#636 | Victor Lustig: The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower

 

In 1925, Victor Lustig convinced a Paris scrap-metal dealer that the French government was selling the Eiffel Tower.

 

His secret was a mixture of official papers, careful acting, and victims too embarrassed to report him.

 

He later returned to Paris and tried to sell it again.

 

• Victor Lustig reads that Paris may dismantle the rusting Eiffel Tower
• Born in Bohemia, Lustig learns languages, gambles and develops his skill at deception
• On Atlantic liners, he persuades wealthy passengers to invest in imaginary projects
• In America, he sells a fake money-printing box containing hidden real banknotes
• A Texas sheriff confronts Lustig, then receives counterfeit money as compensation
• Lustig uses forged ministry letters to invite scrap metal dealers to his hotel
• André Poisson buys the Eiffel Tower and pays Lustig a bribe
• Poisson stays silent from shame, so Lustig returns to attempt the scam again
• Lustig tricks Al Capone into paying him for returning an untouched investment
• Police arrest Lustig for counterfeiting; after escaping, he is recaptured and imprisoned

Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/sold-eiffel-tower

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