Snake Oil | The Wild West's Biggest Scam

About this episode

This episode explores the story of Clark Stanley, the infamous 'Rattlesnake King,' and his fraudulent marketing of a miracle cure at the 1893 World's Fair.

Dive into the fascinating history of America's most famous 'snake oil salesman,' Clark Stanley. In this episode, we unpack the story of the 'Rattlesnake King,' who rose to fame at the 1893 World's Fair by peddling a miracle cure that contained no snake oil at all. We explore the remedy's true origins with Chinese railroad workers, Stanley's fraudulent marketing tactics, and how his empire of fake medicine crumbled with the rise of the FDA. This is a must-watch for anyone interested in medical history, marketing scams, and how history repeats itself with the modern supplement industry. Plus, stick around for a hilariously awkward story involving a therapist, a case of mistaken identity, and the phrase, 'I'm not Todd.' Things I Learned Last Night is an educational comedy podcast where best friends Jaron Myers and Tim Stone talk about random topics and have fun all along the way. If you like learning, and laughing a whole lot while you do, then you’ll love TILLN. Watch or listen to this episode today! Become a Patron and Get Early Access to Ad-Free Episodes: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tilln.com/support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Episode link…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jaron Myers, Tim Stone

Topics covered

• snake oil
• medical history
• marketing scams
• fraud
• supplement industry
• Wild West

Keywords

• snake oil
• Clark Stanley
• Rattlesnake King
• fraudulent marketing
• FDA
• medical history
• supplement industry

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: FDA

Places: America, Chinese

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