All Seasons

Season 1

  • S01E01 From Bullion to Bubbles

    • July 8, 2009
    • PBS

    In the first episode of the four-hour series THE ASCENT OF MONEY, economist and historian Niall Ferguson documents the roots of money in the conquest of the Americas, from the Incan empire to the Louisiana territory.

  • S01E02 Bonds of War

    • July 15, 2009
    • PBS

    In the second episode of the four-hour series THE ASCENT OF MONEY, economist and historian Niall Ferguson explores John Law and his Louisiana territory Ponzi scheme; bond markets that supported warfare in Europe.

  • S01E03 Risky Business

    • July 22, 2009
    • PBS

    In "Risky Business," part three of the four-part THE ASCENT OF MONEY, economist and historian Niall Ferguson examines the roots of the insurance industry, natural disasters and risk management, and the history of hedge funds.

  • S01E04 Planet Finance

    • July 29, 2009
    • PBS

    In the final episode of four-part THE ASCENT OF MONEY series, Niall Ferguson chronicles the spread of good -- and bad -- financial practices across the globe, the meteoric rise of the American real estate market, and the consequences of the subprime mortgage fiasco.

Additional Specials

  • SPECIAL 0x1 The Ascent of Money

    • PBS

    Niall Ferguson traces the evolution of money and demonstrates that financial history is the essential back-story behind all history. This is the two hour special that aired a few months before the four-part series.