History's Greatest Con Artists (vanity)

laurav

[laurav]

I'm trying to compile a list of history's greatest con artists -- people who cheated nations out of prime land, famous people out of their money, or who even faked their own death. So far I've got:

*'Count' Victor Lustig who sold the Eiffel tower to greedy steel dealers -- twice.

*Joseph 'Yellow Kid' Weil, who once set up a fake bank in Muncie, Ind., staffed by prostitutes, and conned a rich man into depositing $50,000.

*Elmyr de Hory- art forger extraordinaire, whose bio was authored by Clifford Irving, who faked a biography of Howard Hughes. Some think Hory faked his own death.

*Sir Edmund Backhouse - conned his way through China and forged Chinese manuscripts and diaries to create a history of the Dowager Empress as the "Dragon Lady" which colored Chinese history for years.

*Frank Abagnale- more recent con artist who made millions in his scams, was caught, and turned around to work for the government.

More are much appreciated, with a brief summary of their crimes. Original ones are best.

Thanks!

[cmsgop]

Michael Jackson!

[cmsgop]

Yanni!

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Hillary!

[paws_and_whiskers]

William Jefferson Clinton pretending to be President of the United States; Commander-in-Chief.

[FreedomCalls]

Bill Clinton! He cheated the American people out of eight years of leadership.

[stlrocket]

[keithtoo]

The suspects as amateurs....before their professional cons kicked in.

[laurav]

I appreciate that the Clintons were con artists... but do we have any more historical figures?

[eeriegeno]

IMHO, the top of the list should be reserved for a group of bandits known as the Clintonistas. That gang did more to rob hard-working people, destroy the moralities of a nation, and set their nation up for future conflicts than any other band of gangsters in history.

[Cicero]

[laurav]

Ok... but got anyone from, say, the 1800's? Earlier? Ancient Greek cons (who was the guy who convinced the Trojans to let in the horse?) or medieval quacks? I'm brainstorming this list to share with a not terribly political group, so too much emphasis on the Clintons won't go over well.

[laurav]

how is Michael Jackson a con artist? A bad singer, yes. But con artist?

[Martin Tell]

partial historical list (please pardon spellings - I don't have time to check):

Odysseus/Ulysses (check out the story of the cyclops and his homecoming

Baron von Munchousen (teller of tall tales)

the guy who ran the "Clever Hans" counting horse scam (19th century I believe)

"Automatic Turk" - 19th century chess playing robot that actually had a midget inside

Uri Geller (but not conclusively proven)

South Sea Bubble swindle

literary - the fox and cat in Pinnochio

[P.O.E.]

You might want to try:

"The Big Book of Hoaxes: True Tales of the Greatest Lies Ever Told," B. Taggart and various illustrators, Paradox Press, 1996

and:

Extraordinary Popular Delusions And The Madness Of Crowds. By Charles MacKay 1841.

[JennysCool]

They didn't call Ferdinand "Waldo" Demara "The Great Imposter" for nothin'!

[cmsgop]

Cause he makes you think he likes Chicks!

[Travis McGee]

William Jefferson Clinton.

[Charles H. (The_r0nin)]

Dr. Albert Abrams (of ERA "Electro-Radiations of Abrams" fame).

[dix]

I remember something from American History 101 in college. There is a very interesting character named Jay Gould who pulled off several notable scams.