Episode #243 - What Was Ponzi's Scheme? (Part II)

Episode #243 - What Was Ponzi's Scheme? (Part II)

Author: PodcastOne January 28, 2026 Duration: 1:22:04
Charles Ponzi's remarkable rise and fall played out over the course of a wild eight month period. He went from being a failed importer-exporter mired in debt to Boston's most talked about self-made millionaire in a matter of weeks. After rebranding his company as the Securities Exchange Company, Ponzi started offering remarkable 50% returns to investors after only 90 days. But almost immediately Ponzi's plan to use postal coupons to game international exchange rates became impractical. But, instead of grabbing as much cash as he could and making a dash, Ponzi believed he could transform his scam into a legitimate business. Was Ponzi ever really serious about going straight? Tune-in and find out how the America's nation menace, Babe Ruth, and guy named Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford all play a role in the story. Join us in Greece in 2026! Check out the itinerary and book HERE! Check out the merch at out T-Public store HERE!  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A podcast about myths we think are history and history that might be hidden in myths! Awesome stories that really (maybe) happened!
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Our Fake History
Podcast Episodes
Episode #241 - Who Invented the Wild West? (Part II) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:08
Buffalo Bill's Wild West first started touring outdoor arenas in 1883. What started as a western themed circus soon grew in ambition. In the quest to appeal to respectable middle-class family audiences Buffalo Bill was s…
Episode #240 - Who Invented the Wild West? (Part I) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:46
Buffalo Bill would eventually develop his frontiersman act into the Wild West Show, an outdoor exposition that was part circus, part rodeo, and part historical reenactment.
Bonus Episode - Messy Duels, Welsh Pride, and Famous Firsts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:42
In this bonus episode Sebastian takes questions about the recent episodes on Thailand's legendary elephant duels and the seafaring Welsh Prince Madoc. The host does his best to pinpoint the "real" last elephant duel and…
Episode #239 - Did a Welsh Prince Beat Columbus to the New World? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:09
There's a story that in the year 1170 a Prince from Wales, named Madoc, led a group of Welsh colonists over the Atlantic to North America. This group allegedly mingled with the local indigenous people and eventually assi…
Episode #238 - What Was the Last Elephant Duel? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:24
One of the most pivotal moments in the history of Thailand was the Battle of Nong Sarai in 1593. This confrontation between the Burmese Tuangoo Dynasty and the proto-Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya is remembered as the setting…
Episode #237 - What is the Hammer of the Witches? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:20:35
In 1487 a scandal prone Dominican inquisitor published one of the most notorious witch-hunting manuals in history. The Malleus Maleficarum, or Hammer of the Witches, argued that Europe was under siege by witches and that…
Episode #236 - Real Werewolves? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:42
Could Werewolf stories reflect a distant, if blurry, historical memory?