Shows
Insurance Vs HistoryTaking the summer off!2025-05-2400 minInsurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs Cuthbert HeathInsurance vs Cuthbert Heath Who is Cuthbert Heath, and why is he considered the Founder of Modern Lloyds? Join me for a discussion of Cuthbert Heath, and a slightly different take on the man, the myth, the legend. Hire me! Contact meredith@insurancevshistory.com Tip me! See my page at Buy Me a Coffee: Insurance vs History is Exploring all the ways Insurance changed History...or failed to. Music Credits: Boulangerie by Jeremy Sherman, courtesy of NeoSounds: Boulangerie, LynneMusic | NeoSounds music library Website: www.insurancevshistory.com2025-03-251h 06
Awkward InsuranceStories That Changed the World with Meredith BrasherInsurance vs History is a podcast that examines the intersection of insurance and history. Meredith Brasher is a 20-year veteran of the insurance industry, specializing in General Liability, Umbrella and Excess insurance products, wording development, and education. She also has extensive experience in the development and management of MGA programs, as well as auditing for MGA programs and Casualty books of business.She has both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in history, as well as her AU, ASLI and CPCU designations in insurance. She currently works as an insurance consultant, historian, and, sometimes, as a profess...2024-11-2030 minInsurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs The British Abolition MovementInsurance vs The British Abolition Movement What happens when an insurance case sparks the beginning of a national movement? Join me for the second episode of my series on Insurance and Slavery, where I talk about British Abolition, the Massacre on the Slave Ship Zong, and Lord Mansfield’s insistence on NOT talking about slavery. Hire me! Contact insurancevshistory@gmail.com for details. Tip me! See my page at Buy Me a Coffee: Insurance vs History is Exploring all the ways Insurance changed History...or failed to. Selected Sources and Links:...2024-11-191h 13
Insurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs The Station Nightclub FireInsurance vs the Station Nightclub Fire Without giving my age away entirely, I will admit…I’m a child of the 80s. I’ve been lucky enough to have seen several of my favorite 80s artists perform their greatest hits. It never crossed my mind that something could go wrong during a concert and I might be in danger. But on February 2, 2003, more than 400 people who also loved the 1980s attended a concert at the Station Nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island. But that night, something went wrong. A fire broke out at the concert, resulti...2024-04-221h 24Insurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs The Atlantic Slave TradeThree years ago, when I started thinking about making a podcast about insurance and history, I had only one topic in mind: slavery. It took three years of reading and researching before I was ready to share it with you, but this episode represents part one of a three-part series about insurance and slavery—an overview of the Atlantic Slave trade and how insurance contributed to and supported that trade. It’s a tough topic, but an important one, for insurance professionals and history buffs alike. This is a story about how capitalism developed in Europe and the Americas, abou...2023-11-131h 32Insurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs EnronFor the first episode of Season 3, I’m talking about Enron and the company’s spectacular rise and even more spectacular fall. It’s a story about how creativity can sometimes mean stupidity, how culture impacts a company’s survival, how hiring decisions matter, how ideas mutate, and how companies that put stock price and profits above all else can easily be the architects of their own demise. And--how blind people can be about a lot of things if what they are doing is making money. Who was responsible for Enron? What were the major causes of its bank...2023-09-181h 14Insurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs Gawker and Hulk HoganHow can insurance save a company from bankruptcy? How does litigation funding work? Why did a lawsuit about a famous wrestler’s sex tape become a warning to journalists everywhere about the power of Silicon Valley? Welcome to the Insurance vs History Podcast! In this episode, I talk about a case called Bollea v Gawker, which involved Hulk Hogan’s sex tape, and Gawker, one of the first big