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Episode 416: Why The Price Of Coke Didn't Change For 70 Years

Prices go up. Occasionally, prices go down. But for 70 years, the price of a bottle of Coca-Cola didn't change. From 1886 until the late 1950s, a bottle of Coke cost a nickel.On today's show, we find...

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Episode 419: Taylor Swift, Helium, A Jelly-Like Mass and The Price Of Gas

On today's show: Four Planet Money stories that aired on the radio but haven't yet made it into the show.Here's more on those stories:* A Sequester Is A 'Jelly-Like Mass,' And Other Notes On...

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Episode 420: The (Legal) Marijuana Business

Last month, two states voted to legalize recreational marijuana. A bunch of others states have already legalized medical marijuana.Not surprisingly, there are legitimate, legal (at least under state...

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Episode 421: The Birth Of The Dollar Bill

Before the Civil War, there were 8,000 different kinds of money in the United States.Banks printed their own paper money. And, unlike today, a $1 bill wasn't always worth $1. Sometimes people took the...

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Episode 424: How Much Is A Firefighter Worth?

On today's show, we visit Fire Station Six in Contra Costa County, Calif.Firefighters don't go to fires as much as much as they used to. That's because, thanks to modern building codes, fires are much...

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Episode 425: An FBI Hostage Negotiator Buys A Car

The fiscal cliff, for all its grand theater, really comes down to people in a room trying to come to an agreement. People doing whatever it takes to get what they want from the other side.On today's...

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Episode 238: Making Christmas More Joyful, And More Efficient

This episode was originally released on December 21, 2010.Gift-giving makes economists crazy. It's so inefficient!So we wondered: Is there a way to make the holiday season both more efficient and more...

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Episode 297: A Big Bridge In The Wrong Place

This episode was originally released in August, 2011.You would never look at a map of the Hudson River, point to the spot where the Tappan Zee Bridge is, and say, "Put the bridge here!"The Tappan Zee...

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Episode 428: Turning A Boom Town Into A Real Town

Williston, North Dakota is in the middle of an oil boom. Thousands of workers have flooded into the town, but they're reluctant to call it home. Instead, they live in bleak rentals, often sleeping in...

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Episode 429: The Price Of Things We Love

On today's show: Three short stories about the stuff we buy — books, toys and clothes.1. Are E-Books Actually Destroying Traditional Publishing? Conventional wisdom says e-books are destroying the...

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Episode 430: Black Market Pharmacies And The Spam Empire Behind Them

Chances are you've received an email with a subject line like this "The hottest method to please your beloved one" or this "Want to get good health for low prices?" Emails offering "low cost med...

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Episode 431: A Billion-Dollar Bet Against Weight-Loss Shakes

Herbalife, a company that sells weight loss shakes, vitamins and other similar products, is worth billions of dollars. The company has been around for more than 30 years, and it's traded on the New...

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Episode 320: How Fear Turned A Surplus Into Scarcity

Today on the podcast, the story of one of the most destructive and mysterious food shortages in recent memory. Colbert described it on his Threatdown segment:The global food shortage is finally...

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Rollergirl Displeased With Hedge Fund Manager

And here's a letter from a listener who heard our recent show, A Billion-Dollar Bet Against Weight-Loss Shakes.Hi Planet Money,I am constantly amazed by the things I learn from your show, but for the...

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Follow-Up To Our Show, 'An FBI Hostage Negotiator Buys A Car'

We recently received an email from a listener about our show, An FBI Hostage Negotiator Buys A Car.In that show, Cathy Tinsley of Georgetown University told a story about negotiating to buy pumpkins in...

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Episode 434: Dealing With Danger, Death, And Crime

On today's show: Four short stories about how we deal with the threat of danger, death, and crime.Here's more on those stories:1. Why Is The Government In The Flood Insurance Business? The quick answer...

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Episode 436: If Economists Controlled The Borders

For the first time in a while, there's political momentum building to change the U.S. immigration system. On today's show, we ask three economists: What would the perfect system look like?

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Episode 438: Mavericks, Monopolies And Beer

Two big companies have hatched a plan that could allegedly take money out of the pockets of ordinary Americans. And it's not just any money: it's our beer money.Anheuser-Busch InBev, the biggest brewer...

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Episode 439: The Mysterious Power Of A Hospital Bill

If you have good health insurance, you've probably never even seen a full hospital bill. Count yourself lucky.For a giant article in this week's Time, Steve Brill went line by line through a handful of...

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Episode 441: Business Secrets Of The Amish

Higher land prices have forced Amish off the farms and into business. There are thousands of Amish run firms out there making everything from plumbing supplies to furniture.But running an Amish...

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