A Scottish gambler talked France into printing money until its economy collapsed

In 1716, financier John Law convinced the French regent to let him found a national bank and a company holding a monopoly on trade with French Louisiana. Shares in the Mississippi Company soared as Law printed paper money to fund the buying frenzy, minting overnight fortunes across Paris. By 1720 the paper money had outrun the colony's real profits, the bubble burst, and Law fled France in disguise.

— Standard historical accounts, John Law (economist) — France, 1716–1720