This contribution discusses the intellectual and institutional development of the discipline of business history, whichwas created at the Harvard Business School in 1927. It explores the shifting research agenda of the subject, which has transitionedfrom looking at large capital-intensive manufacturing industries in the United States and Europe to research onbusiness groups, family business, societal and cultural impact, and Latin America and on other emerging markets. Theessay highlights the importance of business history in management education.Keywords: history, management education, Harvard, globalization