Thursday, August 13, 2026
Trivia of the Day
In 1854, what business dispute became so heated that shareholders fought a pitched battle—complete with clubs and furniture—inside the corporate offices?
- The Erie Railroad War proxy fight
- The Boston & Albany merger vote
- The New York streetcar franchise war
- The Pennsylvania coal mine ownership dispute
Answer: The Erie Railroad War proxy fight — Police had to be called to break up the melee, and one faction barricaded themselves inside the offices for three days.
The Erie Railroad War began as your standard Gilded Age corporate power struggle: two factions of investors wanted control of one of America's most valuable railroad companies. What made it exceptional was how literally they interpreted the phrase
Word of the Day
skulduggery noun · skuhl-DUH-guh-ree
Underhanded or unscrupulous behavior, especially in business or politics; trickery for personal gain.
“The proxy fight descended from mere skulduggery into actual combat when neither side would concede the vote count.”
Joke of the Day
What's the difference between a hostile takeover and a really hostile takeover?
In one, you steal someone's company. In the other, you also steal their furniture to use as a weapon.
This Day in History
1889 — Eastman Kodak was founded by George Eastman, who revolutionized photography by making cameras affordable for ordinary people. His real genius was the business model: sell cameras cheap, make money on the film forever—a razor-and-blades strategy decades before King Gillette made it famous.
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