Gregor MacGregor

In today's episode, we'll be meeting Victor Lustig, the smooth-talking count who managed to sell the Eiffel Tower and then came back to try to sell it again.

In Part 2, we'll meet Gregor MacGregor, the Scottish soldier who invented an entire country and sold it to the British public.

And in Part 3, it's the story of Charles Ponzi, the Italian who ran a scheme so spectacular that his name became a word in the English language.

Like all our miniseries, Parts 2 and 3 will be member-only episodes, so now is my time to briefly remind you that if those sound like fun, now might be the time to check out our membership.

After all, if you can sell something you do not own, and that thing is the Eiffel Tower, and you almost manage to sell it twice, then you might be the greatest salesman in the world.

[upbeat music] Okay then, that is it for today's episode, the first part of our three-part series on famous con artists.

Next up, we'll be moving into the story of Gregor MacGregor, the Scottish soldier who went one better than selling a monument and invented an entire country complete with settlers, bonds, and its own currency.

And in part three, we'll follow Charles Ponzi to Boston in the summer of 1920 to see how one man took in a million dollars a day and how his name ended up in a dictionary.

but also, most hilariously, in a country that was entirely invented.

So it was a Scottish mercenary called Gregor McGregor, who rocked up in London.

Excellent name.

Amazing name.

Another historical game

that I've been working on is based on a figure of Gregor MacGregor, who was a Scottish general who helped secure the independence of several Central Americans.

And as a reward, was granted a Huge tract of land in the Mosquito Coast.

As the name implies, it's not a very pleasant part of land.

And he was appointed the cacique, the prince, of this almost semi-independent country.

And he went to London in 1821, suddenly turned up, called Sir Gregor MacGregor, the Kazik of Poyais.

He wore Highland dress all the time.

He liked looking the part.