Lou Blonger: “Million Dollar Bunco Ring”

In the late 1840s in Western New York, two preteen girls tricked their parents into thinking their house was haunted. Their trick grew to include their hometown, and eventually the world, as their little prank became a religious movement known as Modern Spiritualism. Learn more a ...  Show more

In the late 1840s in Western New York, two preteen girls tricked their parents into thinking their house was haunted. Their trick grew to include their hometown, and eventually the world, as their little prank became a religious movement known as Modern Spiritualism. Learn more a ...  Show more

When Bougainville fought an incredible civil war over a colossal mine, and won, its military leader emerged a hero. But he would soon fall under the spell of a conman and cult leader who wanted the Pacific island—and believed himself to be its king. The unlikely pair soon carved ...  Show more

When Adnan Khashoggi, Saudi arms dealer and self-styled world’s richest man, met with US officials to discuss the Ayatollah, it may have seemed like a chance to cash in corporate power for political clout. But the affair — and an ill-advised friendship with the kleptocratic leade ...  Show more

Born into a banking dynasty, John Pierpont Morgan became a Wall Street wunderkind in the 1860s. By his early 30s, he could afford an early retirement. But a life of leisure wasn’t in the cards for Morgan, who would go on to cut history-making deals, multiply his exorbitant wealth ...  Show more

Alice Guo was a Philippine success story, a homeschooled farmhand who rose to become a millionaire business leader. But when Guo ran for mayor of the small town of Bamban in 2022, eyebrows were raised. Sure, she was rich: but how did Guo own a helicopter, $200,000 jewelry and a M ...  Show more