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Books-only for 34 years, then canvas—name the 1744 firm

Oct 1, 2026

Books-only for 34 years, then canvas—name the 1744 firm

Sotheby's first art auction in 1778 consisted entirely of estate paintings sold to settle a debt—the house wouldn't hold a dedicated fine art sale until 1913.

Guitar groups finished, said the audition panel—EMI disagreed

Sep 30, 2026

Guitar groups finished, said the audition panel—EMI disagreed

Decca signed Brian Poole and the Tremeloes instead because they lived closer to London and would cost less in travel expenses.

Forgetting his wallet at a 1950 restaurant created what?

Sep 29, 2026

Forgetting his wallet at a 1950 restaurant created what?

The first Diner's Club charge was made at Major's Cabin Grill in Manhattan, the same restaurant where McNamara had experienced his wallet embarrassment.

Half a million bottles recalled in Britain—tap supply scandal

Sep 28, 2026

Half a million bottles recalled in Britain—tap supply scandal

Dasani's UK launch lasted exactly five weeks before the entire brand was pulled from British shelves forever.

Tens of millions in $10 bonuses bought the network—which startup?

Sep 27, 2026

Tens of millions in $10 bonuses bought the network—which startup?

PayPal's referral bonuses cost the company around $60–70 million, but the strategy helped it sign up millions of users in months and become the default payment…

Surf breaks at 10 a.m.? This company closes the office

Sep 26, 2026

Surf breaks at 10 a.m.? This company closes the office

Yvon Chouinard installed the policy after realizing his best climbing partners kept quitting office jobs to catch good conditions.

A rental giant passed on a $50m startup—then lost everything

Sep 25, 2026

A rental giant passed on a $50m startup—then lost everything

Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph has said the Blockbuster executives laughed them out of the room during the acquisition pitch.

$9bn valuation, zero revenue from its core tech—guess it

Sep 24, 2026

$9bn valuation, zero revenue from its core tech—guess it

Theranos's board included Henry Kissinger and James Mattis, neither of whom had medical or laboratory experience.

This electronics chain rebranded with millions—customers laughed

Sep 23, 2026

This electronics chain rebranded with millions—customers laughed

Radio Shack's 'The Shack' rebrand lasted only two years before the company quietly returned to its full name in 2011, though the damage to its brand perception…

The patent deal nobody read sent campus royalties past $200m

Sep 22, 2026

The patent deal nobody read sent campus royalties past $200m

The University of Florida has earned over $300 million in royalties from Gatorade since 1965, because the researchers were employees required to assign patent…

Sep 19, 2026

Which app turned down Zuckerberg's $3B cash—at age 23?

Snapchat's 2017 IPO valued the company at $24 billion—eight times what Zuckerberg offered—making Spiegel's rejection look prescient, at least on paper.

A soda brand erased one dot in the '50s—which mark?

Sep 18, 2026

A soda brand erased one dot in the '50s—which mark?

The period after 'Dr' disappeared because the new logo design made the tiny dot look like a printing defect or stain on the label.