World's Greatest Con
Brian Brushwood (Scam School, Modern Rogue, Scam Nation) reveals the hidden stories behind the most audacious con jobs, swindles, and heists in history. Each episode dives into a different scam, exploring the tactics and personalities involved. The show is produced by Dog And Pony Show Audio and distributed by Acast.
Episodes
Who Is the Mysterious Princess Caraboo?
A mysterious woman walks into a small English village speaking a language nobody understands.She says her name is Princess Caraboo: royalty from a faraway island, kidnapped by pirates and shipwrecked near Bristol.Soon, doctors, newspapers, and wealthy hosts are all drawn into her story.But the bigger the legend grows, the harder it becomes to know who is fooling whom. Hosted on Acast. See acast.co
Do Rainmakers Believe They Make The Rain?
In 1915, San Diego is on the brink of becoming a major American city, if it doesn’t die of thirst first.Enter Charles Hatfield. He claims a secret chemical process can summon rain, end the drought, and sustain the city as it prepares to welcome the world for a critical international exhibition.And he’s right.It rains.The problem is, it doesn’t stop.Floods tear through the region. Dozens are dead.
Why Do We Call It A Ponzi Scheme?
Charles Ponzi conducted a financial fraud so audacious he became the biggest brand name in crime. Yet most people don’t know what he actually did and those who do are often hard-pressed to explain why it was special.So why, more than 100 years later, do we call so many financial scams a Ponzi scheme?Brian tells the story of a poor boy from Italy whose name is still on the lips of everyone worried
Crazy Eddie - Part II
Eddie has a plan to make millions. It leaves him an international fugitive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Crazy Eddie - Part I
A New York City upstart becomes a legend in the city that never sleeps. But his greed leaves him teetering on the edge of fame, wealth and death. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Q Ships
The Germans have invented an aquatic killing machine the likes of which the world has never known. If you are one of its victims, how do you trick sure death? By pulling an all-in audacious scheme that only works if you have the element of surprise. How long can the Royal Navy keep the Q Ship con going before time runs out? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Greatest Magic Show of all Time was a Lie
The true story of how Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin is called out of retirement to help quell an uprising in French Colonial Algeria. What happens next is the most famous, high stakes magic performance in history. What the unbelievable story of Houdin tells us about or desire to believe and the distractions that lead con artists to take advantage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform
EPCOT - Part II
Walt is dead. His dream of EPCOT isn't.Roy Disney puts off his own retirement to attempt to finish his brother's final plan. In his way is a new hostile governor and the bewildered residents of Orlando who have no idea what to expect from incoming Disney empire. The drive to make EPCOT a reality... just might be the World's Greatest Con. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informa
EPCOT - Part I
Walt Disney doesn't want to expand, he wants to build his masterpiece. He doesn't want to sell more popcorn, he wants to defeat communism.He doesn't want Disneyland East, he is driven to build EPCOT.Far from the adult binge drinking paradise we know in Orlando today, the original idea of EPCOT is a planned community that requires massive land acquisition and never-before-seen government permi
Uri Geller hijacks the New York Times, An Interview with Michael Shermer
Brian and Justin discuss an article in the New York Times alleging that magic has forgiven it's 50-year grudge with Uri Geller. Considering the subject matter of our Project Alpha investigation... World's Greatest Con disagrees. Also, an interview with Michael Shermer of Skeptic Magazine discussing the science and shame of being taken in by incorrect information and the legacy of Project Alph
In James Randi's Own Words
A funny thing happened as we finished our season. We asked for listeners to unearth an old podcast WGC co-creator Justin Robert Young did with James Randi and it was indeed found. But one episode surprised us... James Randi in his own words describing Project Alpha in 2008. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
An Update On Project Alpha and Your Emails
Sometimes when you tell a story, you change it. We have an update on one of the central figures in Project Alpha. Brian Brushwood reads your emails and feedback including questions about James Randi and a moment when William Shatner blessed the podcast with an epic rendition of our title. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Back In The Lab - Project Alpha Part V
In a rare, candid, conversation Brian Brushwood sits down with Mike Edwards and Banachek to get even more stories from the Mac Lab and answer lingering questions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Side Characters - Project Alpha Part IV
At a 1983 press conference in New York City, the entire charade is revealed. It’s recorded for a prime time NBC special set to air two weeks later. We unpack 40 years of consequences from the triumph and betrayal of Project Alpha. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Demonic - Project Alpha Part III
The boys are a team, they’ve been fooling the Mac Lab for over a year but what comes next? Fame and fortune for the Project Alpha team, hopefully. Yet, that means total humiliation for the professors and researchers Mike and Steve have come to know and appreciate. It all comes to a head at a conference in Madison, Wisconsin where the boys have to witness a truly disturbing consequence to their de
Alpha - Project Alpha Part II
Steve Shaw is an orphan who bounced around the globe. Mike Edwards is an Iowa choirboy who fulfilled every hope of his loving parents. They both see a world being defrauded by hucksters. They both apply to the Mac Lab study in St. Louis and are accepted. They both believe the other to be a liability in a long con. Can they coexist? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Project - Project Alpha Part I
The Cold War is on, the threat of nuclear annihilation is constant. In a world of fear, a social contagion breaks out: the belief in psychic powers. Military, government and academia take it so seriously they spend millions to find people who can demonstrate these feats. Amidst this backdrop, the scion to one of America’s largest military contractors funds a study at Washington University in St. L
Project Alpha Trailer - Season 3 of World's Greatest Con Begins April 10, 2023
Two boys demonstrate genuine psychic powers in a rigorous academic study in the late 1970s. When the results are revealed, the academics will be at the center of a new field of science coveted by governments, military and Hollywood. The only problem? The boys are frauds, out to debunk the very concept of parapsychology. For the first time ever, World's Greatest Con interviews the two boys, now men
Presenting Don't Explain
Brian is in the booth recording Season Three of World's Greatest Con but in the meantime, Dog and Pony Show Audio has a new series for you: Don't Explain.Every time you go to the theater, you're experience an onslaught of movie tropes. Every romantic comedy has the down-on-her-luck best friend. Every action movie has the badass one-liners. Every Oscar-bait drama has that tear-jerker ending.But whe
From Revisionist History: Way to Go, Ohio
Brian Brushwood brings you an update on the work of World's Greatest Con season three. Meanwhile...We’re sharing a bonus episode from our friends at Revisionist History, Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast about things misunderstood and overlooked. This season, Malcolm’s obsessed with experiments – natural experiments, scientific experiments, thought experiments. In this preview, you’ll learn about a myste
Interview with John Madden, Director of "Operation Mincemeat"
Brian chats with John Madden about his new film Operation Mincemeat available on Netflix in America now. The film is adapted from the same book we used for the bulk of our research in Season One. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From Cautionary Tales: Fairies or Fakes?
