The Highest Price Ever: The Great NYSE Seat Sale of 1928–1929 and Capacity Constraints

During the 1920s the New York Stock Exchange's position as the dominant American exchange was eroding. Costs to customers, measured as bid-ask spreads, spiked when surging inflows of orders collided with the constraint created by a fixed number of brokers. The NYSE's management proposed and the membership approved a 25 percent increase in the number of seats by issuing a quarter-seat dividend to all members. An event study reveals that the aggregate value of the NYSE rose in anticipation of improved competitiveness. These expectations were justified as bid-ask spreads became less sensitive to peak volume days

Mary Anning: Princess of Palaeontology and Geological Lioness

On April 17, 2005, delegates at the 39th Biennial Convention of the Society of Sigma Gamma Epsilon passed a motion to include Mary Anning as one of the guiding pillars of geology in the Ritual of the Society. Mary Anning, of Lyme Regis, England, was a 19th century collector of fossils who made significant contributions to the growth of British palaeontology. Among her finds was one of the most complete specimens of Ichthyosaurs found in Britain, as well as the discovery of the first British Plesiosaurus and Dimorphodon (pterosaur). Mary Anning also discovered the true nature of coprolites. However, only recently has Mary Anning received credit for her remarkable discoveries

My Geological Connection between Minnesota and Western Australia

Even though the flora and fauna of Minnesota and Western Australia are vastly different, there are some similarities in the geology. This essay illustrates the author’s geological connection between Minnesota, USA and Western Australia

Herbert Hoover: Only an Eye for Gold?

Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States, was a successful mining engineer and author prior to becoming president. Part of his mining engineering career was spent in the goldfields of Western Australia, where he has become part of the local folklore. Hoover allegedly had an eye for the ladies and fell in love with a barmaid to whom he wrote a love poem