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In business and in history, there's nothing quite like the thrill of the "save." Our favorite 50 celebrate those who have turned adversity into triumph

The first great event in the history of e-commerce wasn't the invention of Netscape or the first e-Christmas. According to an E-Commerce Times roundup of the top 10 e-commerce milestones,
it was the 1984 adoption of the ASC X12 standard for electronic data interchange. That much-overlooked event paved the way for better-known milestones -- Netscape's arrival is event No. 2,
and the 1998 holiday shopping season is fourth on the list. Other great moments include the advent of Napster (No. 6) and the denial-of-service attacks that rocked some of the Web's
most popular sites in February (No. 8).

Which was more important to U.S. business -- Bill Gates' licensing of MS-DOS to IBM or the introduction of Bakelite? We think you'll be surprised. In TSC's Basics of Business History, we count down the top 100 U.S. business events of the 20th century, ranking the signal points, inventions, ideas and companies from least important to most. Take a look at the introduction to get an idea of our (subjective) qualifications, and then start ticking through the events from 100 to 1. You can view the events in their political and cultural context in the TSC Timeline, and get a quick overview of our choices with the chronological and numerical lists.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Alfred D. Chandler Jr. examines the development of two pivotal industries - the consumer electronics and computer industries.

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This article provides an overview of the landmark study by Elton Mayo, an Australian anthropologist from Harvard, and its implications for management history.

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This series of articles describes the four main theories of motivation. These are Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Herzberg's Dual-Factor Theory, The Need for Achievement and David McClelland's work and Vroom's Expectancy Theory of motivation.

Note: Business 2.0 is now part of CNNmoney and some older articles are no longer available

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An insightful comparison and contrast of the recent high-tech boom and bust to previous technological revolutions, with some speculative thoughts about what the future might hold. A good read.

Note: Business 2.0 is now part of CNNmoney and some older articles are no longer available

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W. Brian Arthur, Andy Grove, and Lawrence Lessig discuss a variety of topics at a Business 2.0 conference.

Given today's business environment, where corporate benefits such as stock options and quarterly bonuses are expected and compared, it's difficult to remember a time when employee health insurance was a revolutionary concept.

Find a wide selection of interviews with business luminaries in our Interviews Section

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Article profiles Robert E. Kath, widely recognized as one of the co-founders of the Internet (along with partner Vint Cerf).

Theories of competition and strategic planning are essential ingredients in running a global business. In this excerpt from Business History Review, HBS professor Pankaj Ghemawat outlines their development.

Much of what happened in the 1990s also happened in the 1980s. Here's hoping we don't do it again.

Editor's Note: Also includes an interesting historical timeline of selected relevant events starting in 1984.

Imagine, for a moment, your progressive business vision. Does it have profit sharing? Does labor management collaboration exist? Does it support and assist associates in securing affordable, high quality housing? Is there participatory management? Are employees encouraged to tinker and invent? Does the firm provide and support continuous adult learning? Does it provide high quality child care, primary and secondary education? Are on-site recreation and entertainment provided? Is the firm's facilities pleasing to the eye? Believe or not, these questions were derived from a late 1800's firm. It manufactured plumbing supplies.

This article was written in August, 2000 and examines the births and personalities of a handful of New Economy magazine start-ups, including:
- Red Herring
- Business 2.0
- The Industry Standard
- Fast Company
- Upside
- eCompany Now
You'll notice that some of these have perished and likewise the article isn't that fresh, but it is an interesting chronicle of an important historical period for the business world.

What can a man born in 356 BC teach business leaders today? Plenty, says Professor Manfred Kets de Vries in this new Working Paper about Alexander the Great of Macedonia, one of history's most successful leaders. His successes and failures, says the author, offer insights into what makes for effective leadership and what contributes to leadership derailment.

Economic historians continue to debate the causes of the great divergence of economic fortunes which has characterized the last half millennium. In this debate, the role of colonialism and specifically the British Empire has a crucial role to play. If geography, climate, and disease provide a sufficient explanation for the widening of global inequalities, then the policies and institutions exported by British imperialism were of marginal importance. However, if the key to economic success lies in the adoption of legal, financial, and political institutions favorable to technical innovation and capital accumulation, then it matters a great deal that between around 1880 and 1940 a quarter of the world was under British rule.

Editor's Note: I found this a fascinating read - a nice combination of economic and historical analysis but not at all dry and boring...

Editor's Note: see a related EBF article by Jean-Jacques Lambin, "The benefits of globalisation" at
http://www.ebfonline.com/main_feat/trends/trends.asp?id=231

100 years ago, J.P. Morgan created the monolith named U.S. Steel. It was supposed to take over the market. What went wrong?

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The founding fathers of European socialism are testimony that the principles of good management are universal, no matter what the ideology.

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After 150 years, the department store concept is still going strong thanks to a husband and wife team who pioneered the 'retail experience' - a philosophy of customer service, quality and fair pricing for all.

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For the past five centuries, the political genius of Niccoló Machiavelli has been overshadowed by his reputation as a cold supporter of corrupt ruling. Only recently have his true beliefs come to light.

Modern sales management is a uniquely American story, says Harvard Business School's Walter A. Friedman, author of Birth of a Salesman. PLUS: Book excerpt.

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Comparisons between business and warfare are not new. But while writers have sought over the years to apply military metaphors to corporate strategy, the debate on how appropriate this is remains unresolved.

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The Benedictines and the Cistercians were much more than religious orders - they were powerful multinational organisations from which the modern manager can learn.

Find a wide selection of interviews with business luminaries in our Interviews Section

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Management journals and New Economy magazines are filled with an unending stream of thinking and writing about entrepreneurship. But amid the proliferation of management gurus, there's one theorist whose voice pierces through the clutter: Joseph Schumpeter. More than a half-century ago, the Moravia-born economist coined the enduring term "creative destruction" as a great metaphor for capitalism. But his understanding of the dynamics of capitalism and the role of entrepreneurs are just as salient and incisive today as they were when he first made them.

Britain had it all - brains, ideas, and inventions like radar and pencillin - but the U.S. brought the best to the market. The lesson is sobering: Native brilliance needs a national backup drive.

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Protectionism grew out of mercantile economics 500 years ago. Although long discredited, ailing industries in the US and Europe are often rescued by mercantilism.

"History is bunk" - Henry Ford

In general, most marketing experts have agreed with Ford's conclusion. While some researchers have advocated using historical or longitudinal approaches to study marketing phenomena, others have dismissed the vast field of history as inherently subjective and hopelessly unscientific.

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The management philosophy of the Cadburys and the Rowntrees, 19th century commercial rivals, resulted in happy and well-paid workers and strong, profitable and creative companies.

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Taylorism laid the foundations for science-based management more than 100 years ago. But early implementations led to worker resistance and distortions that have never quite gone away.

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The world's most famous management writer may have spent most of his working life in the US, but he owes many of his ideas to his European origins.