Episode Details

When you picture the very rich, do you see a tech billionaire—or the owner of your local car dealership? In The Everywhere Millionaire: Who Is Really Rich in America and How They Got There, economists Owen Zidar and Eric Zwick explore the surprisingly ordinary businesses behind extraordinary American fortunes. Then, in As Gods Among Men: A History of the Rich in the West, historian Guido Alfani takes the longer view: how have wealthy people justified their place in society, and what happens when their communities need help? From Main Street to the Medicis, we’re asking how fortunes are built—and what wealth buys beyond a bigger house.⁠⁠⁠⁠

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