On this day in 1920, the Boston Post ran a story that ultimately exposed one of the biggest financial swindles in history. In a series of articles that won the paper its first Pulitzer Prize, the Post questioned the financial practices of Charles Ponzi. An Italian immigrant with dreams of greatness, Ponzi created a near frenzy in Boston by promising a 50 percent return within 45 days. In seven months, 30,000 people invested more than $10,000,000 in Ponzi's scheme. His plan to pay off early investors with funds raised from later ones inevitably collapsed. He was convicted of fraud and sent to prison. On his release, he was deported to Italy. He left behind his name as the definition of a certain kind of scam.