I wish this blog was still active. This was a good post, and there are some others too. Nothing actionable, but it does a nice job of explaining business history, and that's valuable.
Pick N random companies at any given time in history, then check their fates years or decades later. Chances are many of them will not have done very well. That's the nature of our economy. And it's actually a positive thing, because it usually means that people have moved away from inferior products and services and sought other competitor's superior products or services.