During the oil boom of 1919, Wichita
Falls, Texas, was desperate for office space. Developer J.D. McMahon
offered to build a 480″ highrise downtown.
Investors loved his offer and poured in the money. The building
turned out to be four stories tall. The disgruntled investors
double-checked the blueprints and discovered the problem. McMahon
had promised a building 480 inches (40 feet) tall, not 480 feet. He
delivered on his promise and by the time of their discovery, he was
long gone with the rest of the money.