In the early 1900s, William “Bingo Billy” Smith, a traveling carnival worker, began to claim that he could read people’s minds and would predict their future by playing bingo. He soon became a popular attraction at carnivals and fairs, and his predictions were often accurate. In 1934, Smith was arrested for fraud after he claimed to have predicted the future lottery numbers.
The courts found him guilty and he was sentenced to two years in prison. After his release, Smith died in 1956 without ever admitting or denying his psychic abilities.
Despite the fact that Smith was convicted of fraud, some people still believe in his psychic abilities. Some skeptics say that Smith’s claims were simply a way to scam people out of their money, but others say that he really did have psychic powers.
The jury is still out on whether or not Bingo Billy is safe, but at least we can be sure that he wasn’t able to predict the future correctly.
