Quick Story of Singapore's Rags to Riches Journey

Rags to riches always inspires anyone, and put a country in the situation, Singapore fits the bill. A tiny island nation with small land, no natural resource, not even enough water, transformed itself through sheer vision of its leader, Lee Kuan Yew, into one of the most prosperous country in world. Through praticality and resourcefulness, they joined a bandwagon of industrializing Asian nations but twisted the rule book to fit its realities.

Quick Story of Dubai's Rise as a Global Business Hub

February 2026 ended with a bang, literaly with the US and Israel striking Iran, besides the Ayatollah, it claimed another far more consequential victim for the Gulf Region - Business Confidence. And for Dubai, confidence in its role a tourism, transportation, and financial hub.

Economic Activities of the Women of Batangas Province by Tarcila Malabanan

"In Batangas the 'idle lady' does not exist" opened Tarcila Malabanan's essay written in 1916 that became part of the Beyer Collection. It celebrated the industrious women in Batangas, Philippines enumerating the role they play in education and business. How some women charted their path even besting their "good-for-nothing husbands."

The Cheese Industry of Laguna Province by Teodulo Agus

The famous Kesong Puti, a kind of cottage cheese, being sold in Laguna, Philippines turned out to be an endeavor that existed even a century before. Teodulo Agus described the cheese making process on a paper published on October 20, 1919. It found a spot in the Beyer Collection.

Effect of the Railroad in Panay on the General Economic Life of the People by Ismael Colez

The Panay Railway started operation in 1911 connecting Roxas City of Capiz to the port city of Iloilo. Along its route laid vast farm and sugar lands which Ismael Colez assessed if its farmers benefited from the brand new infrastructure. His findings included in the collection of H. Otley Beyer.

Doc Recap: Lyon in the 1850s by Joel Edson Rockwell

A Vermont Presbyterian Minister, Joel Edson Rockwell visited Europe in the 1850s. Part of his tour included France, in particular Lyon. He logged his impressions of churches in Lyon, especially those of Protestants amidst a nation of Catholics. But most importantly, he also wrote about Lyon’s fledgling silk industry.

Doc Recap: Viscount Torrington's Account of Cromford

Coming from a family of illustrious soldiers, John Byng, the later 5th Viscount of Torrington, decided to add a sideline to his resume, that of a traveller and a diarist. He toured England in a time of breathtaking changes in landscape of the country courtesy of the Industrial Revolution. One of his entries described Cromford the facilities owned by the celebrated inventor and businessman Richard Arkwright.

John Byng by Ozias Humphrey, 1796