Here’s a special preview of the Cautionary Tales podcast from Pushkin Industries. On Cautionary Tales, bestselling author Tim Harford shares stories of human error, natural disasters, and tragic catastrophes from history that contain valuable lessons for today. In this preview, you’ll hear about two young girls who faked an image of fairies so compelling that expert photographers could not explain
Television Game Show Questions - Game Shows Part VI
Brian is joined by WGC co-creator Justin Robert Young to answer your questions from this season. Ad Free Episodes: Patreon.com/GreatestConSupport The Show:http://Blinkist.com/WGChttp://geologie.com/greatestcon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Price Is Right's Perfect Bid - Game Shows Part V
Only one man has guessed the exact amount on the Price Is Right's Final Showcase Showdown in the modern history of the show. He says he came up with the number by himself. Not so, says another super fan in the audience who says he fed him the answer. But wait, people backstage believe a bitter ex-producer has something to do with it. Who is lying? We find out using all of their own stories in
Super Password Put This Liar In Jail - Game Shows Part IV
A wanted con decides to fund his escape from the law on the television game show Super Password. He plays fairly. He wins. All hell breaks loose. Hi, Matthew. Ad Free Episodes: Patreon.com/GreatestConSupport The Show:Manscaped // Code: ModerenRogue20HulloPillow.com/wgc Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Charles Ingram and the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire scandal - Game Shows Part III
A ranking member of the military finds himself in the center of pop culture, the hot seat on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in 2001. After an embarrassing first day, he goes on an unlikely run to riches. A turnaround so unlikely he is accused of cheating with quite possibly the dumbest plan in deception history.Ad Free Episodes: Patreon.com/GreatestConSupport The Show:http://geologie.com/greatestco
Michael Larson broke Press Your Luck - Game Shows Part II
The largest single-day haul in game show history. An Ohio conman exploits Press Your Luck so cleanly they're forced to admit it and hand him the cash. That's only the beginning of his strange, sad story.Ad Free Episodes: Patreon.com/GreatestConSupport The Show:http://betterhelp.com/WGChttp://geologie.com/greatestcon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Twenty One and the 1950s Quiz Show Scandals - Game Shows Part I
A producer decides to juice his quiz show by feeding answers to contestants. The attention makes them rich and famous but the revelation of the scheme extracts a terrible societal cost from everyone who took the bargain. "...Baby One More Time" Piano Cover: Björn Gottschall http://www.bjoerngottschall.comAd Free Episodes: Patreon.com/GreatestConSupport The Show:http://betterhelp.com/WGCh
Operation Mincemeat Questions - Operation Mincemeat Part V
0105: Operation Mincemeat Questions - Brian answers questions about the debut season of World's Greatest Con. Patreon.com/GreatestCon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Moment Of Surrender - Operation Mincemeat Part IV
0104: The Moment Of Surrender - Every con has a moment of surrender, when you've done all the work and now the mark needs to fool themselves. Our heroes haves surrendered, will Hitler do his part and fall for the what is quite possibly the world's greatest con? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In The Flesh - Operation Mincemeat Part III
0103: In The Flesh - The Twenty Committee wrote a story that could fool Hitler. Now they just need to make it real. Brian explores the disgusting gulf between the fantasy of a fake solider and the reality of a discarded corpse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When Is The Perfect Story Too Perfect? - Operation Mincemeat Part II
0102: When is the perfect story too perfect? - The Twenty Committee have the go ahead to fool Hitler with the most audacious Trojan Horse in history. Can they help themselves from over writing it into a bad soap opera?"Still Alive" piano cover played by Claire Waluch. Find her at Readyclaireone on YouTube.Video game checkpoint theme is "Cascade" by Kubbi. Hosted on Acast. See a
How To Fool Hitler - Operation Mincemeat Part I
0101: How To Fool Hitler - The Allies have an audacious plan to win WW2. Drop a body with misinformation to hoax Hitler into believing they'll attack the wrong place. The only problem? They have to approve it first.Support the show directly by buying actual spy gear at con.scamstuff.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
World's Greatest Con Feature Trailer
Feature Trailer - Brian Brushwood is on a quest to find the World's Greatest Con. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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