History Archives

America’s Prometheus: Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project

Why was J. Robert Oppenheimer chosen to lead the Manhattan Project? What was his attitude toward the work and its implications? According to Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin, J. Robert Oppenheimer represents a modern-day Prometheus, the Greek Titan eternally punished for stealing fire from the gods and imparting it to humanity. Their book provides a comprehensive biography of the man best known for developing the atomic bomb. Keep reading to learn about Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project.

American Prometheus: Quotes About & From Robert Oppenheimer

What was Oppenheimer’s deepest fear? What sort of person did he admire most? Why is he compared to Prometheus? In American Prometheus, Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin provide a comprehensive biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Although the authors focus on Oppenheimer’s work on the bomb, they also shed light on his personal life, detailing his evolution from adolescent activist to eventual political martyr. Continue reading for several American Prometheus quotes that provide insights into Oppenheimer’s story.

America’s Work Ethic: The Cultural Pressure to Overwork

Is hard work a virtue? Is wealth a sign that someone’s a good person? American culture places a high value on hard work and productivity. This is a problem, according to radio journalist Celeste Headlee. In her book Do Nothing, she discusses where this value comes from. Read more to learn how America’s work ethic has been shaped over time.

Liar’s Poker: Book Overview (Michael Lewis)

What is Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis about? How did the Salomon Brothers fall from grace on Wall Street? The cynical view of the financial world says that Wall Street is run by a special breed of traders who exploit investors’ collective fear and greed to enrich themselves. In Liar’s Poker, Michael Lewis backs up this opinion with a first-hand account of the pursuit of ill-gotten riches at the Salomon Brothers investment firm during the 1980s. Read below for a brief Liar’s Poker book overview.

Wall Street in the 1980s: Bond Market & Salomon Brothers

What was Wall Street like in the 1980s? How did the Salomon Brothers make their fortune during this time? In the 1980s, Wall Street managed to recover from the high unemployment and inflation rates from the previous decade. This led to the rise of the bond market that the Salomon Brothers investment firm took advantage of. Let’s look at how the Salomon Brothers successfully navigated the bond market during this time.

Michael Lewis & Salomon Brothers: A Firsthand Account

How does Michael Lewis know so much about the Salomon Brothers? What did Lewis witness while working at the firm? In Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis, the Salomon Brothers are written about extensively with firsthand knowledge. Fresh out of college in the mid-1980s, Lewis joined the Salomon team, was trained in their philosophy of investing, and then became part of its culture. Get the inside scoop on what it was like working at Salomon Brothers in the 1980s.

The Rise and Fall of the Mortgage Bond Market in the 1980s

Racial Predatory Mortgage Lending and The 2008 Crisis

When was the mortgage bond era on Wall Street? How did bankers profit from home loans in the 1980s? The mortgage bond market was booming in the 1970s. The number of home loans that were borrowed was at an all-time high, and the investment bank Salomon Brothers found a way to capitalize on it. Discover more about how people profited off the mortgage bond market, according to Michael Lewis’s book Liar’s Poker.

The 1980s Savings and Loan Crisis: An Investor’s Solution

What was the 1980s savings and loan crisis? How did Salomon Brothers and Lewis Ranieri navigate this crisis? Right on the cusp of the 1980s, the savings and loan industry suffered a shock that threatened to stop the housing market in its tracks. In Liar’s Poker, Michael Lewis says that instead of backing out of the mortgage bond business, Salomon Brothers dove head-first into the market, turning the US government’s plan to bail out local banks into a way to funnel money to itself. Continue reading to learn more about how the investment bank took advantage of the savings and

How Work in the Industrial Revolution Shaped Today’s Lifestyle

How did the Industrial Revolution change the way people work? In what ways are we still feeling the effects? In today’s fast-paced world, our lives increasingly revolve around productivity, efficiency, and work. In her book Do Nothing, Celeste Headlee writes that our culture of overworking can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution. Continue reading to learn how the nature of work in the Industrial Revolution shaped the modern lifestyle.

Barbarians at the Gate: Book Overview and Takeaways

What is the book Barbarians at the Gate about? What was the biggest leveraged buyout in history? In their book Barbarians at the Gate, Bryan Burrough and John Helyar detail the 1988 leveraged buyout of RJR Nabisco, which is the biggest business transaction of the 20th century. The high value of the transaction, as well as the unusually competitive bidding in the LBO process, caught the attention of the press. Read below for a brief Barbarians at the Gate book overview.