S1 E13: Conning Their Way to Freedom

S1 E13: Conning Their Way to FreedomConstant Wonder • Season 1, Episode 13

Jan 3, 2022 • 53m

For two POWs in WWI, a con was the only way to secure their freedom. And, Gregor MacGregor fooled hundreds into believing in a nonexistent promised land. Guests: Maria Konnikova, journalist and author of "The Confidence Game: Why We Fall For It . . . Every Time." Discover more of her writing on her website: https://www.mariakonnikova.com/ Margalit Fox, author of "The Confidence Men: How Two Prisoners of War Engineered the Most Remarkable Escape in History." Explore her other work on her website: https://margalitfox.com/

Episode Segments

The Land That Never WasJan 3, 202223mGregor MacGregor fooled hundreds into believing in a nonexistent promised land.

Gregor MacGregor fooled hundreds into believing in a nonexistent promised land.

How Two POWs Engineered the Most Remarkable Escape in HistoryJan 3, 202231mFeigning madness, these two POWs conned their way to freedom.

Feigning madness, these two POWs conned their way to freedom.