Sixteenth Century Frenchman Devises Craiglist
Want to sell an old scythe? Need to hire a swineherd? These days, you’d use Craigslist. But five hundred years ago, that wasn’t an option. Nonetheless, the idea behind Craiglist was present. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), a prominent French philosopher and writer, wrote about the business model that Craig Newmark would eventually develop:
My late father, [...]
Leonardo da Vinci’s Anatomical Drawings
Images: Royal Collection and Dr. Richard Wellings/UCHW
Five hundred years ago, Leonardo da Vinci wanted to know how the human
body was composed, and set out to work on a treatise on human anatomy.
[...]
Big Money: Yap’s Stone Currency
Photo Credit: Flickr user annamatic3000
If you wanted to be a bank robber on Yap, you’d need a forklift and a crane, along with an 18-wheeler to make your getaway. That’s because for centuries, the main form of currency on this tiny Micronesian island was stones. Very large stones. Looking like Claes Oldenburg sculptures of oversized [...]
