Mindset
The Theater Tickets That Explain Why You Can't Quit a Bad Plan
In a 1982–83 theater study, full-price buyers used more tickets in the first half of the season. Why spent money pulls at you, and one question to check it.
History
Success
Sydney Opera House: 4 Years Planned, 14 Built — Why Plans Run Late
The Sydney Opera House opened ten years late. Thesis students, on average, finished after their own worst case. Why plans run long, and one simple check.
Success
The bullet-hole plane and why success stories can mislead you
Abraham Wald's 1943 bomber memos anchor the famous survivorship-bias story. What he actually wrote, and one question to ask before copying a success story.
Wealth
Ben Franklin's 200-Year Money Experiment, and Where It Leaked
In 1789, Ben Franklin left £1,000 each to Boston and Philadelphia and projected huge compound growth. Here's where 200 years of real compounding leaked.
Wealth
Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves? What Florence's 1427 tax rolls say
A proverb says family wealth vanishes in three generations. Florence's 1427 tax records and the Vanderbilt story suggest it's only half-true.
Wealth
What Isaac Newton Really Lost in the South Sea Bubble
Newton didn't go broke in 1720. He took an early profit, bought back in, and lost more than he'd made. What the records show, and the trap that caught him.
Wealth
A 1494 rule of thumb that still explains your money
The Rule of 72 turns any rate into years. Where it came from, why it works, and the three places it quietly breaks. Education only, no tips.
Mindset
Why good evidence gets rejected: the Semmelweis lesson
In 1847 a Vienna doctor cut deaths with handwashing and was ignored. The full story is about identity, and about how evidence is delivered.