Episode 34 - Prince Crashington
That’s News to Me
Show Notes
Sources from Story 1
https://apnews.com/article/oddities-arrests-florida-west-palm-beach-fb19a5d3699310da848d92693ce2da43
Sources from Story 2
https://onlyfunfacts.com/history/gregor-macgregor-poyais/
Co-Hosts
Mookie G
Erica B
Edited by Nelson Crawford
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Intro
On this week’s episode, Mookie answers the question: what does a stolen car, a train, a house, and a crashed forklift all have in common? A DRUNK FLORIDA MAN! While Erica unearths the little-known story of the OG swindler Gregor MacGregor, the Prince of Poyais. Never heard of it? Hmmm.
Hold My Beer! This Forklift Won’t Crash Itself!
A few weeks ago, Florida was busy out-Florida-ing itself when a man decided to go to a local bar. After a lot of too many alcoholic beverages, he wisely figured it was time to go home. The problem was that he couldn’t find his car. He searched and searched all he could on foot but turned up nothing. So, he naturally realized he could increase the radius of his search if he had a car. Luckily, there were a lot to choose from in the bar parking lot. He “borrowed” one of the cars and took off in search of his own missing vehicle. All was good until the “borrowed” car got stuck on a train track. Sucks, right? You know what sucks even worse? An oncoming train. But that’s not where it ends! Take a listen. This story is SO Florida-Meets-The-Hangover. Hey, I’d watch that movie!
I’m a Prince, DAMMIT!
Waaay back in the 1800’s, this thing called the “Internet” didn’t exist. And a man named Gregor MacGregor took full advantage of the lack of knowledge sharing capability of the time for his own financial gain. He rose through the ranks of the British military to ultimately become a general. He earned wealth, social status, and (most imperative to his scheme) credibility. But if you know anything about our stories, it’s not gonna end well. To solidify his infamy, he created a country from his imagination and convinced TWO COUNTRIES of its existence. He even sold land to unsuspecting Brits and French (frenchies? French people? I have no idea what they’re called) ! WHAAAT?
What’s Next
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