On the latest episode of Stuff You Missed in History Class, hosts Tracy V. Wilson and Holly Frey released the second part of their historical deep dive into the fraudulent empire of E. Virgil Neal. The duo wasted no time diving straight back into the legal battle surrounding his infamous mail-order scheme.
In the episode's introduction, Holly Frey noted that "this is an instance where you really do have to listen to the first part before you jump into this one, or it's not gonna make any sense," explaining that the episode picks up mid-prosecution of Neal's Force of Life company for sending "completely bogus treatments" to consumers. The hosts aim to trace the strange transition of E. Virgil Neal from a notorious mail-order fraudster into a respected business tycoon.
As Tracy V. Wilson and Holly Frey continue to unpack E. Virgil Neal's bizarre career, the podcast highlights the enduring fascination with early 20th-century patent medicine scams. Listeners can expect the upcoming episodes to detail how Neal managed to pivot his public image from a disgraced hypnotist to a legitimate cosmetics magnate.