Hubris Defined
This is a cautionary tale about arrogance in the energy business. When a 1914 dictionary dropped coal from its definition of “fuel,” the Standard Oil Bulletin gloated that coal was an “also-ran.” But ...
6 Mars 20208min
The Investor Visit
A 1915 photograph of individuals visiting a drilling rig gets energy economist Peter Tertzakian wondering who they are and what brought them there. The result is this story of Graeme, a savvy investor...
6 Mars 202017min
The Great Aha
In 1914, Ed Tucker, a once-staunch stagecoach driver, sees the light and buys a Ford Model T, never to look back. This story shows how swift adoption of a revolutionary new innovation happens when the...
6 Mars 202014min
Rocket Man
Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk. All titans of innovation. But also masters of showcasing their innovations. You may not have heard of Max Valier, but he too is an example of the brav...
5 Mars 202011min
When Stoke Stokes
In 1947 England, George sends his daughter a postcard featuring smoke-belching factories. “It isn’t quite as bad as this,” he assured her. Why was such an image glorified? Who on earth would put it on...
5 Mars 202014min
Stairway to Hell
This story is about corporate failure in the extreme. A cautionary tale of a once-bustling coal mining hub turned ghost town, Stairway to Hell examines the perils of relying on hope as a strategy in t...
5 Mars 202022min
Nobody Tips a Scandiscope
On a chilly January morning in 1857, 7-year-old Henry Haworth contemplates the chimneys he must clean that day. As he meets his fate in one of them, energy economist Peter Tertzakian examines the hist...
5 Mars 202022min
