Important tricks for the folk

I love to hear historical stories about tricks to make people believe in something good. For example I heard the story about the elephants on the Brooklyn Bridge. When the bridge was new build New York’s habitants didn’t believe in its stability. When people saw the 21 elephants, which a circus let crossing the bridge, everything was all right.

Another story is the story about the potato in Western Europe. I've heard it many years ago. I think it was Frederick the Great (Friedrich der Große) who was tricky to the farmers in Prussia. He declared that the potato is only intended for the nobility and had been guard the potato fields by soldiers. In this way he makes absolute sure that farmers wanted nothing more than stealing the valuable fruit, cultivate and eat it in secret. So he had rescued his folk from a famine.