The Ascent of Money, a PBS series produced with funding from the Kauffman Foundation, tells the compelling history of money, credit, bonds, stocks, insurance, real estate, globalization, hedge funds, computer models of investing, and behavioral finance. Based on the book by Harvard economist and historian Niall Ferguson, who hosts the series, the documentary chronicles the role of money in human progress from Mesopotamian moneylenders to hedge fund managers on Wall Street, and from soaring riches to financial collapse. Broadcast on PBS stations across the country, the four-part series (beginning July 8, 2009; check local listings) traces the evolution of money and demonstrates that financial history is the essential back-story behind all history.
A major outreach campaign will also bring The Ascent of Money into high school classrooms, using four lesson plans which tie issues presented in the series to national and state standards in world history and economics.
Learn more, watch episodes and download lesson plans at pbs.org 
Watch a preview of the series:
