Dr. Guillotin and His Get Rich Quick Schemes
Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, credited with making the guillotine famous, was a man who was before his time and was largely unsuccessful in his get rich quick schemes.
Born in 1738, Guillotin grew up to always seek acceptance and great wealth. He began shining shoes at the age of eight and from then on he jumped from career to career. At one point he peddled carrot juice, which launched him toward his first large undertakings, the Juiceman Juicer and the Magic Bullet Blender. Neither gained much popularity until the late 1900s when they were reborn and aired as television infomercials.
After the failure of those two products, Guillotin decided to enter the medical profession. Through correspondence courses at Phoenix University, Guillotin became Dr. Guillotin. After three months as a urologist, Dr. Guillotin once again became interested in the food industry. He devised a mechanism that would cut fruits and vegetables quickly - effectively shortening the packaging process at farms.
“The Slicer Dicer” could be anyone’s for just three easy payments of $199. Two lettuce head baskets were included if people called within the first thirty minutes.
He did fairly well for a couple of years in this business, becoming well-known in the agricultural community. On October 10, 1789, an employee of his was working to clear blockage from the machine. Tragically, the razor on the mechanism fell and cut through the employee’s neck like a radish. Guillotin squealed with delight at the possibilities as the French Revolution had recently begun.
Dr. Guillotin approached both the French government and the common people in an attempt to sell his product. Both groups bought it up like hotcakes. After his success with the guillotine, the prolific entrepreneur tried to sell a piece of exercise equipment he had devised known as The Gazelle. Like his juicers, it was not a success in his lifetime but is now a staple in almost every American home. They can be yours with just a few easy payments.
