The Tragic Tale of Pets.com. | LOL Origins. | It’s Bananas: How comic books fell in love with gorillas.

06/13/22 • 22 min

3 Listeners

1) The dot com bubble from 1995 to 2000 was fueled by speculation of how profitable mainstream internet use could be. Some, like Amazon, rode the waves to riches. For others, like Pets.com, things got quickly out of hand.
2) LOL. We text it without even thinking about it. So, where did LOL come from?
3) Comic books are filled with fascinating stories of unique characters. Batman. Superman. Wonder Woman. Gorillas. Wait, huh?
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***
Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/entertainment-articles/took-pets-com-just-268-days-go-ipo-complete-liquidation-thats-disaster/
https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/08/dotcom-pets-dot-com.asp
https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/05/lol-s-25th-anniversary-origins-of-still-popular-internet-abbreviation-trace-back-to-may-1989-newsletter.html
https://comicsalliance.com/history-gorillas-comic-books/

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http://www.commutethepodcast.com
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Previous Episode

Benjamin Franklin - serial killer?! | Why don’t dollar coins work? | Prosopagnosia

1 Recommendations

1) In 1998 a construction worker found something extraordinary under Benjamin Franklin’s London-based home - human remains. What was the founding father up to??

2) Dwight D. Eisenhower. Susan B. Anthony. Sacagawea. We keep trying dollar-coins, and they keep failing. Why?

3) Even if they know you well, people that suffer from prosopagnosia can’t recognize you - in fact, they often can’t even identify themselves.

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***
Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-was-benjamin-franklins-basement-filled-with-skeletons-524521/
https://www.money.org/ana-blog/sacagawea
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacagawea_dollar?wprov=sfti1
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/magazine/wp/2019/08/21/feature/my-life-with-face-blindness/
https://www.npr.org/2010/11/13/131267727/living-with-face-blindness-who-are-you-again

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Next Episode

Thomas Jefferson had a secret, and it’s not the one you think. | Why you can pee for free in the USA. | Monopoly pieces, explained.

1 Recommendations

1) When Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark on their famous western expedition, it wasn’t just to find more opportunities for commerce. Instead, Jefferson had a bizarrely personal request for the adventurers.
2) Unlike much of the world, public restrooms are free to use in America. But why, and are we better off because of it?
3) There have been 275 million copies of Monopoly sold worldwide since its creation in 1935, so many people have had to make tough choices on what game piece they’ll use. This week, a brief history of the pieces ... and a comeback story for one piece that just wouldn’t die.
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***
Episode Sources/Go Deeper:
https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2015/4/13/8384167/thomas-jefferson-mastodons
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-11-05/why-american-cities-lost-their-public-bathrooms
https://psmag.com/economics/dont-pay-toilets-america-bathroom-restroom-free-market-90683
https://coolmaterial.com/feature/the-story-behind-monopoly-pieces/

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