David Farnsworth
Encyclopedia
David Farnsworth was a Colonial Era counterfeiter. His crimes during the American Revolutionary War
caught the personal attention of George Washington
and he was eventually hanged for his involvement in a plot to destroy the young American economy by placing counterfeit money into circulation.
The use of counterfeit money has been used as a strategy in warfare for centuries. The idea is to flood the enemy's economy with fake money, thus devaluing the real money and causing an economic collapse, rendering the enemy unable to fund their side of the war. During the American Revolutionary War
, the Continental Congress
decided to create a new Continental currency to fund the war. Among the people enlisted to print this new currency was Paul Revere
.
To counter this, Great Britain enlisted teams of counterfeiters to travel throughout the American Colonies, placing their counterfeits into circulation in the hopes that it would cause an economic disaster. These counterfeiters were known as "shovers," presumably for their ability to "shove" the fake money into everyday use.
David Farnsworth and his partner John Blair were among the best-known of these counterfeiters, having been caught with over $10,000 in fake Continental dollars in their possession. George Washington
became personally interested in their plot and asked for them to be tortured in order to uncover further information. They were eventually hanged for their crimes.
episode "All the Presidents' Heads
". He is said to be an ancestor of Professor Farnsworth, and the sole "rotten apple" in the family tree. The Professor travels back in time and gets his wayward ancestor arrested, but while there Fry
accidentally ruins Paul Revere
's famous midnight ride, resulting in an alternate future where the American Revolution was thwarted, and Farnsworth was ennobled after he murdered George Washington
. The characters eventually set history to rights, restoring the original timeline.
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
caught the personal attention of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and he was eventually hanged for his involvement in a plot to destroy the young American economy by placing counterfeit money into circulation.
The use of counterfeit money has been used as a strategy in warfare for centuries. The idea is to flood the enemy's economy with fake money, thus devaluing the real money and causing an economic collapse, rendering the enemy unable to fund their side of the war. During the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
decided to create a new Continental currency to fund the war. Among the people enlisted to print this new currency was Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
.
To counter this, Great Britain enlisted teams of counterfeiters to travel throughout the American Colonies, placing their counterfeits into circulation in the hopes that it would cause an economic disaster. These counterfeiters were known as "shovers," presumably for their ability to "shove" the fake money into everyday use.
David Farnsworth and his partner John Blair were among the best-known of these counterfeiters, having been caught with over $10,000 in fake Continental dollars in their possession. George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
became personally interested in their plot and asked for them to be tortured in order to uncover further information. They were eventually hanged for their crimes.
Cultural references
David Farnsworth appeared in the FuturamaFuturama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
episode "All the Presidents' Heads
All the Presidents' Heads
"All the Presidents' Heads" is an episode of the sixth season of the animated sitcom, Futurama. It aired on Comedy Central in the United States on July 28, 2011 as the twentieth episode of the sixth season of Futurama.-Plot:...
". He is said to be an ancestor of Professor Farnsworth, and the sole "rotten apple" in the family tree. The Professor travels back in time and gets his wayward ancestor arrested, but while there Fry
Philip J. Fry
Philip J. Fry, known simply as Fry, is a fictional character, the main protagonist of the animated science fiction sitcom Futurama. He is voiced by Billy West using a version of his own voice as he sounded when he was 25.-Character overview:...
accidentally ruins Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
's famous midnight ride, resulting in an alternate future where the American Revolution was thwarted, and Farnsworth was ennobled after he murdered George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. The characters eventually set history to rights, restoring the original timeline.