Companies

Dun & Bradstreet Million Dollar Directory

Covering 1966-1996, provides directory information and financial data for public and private companies. For more recent editions of this title, see D & B Million Dollar Directory.

Provides company history information for some firms. Enter a company name, select "Company History" from the "About this Company" drop-down menu. 

International Directory of Company Histories

Comprehensive histories of 8,500 of the world's largest and most influential companies.

Information on the development of the world's 8,500 largest companies. Company entries are compiled from publicly accessible sources as well as from materials supplied by the companies themselves, and typically cover: background and history; merger and acquisition history.

ProQuest Historical Annual Reports

Company annual reports available through searchable PDF images covering 800+ US companies (1844-present).

Data- Macroeconomic

Congressional Budget Office

Provides fifty years (1965-present) of data on US government revenues, outlays, deficits, and surpluses.

FRED Economic Data

Over 3000 data series covering production, employment, money, prices and a variety of other macroeconomic indicators. Focus on US economy but there is some data for UK, Germany and France.

IMF Data

Statistical data and reports from the International Monetary Fund.

Country-level data covering 1948-present; includes exchange rates, foreign exchange, SDRs, money supply, capital supply, and commodities. Databases within the IMF eLibrary include International Financial Statistics, Balance of Payments, Direction of Trade, and Government Finance Statistics.

International Historical Statistics: Africa, Asia & Oceania, 1750-2000

Allows for comparative analysis of data across countries in each regional area. Covered in each volume: Population & Vital Statistics, Labour Force, Agriculture, Industry, External Trade, Transport & Communication, Prices, Education, and National Accounts.

International Historical Statistics: Europe, 1750-2000

Allows for comparative analysis of data across countries in each regional area. Covered in each volume: Population & Vital Statistics, Labour Force, Agriculture, Industry, External Trade, Transport & Communication, Prices, Education, and National Accounts.

International Historical Statistics: The Americas, 1750-2000

Allows for comparative analysis of data across countries in each regional area. Covered in each volume: Population & Vital Statistics, Labour Force, Agriculture, Industry, External Trade, Transport & Communication, Prices, Education, and National Accounts.

OECD iLibrary

Country studies, forecasting publications, reports, periodicals, and socio-economic databases from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 

OECD iLibrary provides access to Maddison's The World Economy Volume 2: Historical Statistics 1 AD - 2001. OECD iLibrary is also a great source for historical data from the International Energy Agency (IEA). Covers OECD countries as well as "non-OECD countries," so coverage is broader than the title portrays.

Data- Socioeconomic

Cross-National Time-Series Data Archive (CNTS) 1815-2007

Raw data from 1815-present. Covers social, economic, education, election, military, transportation and many other country-level indicators. For a full list of variables and countries covered, see the CNTS website.

Historical Statistics of the United States

Data from Colonial times to present. Data and reports are organized within five sections: Population, Work and Welfare, Economic Structure and Performance, Economic Sectors, Governance and International Relations.

Statistical Abstract of the United States

US data, most data from 1880-2011, at the national and state level. Indicators include socio-demographic, industry, income, elections and federal government finances. Data are available in both PDF and MS Excel format.

World Development Indicators

Statistics from the World Bank for almost 600 development indicators dating as far back as 1960.

Focus is on social, economic, and financial indicators.

Legislative Documents

U.S. Congressional Publications (Harvard Library Guide)

This Harvard Library guide lists some of the most useful research tools for finding congressional documents and some secondary sources.

Archive of Americana

The Archive of Americana provides access to an extensive collection of US legislative documents including American State Papers, 1789-1838; House and Senate Journals, Series I, 1789-1817; Senate Executive Journals, 1789 - 1980; U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817 - 1994; and Serial Set Maps.

UK Parliamentary Papers

Covers 1688-present; includes full text of House of Commons and House of Lords bills, acts, debates and sessional papers.

ProQuest Congressional Legislative & Executive Publications

Find Congressional hearings, legislative histories and testimony. Limit your search to CRS (Congressional Research Service) reports to locate in-depth analysis on a wide range of public policy issues.

