The Most Valuable Company in History

Okay, so on to number one. Valued at a ridiculous $7.9 trillion in

1637 is the Dutch East India Company. The story of the Dutch East India Company is absolutely

fascinating. The story starts in the Netherlands in a time called the Golden Century,

a period of Dutch history between 1600 and 1700 where Amsterdam was one of the richest cities

in the world due to its strong international trade. Trade was essentially how all countries

made their money. In 1600, the Dutch government was worried about England becoming

dominant in trade. To combat this threat, they sponsored the creation of the Dutch East India

Company in 1602, and allowed the firm to become a monopoly in Asian trade.