is this the end for human emotions in financial trading?

Jim Simons loved cigarettes and math. He started out as an academic mathematician and a Cold War code breaker - but decided to use his skills to write computer programs to spot investment opportunities in the financial markets.&nbsp;
Simons and his fierce nerds bought up all the data sets they could find - reports, books, magnetic tapes - and built machine learning algorithms to hunt for tiny market discrepancies they could exploit.&nbsp;The investment funds Simons started made extraordinary profits - so is this the end for human emotions in financial trading?

How Jim Simons Built a Machine That Beat the Market

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/671e380b-b9b6-4763-aff2-b3b400d42324/transcript

Today, we're sharing an episode of a show that loves asking questions just as much as we do. It's called Part-Time Genius and it's hosted by fellow knowledge junkies, Will Pearson and Mangesh Hattikudur. The episode you're about to hear delves into the surprising origins of 9 wintertime inventions. Did a 15-year-old really invent the snowmobile? What was the original use for a Kleenex? How come Eddie Bauer gets zero credit for his genius idea? And what's so special about Greenwood Champion Ear Protectors, anyway? Every inventor they spotlight was trying to solve a longstanding problem, and because of the solutions they came up with, the winter season is that much more comfortable, navigable, and delicious. Find Part-Time Genius wherever you get podcasts.

Follow them on Instagram @parttimegenius and Bluesky @parttimegenius.bsky.social!

 

Today, we're sharing an episode of a show that loves asking questions just as much as we do. It's called <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/part-time-genius/id1242486356">Part-Time Genius</a> and it's hosted by fellow knowledge junkies, Will Pearson and Mangesh Hattikudur. The episode you're about to hear delves into the surprising origins of 9 wintertime inventions. Did a 15-year-old really invent the snowmobile? What was the original use for a Kleenex? How come Eddie Bauer gets zero credit for his genius idea? And what's so special about Greenwood Champion Ear Protectors, anyway? Every inventor they spotlight was trying to solve a longstanding problem, and because of the solutions they came up with, the winter season is that much more comfortable, navigable, and delicious. Find Part-Time Genius wherever you get podcasts.
Follow them on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/parttimegenius/?hl=en">@parttimegenius</a> and Bluesky <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/parttimegenius.bsky.social">@parttimegenius.bsky.social</a>!
&nbsp;

From Part-Time Genius: 9 Wonderful Wintertime Inventions 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ccfb49ce-f4f9-4ee5-9837-b3bc013ff9f4/transcript

Edison, Tesla and the Electric Chair (The Edison Story Part 2)

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