Tulipomania

This is the story of the first great stock market boom in history. In 1630s Holland there was a frenzy over an exotic bloom newly imported from the East: the tulip. Over three years, rare tulip bulbs changed hands for sums that would have bought a house in Amsterdam: a single bulb sold for more than u300,000 at today's prices. Finally, there was a horrendous crash and prices collapsed overnight, ruining thousands."