One of the most audacious scams in history took place in the early 19th century in Britain.

One man sold thousands of people a dream of land in the new world.

His claims attracted large investments, encouraged hundreds of people to sail across the ocean, and even

suckered in the king.

However, his promises were empty, and in the end, shiploads of people were stranded in the

middle of nowhere, and many people lost their lives as well as their life savings.

Learn more about Greger MacGregor and one of the biggest scams in history on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Looking to start a side hustle or become your own boss. Do it with Shopify. Whether you're selling succulents or stilettoes, Shopify has the industry leading

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get Shopify today. Sign up for a one pound per month trial period at shopify.coidek slash special offer or

lowercase that Shopify dot code ek slash special offer. Special Offer. The focus of this story is a man named Greger MacGregor.

And if you're wondering, yes, that was his actual birth name.

Such names are known as reduplicated names and

Gregor McGregor joins the list of notable such as Kelly, William Williams,

Tommy Thompson, Robbie Roberts, Edward Edwards, and of course, Chris Christensen.

Gregor was born on Christmas Eve 1786 at his family's home on the shore of Loch

Katrine in Stirlingshire, Scotland.

He was born into the noble Clan

Gregger, a Scottish Highlands clan that can date its ancestry back to the

9th century. His father was Daniel McGregor, a ship captain for the British

East India Company and his mother's name was Anne.

His family was Roman Catholic and were part of the McGregor clan that had been placed

on a prescription list by King James the 6th of Scotland. He decreed that anybody

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