In their wisdom, the organizers of the World Economic Forum chose, once again, to not extend an invitation to Blawgconomics for their annual event in January. However, fear not dear friends! This week I am getting over the sadness precipitated by this snub by visiting the site of what might have been the first world economic forum in substance, if not name; Bretton Woods, New Hampshire.
In 1944, delegates from the 44 Allied nations of World War II convened on this small mountain community in the shadow of Mt. Washington to determine the fate of the global economic system. Why would some of the most powerful men in the world gather at such an off-the-beaten path location? Well, some of the delegates, including John Maynard Keynes, couldn't stand the heat of the summer in New York or Washington, DC and air conditioning was not yet widely in use. The mountain air of a resort in New Hampshire was a worthy alternative in which to peg exchange rates and create the IMF, and the rest, as they say, is history.
While I enjoy a few days of skiing, zip lining and cocoa, faithful readers will still have some content to look forward to as we will be reposting some of the most popular articles of 2011. Among the scheduled reposts are an article about zombies, a video explaining why we should end the drug war and a piece on why it might make sense to legalize Ponzi schemes. If that doesn't get everyone in the holiday spirit, I am just not sure what will...
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