In 1896, the United States was experiencing what we now call a recession. The Panic of 1896 had made life tough on everyone, and many of the companies in the highly competitive railroad business were looking for new ways to make money. One man, William George Crush, came up with a smashing idea. His idea was so popular that it drew enough people to create the second-largest city in Texas for a single day, and then subsequently got him fired.

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