<p>In the 1630s, the Netherlands experienced &#8216;tulip mania&#8217; &#8211; a surge in demand for tulips from wealthy buyers, with some individual bulbs costing twenty times more than a carpenter&#8217;s annual salary. Then, in February 1637, the price suddenly crashed. It&#8217;s often cited as the first great financial bubble, but is that really the case? Tim Harford tries to sort fact from fiction.</p>


Tim Harford

Tulips

<p>In the 1630s, the Netherlands experienced &#8216;tulip mania&#8217; &#8211; a surge in demand for tulips from wealthy buyers, with some individual bulbs costing twenty times more than a carpenter&#8217;s annual salary. Then, in February 1637, the price suddenly crashed. It&#8217;s often cited as the first great financial bubble, but is that really the case? Tim [&hellip;]</p>
