logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2018
55m 7s

Gregor MacGregor Invented a Country and ...

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

When His Serene Highness Gregor the First, Sovereign Prince of the State of Poyais and its Dependencies, and Cacique of the Poyer nation visited London, he made a huge impression. Hundreds of people jumped at the chance to buy land in his remote, Central American paradise. There was only one problem -- the Cacique, whose real name was Gregor Macgregor, made the entire nation up out of thin air in one of history's largest, most audacious (and most ridiculous) scams.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Aug 30
CLASSIC: The Ridiculously Laxative-laden Journey of Lewis and Clark
In today's Classic episode, Ben and Noel reluctantly sing the praises of poop research. You see, folks, before Lewis and Clark set out to explore the western side of the continent, they tried to prepare for every possible contingency — including medical conditions like constipati ... Show More
31m 17s
Aug 28
Moon Rock Heists, Part Two: The Romantic Misadventures of Thad Roberts
Let's say you're a love-struck NASA intern -- your professional career holds a lot of promise, but your family life back home is in shambles... and you fall in love with a fellow intern. How can you impress your new paramour? Forget flowers, chocolates and all those other silly e ... Show More
40m 27s
Aug 27
Moon Rock Heists, Part One: Lunatic Heists and Space Law
Is it legal to own a moon rock? Well... that depends. If it's a piece of the moon that made it to Earth naturally, then all good. If, however, it's a sample retrieved on purpose by NASA's Apollo program, you can get in some serious trouble for trying to snag it. In part one of th ... Show More
49m 32s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2022
Qui a inventé un pays pour le vendre ?
L'Écossais Gregor MacGregor imagina l'une des supercheries les plus audacieuses de l'Histoire. En effet, il n'hésita pas à inventer de toutes pièces un pays dont il vendit les richesses à des gens crédules. Du militaire... Né en 1786, Gregor MacGregor s'enrôle d'abord dans l'armé ... Show More
2m 14s
Jul 2024
History's Greatest Conman!
Send us a textGregor MacGregor was a Scottish soldier, adventurer, and con man who invented a Central American country called “Poyais,” in 1820 which he claimed to rule as the “Cazique.” MacGregor attempted to draw British and French investors and settlers to his fictional countr ... Show More
30m 35s
Jun 2020
The Crown Prince and His Lover Dead
The Archduke Rudolf, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, retreated to his hunting lodge in Mayerling with his teenage lover in 1889 to enact a gristly suicide pact in an event both stranger and more tragic than it appears at first blush. Learn more about your ad-choices at https ... Show More
39m 39s
Aug 2020
The Red Paint on Leopold II
Leopold II, King of the Belgians, was a man obsessed with the profits that came with colonization. Using smokescreens of charities and shell corporations, he claimed a private landholding 76x larger than his own nation, and unleashed decades of horror on the land's inhabitants. L ... Show More
43m 9s
Oct 2013
Edward Bernays: The Most Famous Man You've Never Heard Of
Nowadays Edward Bernays remains a relatively obscure historical figure. His legacy, however, is thriving around the globe, and his techniques are found in everything from the food we eat to the things we believe. But who was this man, and how did he get his start? And how does hi ... Show More
26m 33s
Sep 2021
Short Stuff: Exploring Irish Monk
There’s a long-standing legend that an Irish monk was the first European to sail to America - in 500 CE! Is there any evidence? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
13m 34s
Aug 2021
EP63: King Solomon The Gravedigger and Cornelius Vanderbilt
On this episode of Our American Stories, Kentucky journalist Sam Terry tells the story of William King Solomon, a gravedigger who may have saved the town of Lexington during the Cholera epidemic of 1833; and TJ Stiles tells the humble story of Cornelius Vanderbilt and how he beca ... Show More
38m 17s
Feb 2021
EP15: The Transatlantic Cable: A Thread Across the Ocean
Historian John Steele Gordon tells the story of how the telegraph went from Samuel Morse to winning WWI and how one man spearheaded the effort to connect America to Great Britain and, in doing so, the rest of the world. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) ... Show More
26m 10s
Nov 2020
Charles the Beloved, the Mad, the Fool
While feverish and riding on a hot day, King Charles VI had a fit of madness, and murdered one of his own men. For the rest of his reign, he would be plagued by periods of insanity during which he often couldn't remember his own name. And without a clear regent, greedy factions a ... Show More
27m 21s
Jul 2020
CLASSIC: Edward Bernays: The Most Famous Man You've Never Heard Of
Nowadays, Edward Bernays remains a relatively obscure historical figure. His legacy, however, is thriving around the globe, and his techniques are found in everything from the food we eat to the things we believe. But who was this man? How did he get his start, and how does his w ... Show More
27m 46s