PixelMap, one of the oldest NFT projects, made its creator an overnight millionaire

A ‘Bored Ape’ NFT was once kidnapped

An art heist in the crypto world plunges listeners of the "Search Engine" podcast into another mystery about why so many celebrities suddenly started selling the public on NFTs in 2021.

At their peak, some believed NFT royalties could create a new income source for artists

Non-fungible tokens’ role in the art world is evolving with experiments such as automated NFT royalties that generate income when an NFT is resold.

The memecoin casino

This podcast episode dives into the origin story of memecoins like Dogecoin and how people make money off of them in the crypto world.

TikTok can turn everyday users into stars

TikTok is such a cultural force, it’s now a platform for turning ordinary users into stars. This "Planet Money" podcast episode performs a deep dive into how Tai Verdes went from working a day job and dreaming of becoming a successful musician to using TikTok to gain a following.

Bitcoin started as a .PDF

Have you ever wondered how bitcoin became, well, bitcoin? In this podcast episode, journalist PJ Vogt dives into what drove the bitcoin hype machine, explaining how it became the phenomenon it is today.

A beginner's guide to creating your own NFT

It took 12 hours and three different Apple devices, but this 30-something poet successfully minted her first NFT, and so can you. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating an NFT.

Crypto history's is full of bizarre stories

Digital currencies based solely on misspellings of former President Joe Biden’s name have skyrocketed, and backers of a token based on a Shiba Inu wearing a hat raised $690K to get their logo on the Las Vegas Sphere.

Age of Miracles: Why Tencent is the ultimate outsider

Tencent has relatively low name recognition outside of China, despite being the world's biggest video game publisher, operating a 1.4-billion-user messaging network, and much more. This podcast explores the business principles underpinning its success, from long-term vision to a unique investment portfolio.

One $100 investment in the Medallion Fund skyrockets over time

The Medallion Fund, the famously secretive quant fund that invests billions of dollars for the partners and employees of a single firm with a legendary track record, has trounced the market for more than three decades. While its results are an extreme outlier, this visualization showcases the power of compound interest.

Two Papa John’s pizzas were the first real-world transaction involving cryptocurrency

In 2010, a programmer Laszlo Hanyecz made the first real-world transaction involving cryptocurrency—purchasing two Papa John’s pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins. While the transaction was lauded as a milestone for cryptocurrency, it has also become a tongue-in-cheek cautionary tale—the value of the purchase price exceeded $620M at bitcoin’s all-time high.

An AI-built pixel map reimagines New York City as a video game

Isometric NYC is a zoomable pixel-art map that renders the city in game-style perspective (think SimCity), helpfully clarifying the dense geography and architecture. The makers built the project tile-by-tile using satellite data and generative AI. Zoom into building-level views or out to see all five boroughs.

Investors are buying up land in the Metaverse

Real-estate transactions in the metaverse are reaching record highs. Digital real estate investors share how and why they're spending millions on virtual property.

'The Million Dollar Homepage' is a snapshot of a dead internet

In 2005, 21-year-old Alex Tew set out to make $1M by selling $1 pixels on his website, effectively creating a standalone internet billboard. The gambit worked, and because the advertisements were one-time payments, the site looks the same as it did in 2005, despite many of the advertised sites going defunct since.

Memecoins are a type of cryptocurrency—a form of digital currency with a wide variety of uses—created around popular 'memes,' or viral internet jokes.

The history and success of the mysterious Mars Inc.

Mars, Incorporated manufactures some of the world’s favorite treats, including M&M’s, Snickers, and Milky Way bars. Despite their success, you’ve probably not heard of them. The privately held company is largely unknown to the world despite being owned by the second-richest family in the US. This podcast discusses the mysterious Mars family and their remarkable entrepreneurial feat. Listen to uncover more.

Picasso is the bestselling painter of all time

Picasso’s artistic legacy remains lucrative 50 years after his death. His output was immense, and several individual works have sold at auction for over $100M. Those sales were not only jaw-dropping but also historic, leading to Picasso’s place as the top-grossing artist of all time.

‘Tulip mania’ may have been the first financial bubble. It still shapes markets today

This podcast revisits tulip mania, the 1630s Dutch craze where rare bulbs were briefly traded like luxury assets. It unpacks the myths surrounding the event and shows how its legend continues to shape modern perceptions of financial bubbles.

One Facebook investor turned $500K into $1B

Peter Thiel was Facebook's first big investor. In 2004, he invested $500K into the social network, long before the company owned Instagram or renamed itself "Meta." In 2012, when he sold off most of his stake, he turned that initial $500K investment into more than $1B in cash.

Prediction market Polymarket's CEO dropped out of New York University

Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan started building Polymarket when he was 21. Polymarket has been backed by billionaire investors such as Peter Thiel and Vitalik Buterin.

