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TULIPMANIA: The True Story Of How A Country Went Totally Nuts For Flower Bulbs

Elena HolodnySep 16, 2014, 20:41 IST

Wikimedia CommonsFour centuries ago, a whole country went completely crazy for tulip bulbs.

But why do we still talk about these flower-obsessed Dutch traders.

As you'll read, the story of tulipmania involves many timeless issues like behavioral biases, malfunctioning markets, inequality, and basic economic concepts like supply and demand imbalances.

Dutch tulips were the first speculative asset to see prices shoot through the roof, and then quickly crasht back down. And of course, they weren't the last. With the help of historian Anne Goldgar's 2007 "Tulipmania", Business Insider brings you this unusual and enlightening story. Editor's Note: Former Business Insider writer Rob Wile contributed to an earlier version of this feature.