Being a child of the ’50s and ’60s as I am I vividly remember those TV commercials with Ron Popiel and his amazing Veg-O-Matic and the other amazing (in all senses of the word) products that he pitched. (You can read a biography of Ron Popiel here)

This morning on NPR’s Morning Edition, Bob Edwards interviewed an author who has written about these products and how they were sold. (NPR : But Wait! There’s More!)

I have always wondered, did people really buy this crap? But apparently they did. Ron Popiel, as well as his father and uncle, made and lost several fortunes slicing and dicing.

What an American success story! These were the P.T. Barnums of commerce.