Jacob Goldstein
Jacob Goldstein spent more than a decade as co-host of the Planet Money podcast. He's also the author of the book Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing, which the New…
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The VW Beetle was the biggest selling car of all time – and it found particular favor with people like hippies and surfers. But this icon of the 60s counterculture had its roots in Nazism. The Volkswagen – the People’s Car – was an obsession of Adolf Hitler. He wanted to transform Germany into a land of drivers – and needed an affordable, but reliable automobile.
Germany’s private auto manufacturers knew the project was doomed to failure. So Hitler assembled a team of designers and factory managers to enact his vision – even if that meant enslaving workers and committing murder.
The Hosts
Robert Smith
Robert Smith, co-host of the Business History podcast, is a Professor of Journalism at Columbia University and contributing host of NPR's Planet Money where he tells stories about how the…
