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In early 1870, the Kingdom of Prussia and French Empire were about to go to war. It was one of countless conflicts between the dozens of European kingdoms and empires throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and this one was over before it even started. Prussia’s military might was legendary. They had recently
[Editor’s note: Tim Price, London-based wealth manager, is filling in for Simon today.] It’s ironic that some of the most honest words to come out of a politician’s mouth were, “When it becomes serious you have to lie.” That was a quote from Jean-Claude Juncker, former Prime Minister of Luxembourg and President of
19-year old Hannah Cohen should have been partying. Living with multiple disabilities like paralysis, partial deafness, and blindness in one eye, Hannah also suffers from a brain tumor. And five days ago, she and her mother were traveling home via Memphis International Airport to celebrate the end of her cancer treatment with the
[Editor’s note: Check out Simon’s video podcast of today’s Notes.] In the late 12th century while the rest of Europe was choking on feudalism, Venice was rapidly becoming the most advanced power on the continent. At that point Venice had already created a free society where anyone, regardless of origin or class, could work
Last week, a group of analysts published an astonishing report about the future of Social Security in the United States, and their remarks were nothing short of damning. According to their calculations, for example, these analysts claim that Social Security is already running a huge deficit to the tune of tens of billions
In the year 605 AD, Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty in China formally established what became known as the ‘imperial examination.’ This was a standardized test that public officials were required to take, covering everything from arithmetic to writing to military science. The idea was to ensure that all public servants were
On November 11, 1947, Winston Churchill, then ex-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, rose to speak at a debate in the House of Commons: “Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it
I’ve always been pretty bad with birthday and anniversaries. Even my own. So I didn’t even realize until this morning that Sovereign Man actually turned seven years old over the weekend. Seven years. I can hardly believe it. But it seems even more incredulous to think about how much has happened over the
[Editor’s note: Tim Price, London-based wealth manager, is filling in for Simon today.] “How foul this referendum is. The most depressing, divisive, duplicitous political event of my lifetime. May there never be another” – Tweet from the novelist Robert Harris. “Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at
In February 1768, a revolutionary article entitled “No taxation without representation” was published London Magazine. The article was a re-print of an impassioned speech made by Lord Camden arguing in parliament against Britain’s oppressive tax policies in the American colonies. Britain had been milking the colonists like medieval serfs. And the idea of
As you can imagine, here in Vietnam they call it the “American War”. Or sometimes the “Resistance War Against America.” Most of us call it the Vietnam War. It left millions dead, and millions more wounded over a nearly two decades long conflict. It caused catastrophic medical and environmental damage from over 75
In a bizarre story disclosed over the weekend, we learned that Belgium’s Princess Astrid was robbed by two assailants on a motorbike. The thieves apparently approached her while she was sitting in traffic, smashed in her window, snatched the Royal Handbag, and sped off with over 2,000 euros in cash. I have no
On July 1, 2005, the Chairman of then President George W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisors told a reporter from CNBC that, “We’ve never had a decline in house prices on a nationwide basis. So, what I think is more likely is that house prices will slow, maybe stabilize, might slow consumption spending
All governments make absurd claims. But North Korea definitely wins the award for the most comical. Kim Jong-Il, North Korea’s “Dear Leader” from 1997 through 2011, had some priceless gems, including: He never once in his life needed to urinate or defecate He wrote over 1,500 books for North Korea’s universities He could
Shocking. Astonishing. Jaw dropping. There’s just no other way to describe how cheap South Africa is right now. Between the worldwide decline in commodities prices, and a major crisis of confidence in the national government here, the local currency (South African rand) remains at the lowest level it’s been… ever. And that’s made