By 2024, Nvidia had become one of the world’s most valuable companies

Nvidia started as a graphics chip designer for PCs and consoles. This explainer traces its rise from early GPU innovation to powering AI breakthroughs and fueling the data centers behind today’s biggest tech platforms.

MrBeast is one of YouTube's biggest creators

Jimmy Donaldson always wanted to be an entrepreneur. His drive to succeed helped create the world's most successful YouTube channel through his media personality MrBeast. This in-depth interview with Steven Bartlett reveals the intimate details of Donaldson's experience as a big-time creator and more.

One man lost roughly $100K to a con artist—then turned it into a business

The victim of the con now helps other victims of similar crimes. He's also written a book and hosts a podcast on the subject.

Drew Scanlon is the man behind the Blinking White Guy meme

A San Francisco resident, Scanlon now works as a video producer for Twitch and hosts a pair of podcasts about Formula One and iconic movies. He also now using his fame to raise money for an MS charity.

The world of rare and expensive Pokémon cards

The rising value and popularity of Pokémon trading cards is driven by nostalgia, influencer culture, and the launch of Pokémon Go. Fans of the decades-old Japanese game are now seeking to buy rare cards in mint condition for thousands of dollars, sometimes even millions. Learn more about the frenzy to collect these rare cards, and how influencer Logan Paul helped boost market interest in this article.

The early years of the Met

The Met didn’t start out in the grand, sprawling grounds that it currently occupies. This episode of Hometown History, a podcast about lesser-known historical places and events, covers the early years of the venerable institution. Learn about how the vision and planning of a group of 19th century artists and philanthropists took the Met from a small collection in a humble brick building to the cultural powerhouse that it is today.

Discover your fortune with this art-themed Tarot deck

This game links famous artworks to your fortune. Interpret the meanings of your past, present, and future cards with famous works like the Mona Lisa as a guide.

Explore an interactive map built from more than 100,000 survey responses on where people find joy in their lives

Fast-casual restaurant Chili's is experiencing a resurgence, with its parent company recently reporting a nearly 32% increase in sales, thanks to passionate Gen Z fans on TikTok.

In 2019, a laptop loaded with six of the worst malware in history and described as 'an exhibit of historical weaponry' sold for $1.3M.

The 1987 Nintendo video game 'Stadium Events' isn't known for being particularly fun, but its scarcity has made it a highly sought-after item that has sold for up to $35K at auction.

The Mona Lisa's celebrity status and repeated restorations have obscured what made the painting so revolutionary for its time

Hear 50 years of iconic hip-hop samples, the genre's foundational looped tracks

Mid-century modern graphic designers, known for their bright colors and bold lines in advertising, also found success with children's books.

Children are now three times more likely to say they want to be a YouTuber when they grow up than an astronaut, with some even attending 'YouTube camps' that teach kids how to create content for the platform.

A vending machine run with Anthropic's AI went out of business after it was convinced to give away items for free and sell a video game console.

The name 'Silicon Valley' arose from the founding of Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in Fairchild Semiconductor in 1956-57, founded near Stanford University in Palo Alto

Hear about the 250-year history of the United States Postal Service, complete with some of its strangest deliveries, important innovations, and the figures that made it an American institution.

Watch this video that uses Lego bricks to explain how venture capital works.

After NASA's Voyager 1 captured Earth as a single pixel as it left the solar system in 1990, astronomer Carl Sagan used the image to reflect on humanity's fragility and the responsibility to protect 'the only world we've ever known.'

How Amazon operates a 'flywheel' business model, a self-reinforcing cycle that drives continuous growth

Read a deep dive on the 'all-purpose healing' peptide BPC-157.

The Nasdaq's 'Magnificent 7' companies are responsible for roughly 40% of the Nasdaq 100 index's gains, while the remaining 93 companies account for the other 60%.

A 2019 Facebook event called on attendees to "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us," resulting in countless memes, the creation of a music festival, and eventually the arrests of those who did try to approach the area.

Learn more about the history of fireworks, which dates back to an accidental invention during an alchemist's quest for information about immortality.

Some Pokémon have been named after real and fictional organisms, while some real-world species have been named after Pokémon, such as Chilicola charizard and Binburrum zapdos.

A pickleball's loud 'pop' sound can reach 120 decibels, which is equivalent to a hammer hitting a nail

The story of Dollree Mapp, whose legal challenge over her 1957 conviction for possessing "obscene material" led to a major strengthening of the Fourth Amendment

In 1963, a basement renovation in Turkey revealed a passageway to a hidden, multilevel underground city that once housed as many as 20,000 people

Researchers believe the brain consolidates memories, processes emotions, and plans for the future during dream states

The Great Salt Lake's distinct dual coloration results from high-salinity organisms that only live in the northern portion and produce a purple protein.