John Law — the man who invented modern money and bankrupted France

In the early 1700s, John Law convinced France to adopt paper money and created a giant company tied to the Mississippi colonies. Shares exploded — the very word "millionaire" was coined.

Good idea, fatal excess

But he printed too much paper and inflated the shares too far. The bubble collapsed, ruining investors and scaring France off paper money for generations. The idea was brilliant; the lack of restraint was disastrous.