Submitted by Simon Black via Sovereign Man blog,
Over four centuries ago, the Dutch East India Company made history as the world’s first IPO.
Known as VOC in the Netherlands, the company was one of the most successful ventures in the last several hundred years.
When adjusted for inflation, its highest market capitalization would be worth over $7 TRILLION today (i.e. ten times the size of Apple).
More importantly, it completely dominated the Asian trade in the 17thand 18th centuries.