How the Inca built a huge empire without wheels or iron

The Pyu people, whose culture dominated Upper Burma from the early centuries CE through the 9th century, were said in Chinese accounts to wear cotton rather than silk. Those accounts linked the choice to Buddhist non-violence, because silk production involved killing silkworms.

Insurance relies on the idea that not everyone will need a payout at once. But a hurricane or earthquake can damage thousands of insured properties simultaneously. The resulting claims can overwhelm an insurer’s reserves. That is why insurance companies buy insurance themselves, called reinsurance, to share the cost of catastrophes.