Some time ago, experts from Scotland were called in to examine a bottle of very expensive whiskey sold by an exclusive Swiss Hotel. A Chinese millionaire had been staying at the hotel and decided to treat himself to a drop or two from a bottle in the hotel’s collection dating from 1878. This guest paid 10,000 Swiss Francs, over 12,000 dollars, for those few drops.

On Oct. 31, 1517, a young Augustinian monk named Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the All Saints Church at Wittenburg. He detailed a list of objections to the dominant Roman Catholic beliefs and practices of his time. Chief among his grievances was the church's claim that Christians could buy their way out of punishment for sin — and thus shorten their time in purgatory — by purchasing a letter of "indulgence" from their local parish.

Recently, a group of archaeologists announced a major new find in the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. Petra is one of the world’s most significant archaeological sites. It had seemed that all the major archaeological structures had been found at this site. But recent use of satellite imagery revealed a massive structure, previously undiscovered.

Perhaps the most famous story of fraud in modern history is that of New York stock broker Bernie Madoff. Madoff was one of the biggest names in finance in New York, and his 4800 clients were devoted to his fund as a remarkably solid performer. In 2008, his sons turned him in to the authorities and he was arrested for securities fraud.

The great Victorian preacher, Charles Spurgeon, once told a story about a crossing-sweeper—someone who swept the dirty street ahead of a wealthy person, in exchange for a tip. Apparently, an artist wanted to paint the city and include an unkempt, ragged, filthy crossing-sweeper in the picture.