François R. Velde
@fvelde.bsky.social
Economic history (mostly monetary and fiscal, various places and centuries)
Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (usual disclaimer applies)
Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (usual disclaimer applies)
The timing of last night’s total lunar eclipse could have been timed by a competent student of Ptolemy 1800 years ago, +/- 13 minutes (*). A wrong but shrewd model, honed on centuries of good data, can perform very well.
(*) that was my son’s final exam last year in a Babylonian astronomy class.
(*) that was my son’s final exam last year in a Babylonian astronomy class.
March 15, 2025 at 1:27 AM
The timing of last night’s total lunar eclipse could have been timed by a competent student of Ptolemy 1800 years ago, +/- 13 minutes (*). A wrong but shrewd model, honed on centuries of good data, can perform very well.
(*) that was my son’s final exam last year in a Babylonian astronomy class.
(*) that was my son’s final exam last year in a Babylonian astronomy class.
The birth of coinage - c650BC, five consecutive denominations (each half of the one on the left). Lydian coins, 55% gold and 45% silver. The one on the right weighs 0.3g and could probably buy a few sheep. Not quite small change…
February 20, 2025 at 2:26 AM
The birth of coinage - c650BC, five consecutive denominations (each half of the one on the left). Lydian coins, 55% gold and 45% silver. The one on the right weighs 0.3g and could probably buy a few sheep. Not quite small change…
El archivo general de Simancas has joined the 21st c.! Now we can take pictures from our seats without limit
January 2, 2025 at 11:46 AM
El archivo general de Simancas has joined the 21st c.! Now we can take pictures from our seats without limit
It’s Saturday Oct 16, 1582 and everyone in Naples is shopping for a new calendar (calendario novamente stampato). The Pope thought he could impose a worldwide copyright for the inventor, but the Catholic King told his viceroy to ignore this infringement on his jurisdiction.
December 10, 2024 at 5:29 PM
It’s Saturday Oct 16, 1582 and everyone in Naples is shopping for a new calendar (calendario novamente stampato). The Pope thought he could impose a worldwide copyright for the inventor, but the Catholic King told his viceroy to ignore this infringement on his jurisdiction.
Reposted by François R. Velde
Congress structured the Fed to limit politicization of monetary policy and prevent Presidents from manipulating interest rates. History of the Eccles-Glass battle proves this point, from Gary Richardson and David W. Wilcox https://www.nber.org/papers/w33174
November 24, 2024 at 6:00 PM
Congress structured the Fed to limit politicization of monetary policy and prevent Presidents from manipulating interest rates. History of the Eccles-Glass battle proves this point, from Gary Richardson and David W. Wilcox https://www.nber.org/papers/w33174
Reposted by François R. Velde
nobody does more brutal fashion reviews than the irish
November 22, 2024 at 1:57 PM
nobody does more brutal fashion reviews than the irish
Breakthrough in payments technology: a Swedish coin weighing 19kg (1648) and a note of same value (1666).
November 23, 2024 at 2:24 PM
Breakthrough in payments technology: a Swedish coin weighing 19kg (1648) and a note of same value (1666).
Tango and financial history
November 17, 2024 at 6:44 PM
Tango and financial history
Banco de la Nación Argentina: register of illiterate clients (with fingerprints), c1900-02. Several Turks, one Arab, one German.
November 15, 2024 at 6:08 PM
Banco de la Nación Argentina: register of illiterate clients (with fingerprints), c1900-02. Several Turks, one Arab, one German.