In this absorbing, smart, and accessible blend of economic and cultural history in the vein of the works of Michael Lewis and Andrew Ross Sorkin, a financial executive and CNBC contributor examines the five most significant stock market crashes in the United States over the past century, revealing how they have defined the nation today.

THE PANIC OF 1907; BLACK TUESDAY (1929); BLACK MONDAY (1987); THE GREAT RECESSION (2008); THE FLASH

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From Wall Street to Main Street, John Brooks, longtime contributor to the New Yorker, brings to life in vivid fashion twelve classic and timeless tales of corporate and financial life in America. What do the $350 million Ford Motor Company disaster known as the Edsel, the fast and incredible rise of Xerox, and the unbelievable scandals at General Electric and Texas Gulf Sulphur have in common? Each is an example of how an iconic company was defined...

Jerry is ecstatic that a woman he met on the road is coming to stay with him in New York. Jerry tries to break up with his obnoxious childhood friend. Jerry meets an attractive woman at a party but by the time she leaves, he has only learned where she works. Jerry is robbed after Kramer fails to close the apartment door. After George receives a stock tip, he and Jerry take the financial plunge.