online news organizations. It also involved tech mogul Peter Theil and a vendetta that resulted in Gawker’s demise. This is the story of how insurance could have saved...2023-06-261h 06Insurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs King Hammurabi of BabylonWas King Hammurabi’s Code the first written mention of insurance? How did insurance come to be, after all? And how does history change over time? Welcome to the Insurance vs History Podcast! In this episode, I talk about King Hammurabi’s Code, often considered to be the first legal code ever written and the first written mention of insurance. But is that really the case? Join me to find out! Selected Sources and Links: 1. The Oldest Code of Laws in the World by King of Babylonia Hammurabi - Free Ebook (gutenberg.org) 2...2023-03-2049 minInsurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs The Mystery of Helen Brach and Horse Insurance FraudInsurance vs The Mystery of Helen Brach and Horse Insurance Fraud How did the disappearance of a candy heiress result in the discovery of an insurance fraud ring? And were people hiring someone to murder their horses? Welcome to the Insurance vs History Podcast! In this episode, I tackle the true crime story of Helen Brach, and how the investigation into her disappearance revealed an organized insurance fraud ring involving expensive horses, changes in the US tax law, and terrible people. Fair warning: I use one swear word. Selected Sources and L...2023-02-2044 minInsurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs The NRAHow has the NRA impacted insurance? And why are insurers being asked to regulate the gun industry? Welcome to the Insurance vs History Podcast! In this episode, I try and tackle the NRA’s impact on the insurance industry, as well as discuss a new wrinkle in the discussion of gun safety: asking the insurance industry to take a regulatory role. Sources and Links: Note: This is only a selection. There was a LOT here, and I read a lot of stuff from “both sides of the aisle” so to speak. I tried to inc...2023-01-1646 minInsurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs The Movies: Double IndemnityIs Double Indemnity the best insurance movie ever? Is double indemnity even a real thing? Welcome to the Insurance vs History Podcast! In this episode, I discuss the movie Double Indemnity starring Fred McMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G Robinson, and the concept of double indemnity in the insurance industry. Sources and Links: Double Indemnity - Wikipedia 10 Fascinating Facts About Double Indemnity | Mental Floss Double Indemnity movie review (1944) | Roger Ebert Ruth Snyder - Wikipedia The 1927 Murder That Became a Media Circus—And a Famous Movie - HISTORY Thompson v. Prudential Ins. c. of America, 84 Ga...2022-12-1547 minInsurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs Tontines! Tontines! Tontines!Murder. Intrigue. And a financial product that bets on the death of people you don’t know. Tontines! Welcome to the Insurance vs History Podcast! In this episode, I dig into the rise and fall of the tontine, a unique life insurance product that includes a mortality lottery. How did a financial product build bridges and real estate, fund wars, and even contribute to the French revolution? I'm talking Kings, Insurance Barons, and estimating who would live longest. What could be more exciting? Sources and Links: Books: com: King William's Tontine: Why th...2022-11-1549 minInsurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs Eliot SpitzerWhen a secretive industry meets an ambitious attorney general, what happens next? Welcome to the Insurance vs History Podcast! In this episode, I discuss Eliot Spitzer’s attempt to reform the insurance industry: specifically, the 2004 investigation into the big three insurance brokers and contingent commissions. Sources and Links: Inside Eliot Spitzer's Insurance-Industry Probe - Nymag Written in late 2004. A good overview. New York Opens Inquiry Into Insurance Brokerage Business - The New York Times (nytimes.com) Hat Trick: A 3rd Unit Of Marsh Under Fire - The New York Times (nytimes.com) Insurance Broker's Coz...2022-10-1555 min
Insurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs The Gambling Act of 1774Insurance vs The Gambling Act of 1774 Why can’t you take out a life insurance policy on anyone you want? Welcome to the Insurance vs History Podcast! In my seventh episode, I talk about the early development of life insurance in England, and how policies were often a lot closer to gambling than to insurance. Join me as I investigate some of the crazy things you could do with a life insurance policy in the 18th century and how the Gambling Act changed everything. Website: https://insurancevshistory.libsyn.com Contact me! 2022-09-1441 minInsurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs Larry Silverstein and the World Trade Center Collapse on 9.11Insurance vs Larry Silverstein and the World Trade Center Collapse on 9.11 What happens when a terrorist attack becomes a highly litigated claim? Welcome to the Insurance vs History Podcast! In my sixth episode, I take a deep dive into the legal wrangling around the property policy covering the World Trade Center. This is a wild ride! Links: 9/11 – An Occurrence That Changed The World - Insurance - United States (mondaq.com) Really outstanding summary of the various lawsuits and coverage issues surrounding whether or not the WTC attack was one occurrence or two. htt...2022-06-1457 minInsurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs Asbestos and the Names at LloydsHow did Asbestos almost bring down Lloyds of London? Welcome to the Insurance vs History Podcast! In my fifth (and supersized!) episode, I discuss the various reasons why Asbestos and the insurance crisis surrounding Asbestos liability claims in the 1980s nearly brought down the entire Lloyds marketplace. Join me for a deeper dive into General Liability Insurance, an explanation of the Asbestos crisis, and Names at Lloyds! Links: How the Names lost their shirts | Money | The Guardian The $200 Billion Miscarriage Of Justice Asbestos lawyers are pitting plaintiffs who aren't sick against companies that never made the s...2022-05-161h 31Insurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs The 1906 San Francisco EarthquakeWelcome to the Insurance vs History Podcast! In my fourth episode, I investigate how insurance saved San Francisco after the Great earthquake—or the Great Fire, depending on who you ask--almost destroyed the city entirely. Join me to learn about mitigating risk through policy wording, the concept of “directly or indirectly”, and why building a city by creating land from the bay was a terrible idea. Selected Links: The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake (usgs.gov) San Francisco 1906 Earthquake - Lloyd's (lloyds.com) The San Francisco disaster : honest and dishonest insurance/ speech of Julius Kahn, of California, in the...2022-01-0359 minInsurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs The TitanicWelcome to the Insurance vs History Podcast! In my third episode, I investigate the insurance claims resulting from the sinking of the RMS Titanic, and the issues that arose as a result. Join me for a discussion of crazy 1850s laws, Lloyds of London, the invention of the wireless telegraph and conspiracy theories! Links: HMS Lutine - Lloyd's (lloyds.com) pdf – an awesome visual of the Hull and Machinery Slip for the Titanic Lloyd's and the Titanic - Lloyd's (lloyds.com) The Craziest Titanic Conspiracy Theories, Explained - HISTORY – ps. If you decide to search for thes...2021-10-2935 minInsurance Vs HistoryInsurance vs CoffeeWelcome to the Insurance Vs History Podcast! In my second episode, I discover that Coffee had a huge influence on the development of the modern insurance industry. Join me for a discussion of Coffee, Lloyds of London, and early Marine insurance. Links: Edward Lloyd and his Coffee House. (lr.org) Lloyd’s Coffee-House | Mashburn Genealogy Archives English coffeehouses in the 17th and 18th centuries - Wikipedia Lloyd's of London - Wikipedia Clubs, Taverns and Coffee-Houses in Georgian London (pascalbonenfant.com) This 17th-Century "Women's Petition Against Coffee" Probably Wasn't About Women, or Coffee | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine Th...2021-10-0135 minInsurance Vs HistoryInsurance Vs Gangs of New YorkWelcome to the Insurance Vs History Podcast! In my first episode, a recent re-watch of the movie Gangs of New York inspires me to ask if insurance inadvertently encouraged gang activity in 19th century New York. In investigating this question I dive into a discussion of the history of firefighting, 19th century fire insurance in England and the United States, and how insurance evolved as a result. Links: Fire Insurance in the United States (eh.net) A Short History of Fire Marks, The World’s Hottest Insurance-Related Antiques - Atlas Obscura Home - The Philadelphia Contributionship (1752.co...2021-07-1337 min