9 Crazy Stories About Debt (Including when you could pay your rent in Eels?!)

What’s more fun than financial debt? Honestly, just about anything! But the team here has a knack for finding the silly side of any subject, and the history of people owing money to each other is no exception. Today, the guys share some out-of-the-box ideas for settling a debt, including paying your rent with a bunch of dead eels (looking at you, medieval England!) and recording an IRS-themed country album (looking at you, Willie Nelson!). They also discover why a small town in Oregon decided to foot the bill for the Boston Tea Party, and reveal which country is the most reliable debtor in the EU (hint, they’re also big into saunas). Check out Dr. Greenlee’s Eel-Rents Project at historiacartarum.org! Got a question you’d like us to answer? A rabbit hole you think we should explore? Email [email protected] or leave us a message at (302) 405-5925. Follow us on Instagram @parttimegenius and Bluesky @parttimegenius.bsky.social! Photo by Towfiqu Barbhuiya via Unsplash. Thanks, Towfiqu! Learn more about your ad choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.