Odd Wisconsin Archive
Lard Corner, or Crisco Systems, Inc.
The continuing struggle among Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft to corner the search market is just one among many occuring as the Web continues to grow. We read last night, for example, that SanDisk is about to release SD memory cards in 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB sizes to drive Samsung's mini hard drives out of the market for portable devices, and make it possible to take a wealth of Web resources safely anywhere in the palm of your hand.
This sort of thing happened in all industries, of course, from Julien Dubuque's successful monopoly in the Lead Region to Frederick Weyerhaeuser's successful conglomerate in the northwoods.
One of the stranger episodes to control a commodity involved the attempt about 100 years ago of a Milwaukee man to corner the market in lard futures on the Chicago Board of Trade. He hoped to get rich quick but ran into a slippery slope, and... well, find out for yourself. The article begins at the lower right-hand corner of the page linked just above.
More stories about Wisconsin business can be found at Turning Points in Wisconsin History.
:: Posted in Curiosities on September 29, 2005
Did You Know?
The Wisconsin Historical Museum is currently featuring Odd Wisconsin objects in the latest exhibit: Odd Wisconsin. And don't miss the Odd Wisconsin book by author Erika Janik published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.
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