True stories of crashes, bubbles and frauds that shaped financial markets.
A curated archive of major events in financial history, told clearly and engagingly, to understand how finance became what it is today. From the earliest speculative manias to the most recent global crises, each event is placed in its historical and economic context.
From tulip mania to 2008 and beyond — the events that changed finance forever. For the frauds and collapses that followed, see our financial scandals archive; for how these stories reached the screen, browse our finance movies guide.
Long-Term Capital Management combined sophisticated models with extreme leverage. After the 1998 Russian default, the hedge fund nearly collapsed, exposing the systemic risks of leverage.
Read the full storyThe 1929 stock market crash marked the beginning of one of the most severe economic crises in modern history. Banking failures, deflation, unemployment and collapsing international trade transformed a market shock into the Great Depression.
Read the full storyThe events in this archive are part of a larger picture. These sections connect them to the people, the films, and the deeper forces behind financial history.
A historical guide to the major stock market crashes — from 1637 to 2022 — with causes, impact and context.
The frauds, arrests and collapses that often accompanied — or caused — the worst market crises.
How the crashes, bubbles and frauds in this archive have been portrayed on screen — from Wall Street to The Big Short.
The real people behind the events — from J.P. Morgan to the traders who survived the crashes and scandals.