Isaac Newton Lost a Third of His Fortune. You Tripled Yours

In 1720, you put your late uncle's £1,000 into the South Sea Company. So does Isaac Newton, the smartest man alive. By Christmas, one of you has more than tripled his money, and the other has lost a third of everything he owns. This is the story of the South Sea Bubble, the stock that beat Isaac Newton. 0:00 Cold open 0:17 Chapter 1: A company with no business 2:04 Chapter 2: The rocket 3:47 Chapter 3: Selling too early 5:11 Chapter 4: The hundred-pound trap 6:54 Chapter 5: The crash 8:08 Chapter 6: Who pays 9:04 The scoreboard You, your uncle, your friend and the £1,000 are illustrative. Every price, date and name is historical. Prices are per £100 share; summer 1720 prices were quoted while the share register was closed. "Today" figures convert 1720 pounds at about ×280 for price inflation (ONS composite price index), so they are rough. Sources: Andrew Odlyzko, "Newton's financial misadventures in the South Sea Bubble" (Notes and Records of the Royal Society, 2019); Helen Paul, The South Sea Bubble (Gresham College lecture); Encyclopaedia Britannica; UK National Archives; Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Liberty Street Economics "Crisis Chronicles"; The London Gazette, 23 Jan 1721; Thomas Guy's ledger (Baptist Quarterly); Old Bailey Online. #southseabubble #isaacnewton #history #finance #fortuneorbust