Nice one. I have long had a theory that among the 17th century seeds of the Industrial Revolution, and I include the Dutch East India Company as part of this, were the widespread advent of two things in Europe: coffee and codfish. The former provided something nonalcoholic to drink that would not kill you, with the added stimulant effect helping spark the world’s first capital markets, and the latter provided protein to a calorie starved populace, enabling a huge expansion of population.
Nice one. I have long had a theory that among the 17th century seeds of the Industrial Revolution, and I include the Dutch East India Company as part of this, were the widespread advent of two things in Europe: coffee and codfish. The former provided something nonalcoholic to drink that would not kill you, with the added stimulant effect helping spark the world’s first capital markets, and the latter provided protein to a calorie starved populace, enabling a huge expansion of population.