Great frauds in history: the Pigeon King’s Ponzi scheme
Great frauds in history: the Pigeon King’s Ponzi scheme
Pigeon-fancier Arlan Galbraith claimed to have created a new breed of elite racing pigeon, but his Ponzi scheme defrauded investors of over £200m.
23 Sep 2020
23 September 1889: Nintendo starts making playing cards
23 September 1889: Nintendo starts making playing cards
On this day in 1889, ‘Nintendo Koppai’ began making Hanafuda playing cards. Fast forward 130-odd years, and it's an electronics company worth around £…
23 Sep 2020
23 September 1641: the Merchant Royal sinks with 1.5 million ounces of gold
23 September 1641: the Merchant Royal sinks with 1.5 million ounces of gold
On this day in 1641, the Merchant Royal became the most valuable shipwreck in history when it sank off Cornwall with over £20bn-worth of gold.
23 Sep 2020
Terence Conran: the man who banished the spam fritter
Terence Conran: the man who banished the spam fritter
Terence Conran, who has died aged 88, introduced a country of grey houses and colourless mackintoshes to the dolce vita. He instigated a revolution in…
22 Sep 2020
Universal Credit comes good
Universal Credit comes good
The government’s benefit reforms have been plagued with disasters since their introduction in 2013. The Covid-19 crisis, however, has revealed a posit…
21 Sep 2020
Quiz of the week, 12-18 September
Quiz of the week, 12-18 September
Test your recollection of the events of the last seven days with MoneyWeek's quiz of the week.
18 Sep 2020
18 September 1972: Ugandan refugees reach the UK
18 September 1972: Ugandan refugees reach the UK
The first Ugandan refugees fleeing persecution in Idi Amin's Uganda arrived in Britain seeking new homes, on this day in 1972.
18 Sep 2020
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Is this the end of the oil era? And if so, what should you invest in?
Is this the end of the oil era? And if so, what should you invest in?
Oil major BP says we may already have seen “peak oil demand”. What would that mean for your portfolio? John Stepek investigates.
17 Sep 2020
Great frauds in history: Martin Grass’s debt binge
Great frauds in history: Martin Grass’s debt binge
AS CEO of pharmacy chain Rite Aid. Martin Grass borrowed heavily to fund a string of acquisitions, then cooked the books to manage the debt, inflating…
16 Sep 2020
16 September 1992: Black Wednesday sees sterling crash out of the ERM
16 September 1992: Black Wednesday sees sterling crash out of the ERM
On this day in 1992 – 'Black Wednesday' – the value of the pound crashed as currency speculators sold, dumping sterling out of the European Exchange-R…
16 Sep 2020
15 September 1964: The Sun newspaper is launched
15 September 1964: The Sun newspaper is launched
With reader numbers flagging, the once-popular Daily Herald newspaper was relaunched as The Sun on this day in 1964.
15 Sep 2020
Daniel Loeb: fiery activist goes on a buying spree
Daniel Loeb: fiery activist goes on a buying spree
Daniel Loeb is known as a sharp-tongued investor who buys stakes in companies and then shakes them up. But the pandemic caught him flat-footed and he …
14 Sep 2020
14 September 1752: Britain adopts the Gregorian calendar and “loses” 11 days
14 September 1752: Britain adopts the Gregorian calendar and “loses” 11 days
This day in 1752 saw Britain and its colonies “lose” 11 days, as it switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.
14 Sep 2020
Covid: were the lockdowns worth it?
Covid: were the lockdowns worth it?
Governments around the world followed the authoritarian example of China in dealing with the emergence of Covid-19. Was that a wise choice?
12 Sep 2020
Quiz of the week, 5-11 September
Quiz of the week, 5-11 September
Test your recollection of the events of the last seven days with MoneyWeek's quiz of the week.
11 Sep 2020
11 September 1792: The French Blue diamond is stolen
11 September 1792: The French Blue diamond is stolen
On this day in 1792, a riotous mob ransacked the French crown jewels and made off with the famous French Blue diamond.
11 Sep 2020
11 September 1997: Scotland votes for devolution
11 September 1997: Scotland votes for devolution
In a referendum held on this day in 1997, Scotland voted for a devolved assembly, and greater tax-raising powers.
11 Sep 2020
Build a global portfolio: where to look for growth and value now
Build a global portfolio: where to look for growth and value now
The Covid-19 crisis and ongoing jitters over world trade have left emerging markets unusually cheap – yet their long-term growth prospects remain comp…
10 Sep 2020
Great frauds in history: how Joyti De-Laurey became “the Picasso of con artists”
Great frauds in history: how Joyti De-Laurey became “the Picasso of con artists”
Joyti De-Laurey forged the signatures of her bosses at Goldman Sachs and started writing cheques to herself. Over many years, she netted £4.3m.
10 Sep 2020
10 September 2008: the Large Hadron Collider is switched on for the first time
10 September 2008: the Large Hadron Collider is switched on for the first time
The search for the mysterious Higgs boson kicked off in earnest today in 2008 when the Large Hadron Collider deep below Switzerland was switched on.
10 Sep 2020
10 September 1951: Britain boycotts Iran over the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company
10 September 1951: Britain boycotts Iran over the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company
On this day in 1951, Britain boycotted and blockaded Iran after the latter nationalised the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.
10 Sep 2020
9 September 1839: Sir John Herschel takes the first glass-plate photograph
9 September 1839: Sir John Herschel takes the first glass-plate photograph
On this day in 1839, Sir John Herschel created the first glass-plate negative – a photographic technique that would remain in use in astronomy until t…
9 Sep 2020