In 1703 a blond Frenchman convinced much of London that he was from Taiwan
by Futility Closet from on (#3DH0K)
In 1703, London had a strange visitor, a young man who ate raw meat and claimed that he came from an unknown country on the island of Taiwan. Though many doubted him, he was able to answer any question he was asked, and even wrote a best-selling book about his homeland. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll consider the curious question of the man from Formosa.
We'll also scrutinize a stamp forger and puzzle over an elastic Utah.