The Darth Vader of Retail: Crazy Eddie

A prototype for generations of crooked politicians and media figures to come, Horatio Bottomley knew how to work the public. Whether defrauding them with fake sweepstakes or holding boisterous hate rallies, Bottomley was a pro at making a name for himself while making plenty of c ...  Show more

In the days of apartheid South Africa, no one expected a young white man who was a former South African soldier to turn rebel and to then help Nelson Mandela and the ANC conduct a super-secret sabotage operation. But that's exactly what Rodney Wilkinson did. And his target? The n ...  Show more

In the 1980s, the discount electronics chain store Crazy Eddie was so famous, its commercials were parodied on "Saturday Night Live." So when the family business began selling its company shares on Wall Street — making millions — nobody questioned its success. Gary Weiss’ book is ...  Show more

When eccentric toy maker Ty Warner created a new line of floppy stuffed animals with cute names and charming poems, he unleashed pure havoc and chaos into the world. At the height of Beanie Mania, people spent their life savings and even assaulted others to collect the rare creat ...  Show more

A bounce house goes crazy. A famous artist we know dies, more nutty crying. Baa baa black Jeep! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

The mom-and-pop fast-fashion retailer exploded into malls across the globe. But eventually, Forever 21 unraveled like the hem on a cheap crop top.Our sponsors this week:Fiverr: fiverr.com promo code SPECTACULARNetSuite: NetSuite.com/SPECTACULARThe Great Courses Plus: thegreatcour ...  Show more