In 1995, a trader who hid losses in a secret account and ... | funfact.wiki | funfact.wiki
In 1995, a trader who hid losses in a secret account and kept making reckless trades bankrupted 232-year-old Barings Bank of Britain. His losses totaled £827 million—twice the bank's capital—and the Netherlands ING Group acquired it for just £1.
The barbershop pole originated from a time when barbers in Europe also performed surgery. Red represents arteries and bleeding, blue represents veins and shaving, and white represents bones and bandages.
The term 'spam mail' comes from Monty Python's comedy sketch 'Spam.' During World War II, the US supplied massive amounts of SPAM cans to Britain, and the Brits' frustration inspired the sketch. The name later stuck to annoying promotional emails.
The earliest recorded spam was a dental advertisement sent by telegram in 1864 in Britain. The furious recipient wrote to The London Times: "By what right do they send me a telegram that is plainly, purely an advertisement, to disturb me?"