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Hope everyone’s summer is going well. Let’s look at some scams and lefts happening in the early 1900’s in Paris.
🗓️ Today in History
The Mona Lisa is Stolen
On August 21, 1911, one of the most famous paintings in the world disappeared from the Louvre. The target was Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, and the theft wasn't some elaborate Ocean's Eleven-style operation. Italian handyman Vincenzo Peruggia had been working at the museum and believed the painting belonged in Italy. He hid inside the Louvre overnight, walked out the next morning with the painting hidden under his clothing, and somehow wasn't immediately stopped. The Mona Lisa wasn't recovered until 1913, when Peruggia tried to sell it to an art dealer in Florence. The theft turned the already-famous painting into a global sensation, with newspapers around the world covering the mystery and crowds lining up at the Louvre just to stare at the empty space where the painting had hung. Basically, one guy stole a painting, accidentally turned it into the most famous piece of art on Earth, and made the Mona Lisa a household name.
❓ Trivia
What famous painting was stolen from a Norwegian museum in 2004?
P.S. We’re now breaking down the answers at the end of each edition, so you get a little more insight.
The Man Who Sold The Eiffel Tower…Twice
In 1925, Victor Lustig looked at the Eiffel Tower and somehow saw a business opportunity. Not a restaurant. Not a souvenir shop. Selling the damn thing.
Lustig was one of the greatest con men of the 20th century. His secret wasn't intimidation or violence, it was confidence. He forged government documents claiming the Eiffel Tower was going to be demolished and sold for scrap metal, then invited several wealthy scrap dealers to a secret meeting in Paris. He introduced himself as a government official handling the sale.
Lustig told the dealers the French government wanted everything kept quiet to avoid public backlash. He eventually targeted a businessman named André Poisson, who was eager to win the deal. Lustig even dropped hints that his government salary wasn't exactly enough to support his lifestyle. Poisson got the message and paid Lustig a massive bribe along with the supposed purchase money.
Lustig took the cash and disappeared.
The craziest part? Poisson was so embarrassed that he’d been conned that he never went to the police.
Naturally, Lustig decided that once wasn't enough. He returned to Paris and tried to sell the Eiffel Tower again. This time, however, the potential buyer became suspicious and contacted authorities. Lustig got out of town before the police could catch him.
Eventually, the con man ran out of luck. He moved to the United States and became involved in counterfeiting before being arrested in 1935. He spent his final years in prison and died in 1947.
Lustig never owned the Eiffel Tower, but he convinced someone that he could sell one of the most recognizable landmarks on Earth, and then came back and tried it again.
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🍽️ Last Bite
🎰 Trivia Breakdown
On August 22, 2004, two armed men walked into Norway's Munch Museum in Oslo and pulled off one of the most brazen art heists in history. In broad daylight, the thieves threatened museum staff with guns, ripped Edvard Munch's famous The Scream from the wall, and also stole another Munch masterpiece, Madonna. The entire robbery took only a few minutes, and the thieves were gone before police could stop them. The paintings were considered priceless, triggering a massive international investigation. Two years later, in August 2006, Norwegian police announced that both paintings had been recovered. Authorities had spent months following leads and eventually located the works in the Oslo area. Police kept the recovery operation secret until the paintings were safely in their possession. The paintings had suffered some damage while missing, but both were later restored and returned to public display.
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