S8 Ep370: Leila Philip explains how John Jacob Astor founded America's first multi-millionaire fortune by overhearing traders discuss the massive profit margins on beaver fur. Astor leveraged the Lewis and Clark expedition to establish global trade routes, utilizin
Podcast: The John Batchelor ShowPublished On: Mon Jan 26 2026
Description: Leila Philip explains how John Jacob Astor founded America's first multi-millionaire fortune by overhearing traders discuss the massive profit margins on beaver fur. Astor leveraged the Lewis and Clark expedition to establish global trade routes, utilizing beaver pelts—which functioned as a literal currency—to jumpstart American capitalism before the species was nearly wiped out.
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