A public company, publicly traded company, publicly held company, publicly listed company, or public corporation is a corporation whose ownership is dispersed among the general public in many shares of stock which are freely traded on a stock exchange or in over the counter markets. In some jurisdictions, public companies over a certain size must be listed on an exchange. A public company can be listed (listed company) or unlisted (unlisted public company). 

In the early modern period, the Dutch developed several financial instruments and helped lay the foundations of modern financial system. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) became the first company in history to issue bonds and shares of stock to the general public. In other words, the VOC was officially the first publicly traded company, because it was the first company to be ever actually listed on an official stock exchange. While the Italian city-states produced the first transferable government bonds, they did not develop the other ingredient necessary to produce a fully fledged capital market: corporate shareholders. As Edward Stringham (2015) notes, "companies with transferable shares date back to classical Rome, but these were usually not enduring endeavors and no considerable secondary market existed (Neal, 1997, p. 61)." QUESTIONS:

Q1:
1. What nationality was instrumental in creating the modern financial system?
2. Who helped make today's financial system?
3. 
Q2:
1. When did the Dutch make the modern financial system?
2. At what point did the Dutch create today's financial system?
3. 
Q3:
1. What company was the first to issue bonds to the public?
2. Which company could the public get bonds from before any others?
3. 
Q4:
1. Was the Dutch East India Company the first publicly traded company?
2. Did the Dutch East India Company trade publicly before any others did?
3. 
Q5:
1. What is a corporation that spreads its ownership out among the public called?
2. How are corporations that disperse their ownership among the general public referred to?
3. 
Q6:
1. Are there any other names for public corporations?
2. Can public corporations be called anything else?
3. 
Q7:
1. What is another name for public corporations?
2. How else can public corporations be referred to?
3. 
Q8:
1. What is the location of stock trading?
2. Where can one go to trade stock?
3. 
Q9:
1. Where is stock traded, besides at the stock exchange?
2. In what location can one trade stock, other than the stock exchange?
3. 
Q10:
1. Do some public companies have to appear on the stock exchange?
2. Do some jurisdictions require that public companies be listed on the stock exchange?
3. 
Q11:
1. What is the name of a company listed on the stock exchange?
2. What are companies that appear on the stock exchange called?
3. 
Q12:
1. What is the name of a company not listed on the stock exchange?
2. How are companies that don't appear on the stock exchange referred to?
3. 
Q13:
1. What was the name of the group to make transferable government bonds?
2. Who first made government bonds that could be transferable?
3. 
Q14:
1. Did the Italian city-state create the necessary elements of a complete capital market, in additional to transferable government bonds?
2. Besides transferable government bonds, did the Italian city-state come up with what was needed for a complete capital market?
3. 
