In 1925, a con man read a newspaper story about how expensive the Eiffel Tower was to maintain — and immediately saw an opportunity. Posing as a government official, he gathered France's top scrap-metal dealers and offered to sell them the tower for scrap. Who pulled it off? Charles Ponzi Victor Lustig George C. Parker Soapy Smith None For roughly 30 years, one New York con man "sold" famous landmarks he didn't own to wide-eyed newcomers — most famously the Brooklyn Bridge, sometimes twice a week. His hustle is the origin of a phrase you still use today. Which one? "It's a real dog-and-pony show" "Snake oil" "If you believe that, I've got a bridge to sell you" "Caught red-handed" None His name became the dictionary definition of a certain kind of fraud. In 1920 he promised investors he'd DOUBLE their money in 90 days using a clever loophole involving international postal coupons. What was his name? Bernie Madoff Charles Ponzi William Miller Allen Stanford None In 1869, workers digging a well behind a New York barn unearthed a 10-foot "petrified man." Crowds paid to gawk at the giant — until it was exposed as a carved gypsum fake. What did showman P.T. Barnum do next? He bought the giant and toured it as the real thing He sued the farmer for fraud He secretly built his OWN copy of the fake and charged people to see it He published the confession that exposed the hoax None In the 2010s, a young woman calling herself "Anna Delvey" convinced New York's elite she was a German heiress sitting on a $60-million-plus fortune. She stiffed luxury hotels, banks, and even friends. About how much did she actually swindle before getting caught? Around $275,000 Around $5 million Around $40 million Around $120 million None Stumper. For 41 years, scientists believed "Piltdown Man" — unearthed in England in 1912 — was the missing link between apes and humans. When experts finally exposed the famous fossil as a hoax in 1953, what were the "ancient" bones actually made from? Carved ivory aged with tea stains A modern human skull combined with an orangutan's jaw, with teeth filed down Plaster molded over chicken bones A genuine Neanderthal skull with a fake label None Time's up