Literature

EconLit

Comprehensive bibliography of economics literature.

Includes content dating back to 1969. Select the "Find It @ Harvard" link to access the full-text article.

The Economist Historical Archive

The Economist Historical Archive covers 1843-2006. The Historical Archive includes keyword search and browse by date capabilities and full color images. The data within the "Economic and Financial Indicators" tables are exportable to spreadsheet format.

Hein Online

Predominately a resource for legal research, Hein Online also has several research collections that will be of interest to business historians including Taxation & Economic Reform in America, 1781-2009 and History of Bankruptcy.

JSTOR

Scanned images of journal issues, often dating back to the initial issue, as well as eBooks and other academic resources. 

Includes full-text access to business/economics/finance journals, with some dating back to the late 1800s.

Making of the Modern World

Digital resource containing images from 61,000 works of literature on economic and business published from 1450 through 1850.

Business History Review

Business History Review seeks to publish articles based on rigorous primary research that addresses major topics of debate, offer comparative perspectives, and broaden consideration of the subject. Topics include, history of entrepreneurs, firms and business systems, innovation, and regulation.

The Journal of Economic History

The Journal of Economic History is devoted to the multidisciplinary study of history and economics. Topics covered include money and banking, trade, manufacturing, technology, transportation, industrial organization, labor, agriculture, servitude, demography, education, economic growth, and the role of government and regulation.

Markets & Exchanges

Datastream

Historic and global coverage of equities, stock markets, commodities, futures, currencies, options, bond markets, company financials, and economic data.

Includes data from as far back as 1973.

Global Financial Data

Economic and financial time-series database including 150 countries and 6,500 different data series.

Includes data on stock markets from 1690, exchange rates from 1590, interest rates from 1700, commodities from 1500, and inflation from 1264. Selected stock price data are also available.

SBBI Classic Yearbook: Market Results for Stocks, Bonds, Bills, and Inflation.

Data from 1926-2014; Annual publication containing historical averages for various types of investments such as total returns, and index values for large and small company stocks.

Ibbotson SBBI Valuation Yearbook: Market Results for Stocks, Bonds, Bills and Inflation

Data from 1926-2013; total returns and index values for stocks, bonds (corporate and government), Treasury bills and inflation.

News

America's Historical Newspapers

Comprehensive US newspaper database that covers 1690-1980. Collections include Early American Newspapers, African American Newspapers and Hispanic American Newspapers.

Economist Historical Archive

The Economist Historical Archive covers 1843-2006. The Historical Archive includes keyword search and browse by date capabilities and full color images. The data within the "Economic and Financial Indicators" tables are exportable to spreadsheet format.

Financial Times Archive

Archive including all articles, advertisements, and market listings published in Financial Times (1888-2016).

Forbes Archive

Indexes all content in Forbes from 1919 to 2000.

Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports

FBIS is an ongoing digitization project that will provide access to selected international radio and television broadcasts, newspapers and periodicals, and government statements, all translated into English. The publications focus on military affairs, politics, the environment, societal issues, economics, and science and technology. Upon completion the database will cover over 200 countries in all regions of the world from 1941-1996.

ProQuest News & Newspapers

Access to over 10 US newspapers including Boston Globe (1872-1979), Chicago Tribune (1849-1986), Los Angeles Time (1881-1986), New York Times (1851-2006), Wall Street Journal (1889-1992), and Washington Post (1877-1993).Search Tip:To access the historical newspapers: Select the link above and choose "Select multiple databases". Click "Clear all databases", scroll to the bottom of the page and select the newspaper(s) you wish to search. Next, click the "Continue" button and enter search terms.

Times Digital Archive

Full-text access to The Times (London) newspaper from 1785-1985, including news, advertisements and illustrations. Does NOT include the Sunday edition.

World Newspaper Archive

Covers newspapers from the United States, Africa and Latin America. Each collection is searchable individually or as a world newspaper group.