The Ascent of Money Miniseries

I just watched part one of the Ascent of Money miniseries and it’s crazy good. It both answers and raises questions. I learned that the first multinational corporation and the first company to issue stock was the Dutch East India Trading Company. It was a government creation that was granted a monopoly over trade between the Cape of Good Hope and the Straits of Magellan by the Dutch government. Who knew?