15. America’s First “Conman”
Conmen have been around since forever. However, the term conman itself, which is short for “confidence man“, can be traced back to William Thompson, a nineteenth-century New York City small-time criminal who talked strangers into simply handing him their goods.
Thompson’s standard operating procedure was to dress up like a well off high-class gentleman, walk up to a high-class mark, and strike up a conversation as if the two knew each other. We have all probably been in a similarly awkward situation, running into people who know us, but for the life of us, we cannot remember where we know them from. Not wanting to give offense, we often end up acting as if we know exactly who they are. Thompson took full advantage of that.