Gillian Tett

But that's because history tends to be written by white men.

And these are the people that we actually have the historical records for.

And as a result, we've got data on their investment returns that we actually go through.

Let's hope in 500 years time, we can do the same for women as well.

Well, I think technically, Robin, you're his boss, aren't you?

It's an intellectual collective.

But anyway, great to have you both here in your intellectually collective way.

And let's crack on with the show on the story of money with me, Gillian Tett.

He was also at Trinity College in Cambridge, which is just next door to where I'm recording this, at King's College.

I'm provost at King's College, and I'm delighted to say that Isaac Newton tried to become provost all those centuries ago and got turned down.

So I had the job that Isaac Newton couldn't get.

Hardly.

In those days, you had to be a priest and they've changed the rules since then.

You wouldn't have a woman in the role either.

Not quite the first, but almost the first.

What was the South Sea Company and the South Sea bubble?

So I always think the South Sea bubble is a bit like the subprime mortgage bubble or even the AI bubble today in that you have something dramatically big happening, whether it's a technology breakthrough or a new area of the world that's being explored that everyone gets wildly excited about.

No one really understands because it's halfway around the world or basically very geeky and scientific.

And so this wild mania starts to emerge that infects everything, even though the actual workings of it are completely misunderstood.

So whatever measure you want to use, he was mega rich on the back of what seemed like a very canny investment during the South Sea bubble.