By 1700, Olaf Blogg was down on his luck. The lint market had fizzled, thanks to improved garment washing techniques. Blogg's run of business troubles continued--a ill-fated investment in a used handkerchief scheme nearly bankrupted him. His journals were soon filled with moaning about his plight."My plight is so bad, I feel like moaning about it."
Such desperate words reveal the tortured agony of his soul. For months, he filled page after page with such entries, in between reports on how his day went, or tips on dating, or answers to little surveys he had been given.
Finally, in 1701, his luck turned around. Afflicted with a case of what he called "shopping fever," Blogg invested what little he had in a herring (above) farm. Soon afterwards, Sweden's top Lutheran bishop declared, for reasons known only to him, that "herring is the Lord's food, and to give it up for Lent would be a sin." Herring sales increased tenfold.
Overnight, Blogg became a wealthy man. In his journal, he wrote, "I've got kroners in my pocket, a new horse in the garage, and women at my door, day and night. Fo' shizzle, this is good." Scholars have debated the authenticity of that last remark.
With money no longer a problem, Blogg began to indulge his passions, especially for writing. Yet, somehow, he felt unfulfilled. "Why do I write all this, if no one can see it?" The more he thought, the more the idea crystallized in his mind. His new idea would change the world.
NEXT WEEK: Who knew they had bouncers back then?
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