Things That Made the Modern Economy

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Inventions, ideas and innovations that have helped to create the modern economic world

Tim Harford introduces inventions, ideas and innovations that have helped to create the modern economic world

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Things That Made the Modern Economy: Santa Claus

Santa Claus

BBC Radio 4 - Things That Made the Modern Economy, Santa ClausSearch BBC

Consumerism and Christmas have gone hand in hand for a surprisingly long time

In a seasonal edition of Fifty Things That Made The Modern Economy, Tim Harford explores the history of Christmas consumerism across the years and around the world.

Consumerism and Christmas have gone hand in hand for a surprisingly long time. Santa Claus was an advertising icon in the 1840s, and Macy's department store in New York stayed open until midnight on Christmas Eve in 1867. In a seasonal edition of Fifty Things That Made The Modern Economy, Tim Harford explores the history of Christmas consumerism across the years and around the world.

Producer: Ben Crighton
Editor: Richard Vadon

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