When most people hear the word “bribery,” they picture shady deals and dark alleys. Yet, as we’ll see, the phrase 10 bribes put can also describe moments where a little cash (or a favor) turned the tide for good. From a father’s desperate act in Auschwitz to a pork board’s clever marketing ploy, these ten stories prove that not every bribe is a villainous plot.
10 Bribes Put: A Quick Overview
10 Geddy Lee’s Parents Were at Auschwitz, Where His Father Bribed Guards to Give Gifts to His Mother
For a generation of rock fans, Rush stands as Canada’s proudest musical export, and its front‑man Geddy Lee is celebrated for his soaring vocals and inventive songwriting. Yet behind the fame lies a poignant family saga: Lee’s parents, both Polish teens, were swept up by World War II and shipped to Auschwitz just after they met, barely twelve years old.
The Nazis kept men and women apart in the camps, allowing only brief, supervised glimpses of each other. In that harsh environment, Lee’s father managed to bribe the guards, slipping them small sums so his wife could receive essential items—most notably a pair of shoes—helping her survive the brutal winter.
Eventually the couple were separated and sent to different camps. When the war ended, Lee’s father tracked down his wife at Bergen‑Belsen, where they were able to marry amid the chaos of a displaced‑persons camp. The pair later emigrated to Canada, where they raised a family that would include the future rock icon.
While we can’t quantify the exact impact of those clandestine payments, it’s clear that Lee’s father’s willingness to grease the wheels of a ruthless system provided a sliver of humanity for his wife during an unimaginable ordeal.
9 Kevin Bacon Bribes Wedding DJs to Not Play Footloose
Kevin Bacon, the actor who birthed the famous “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” game, also earned a reputation for a very specific musical aversion. His breakout role in the 1984 film Footloose paired him forever with Kenny Loggins’ upbeat anthem, a song that still gets people on their feet.
Decades later, Bacon grew weary of the constant reminder. He confessed to slipping a crisp $20 bill to wedding DJs, urging them to skip the Footloose track whenever he’s in the room. The modest bribe spares him the embarrassment of being forced into an impromptu dance routine at someone else’s celebration.
This tiny, yet telling, payment illustrates how a simple cash incentive can steer a cultural moment away from an unwanted spotlight, keeping Bacon’s feet—and the dance floor—just where he wants them.
8 NY Transit Authorities Were Bribed $40,000 by French Connection Director William Friedkin
When William Friedkin set out to film the 1971 classic The French Connection, he envisioned a high‑octane car chase that would become cinema legend. The chase, which sees a police detective careening through New York traffic at breakneck speeds, was filmed without any official permits.
To keep the authorities from shutting down production, Friedkin slipped a $40,000 payoff—plus an all‑expenses‑paid ticket to Jamaica—to a NY Transit official who could look the other way. The bribe, a sizable chunk of the movie’s budget, ensured that the daring subway‑train sequence could be captured without legal interference.
The result? One of the most celebrated chase scenes in film history, proving that a well‑timed bribe can help bring a visionary—and illegal—idea to the silver screen.
7 Antoine Augustin Parmentier Let Thieves Bribe His Potato Guards to Popularize the Food
In the late 1700s, potatoes were shunned across Europe, dismissed as mere livestock feed. French pharmacist‑agriculturalist Antoine Augustin Parmentier saw untapped potential in the humble tuber and set out to change public perception.
Parmentier’s strategy was delightfully mischievous: he hired armed guards to protect his potato plots—making the crop appear valuable—while simultaneously paying those guards to accept bribes from thieves, allowing the thieves to “steal” the potatoes. The forbidden‑fruit allure of something you’re told you can’t have sparked curiosity, and soon the public was clamoring for the once‑scorned vegetable.
Thanks to this clever ruse, potatoes transitioned from an animal‑feed stigma to a staple of the French diet, illustrating how a well‑orchestrated bribery scheme can reshape culinary habits.
6 Cops in Thailand are Bribed to Not Accept Bribes
Corruption is a global challenge, and Thailand’s traffic police have long been notorious for accepting cash to look the other way. Drivers routinely slip officers a few extra baht to sidestep fines, turning bribery into a routine part of daily commutes.
The problem grew so severe that the Thai government, in 2014, launched a counter‑measure: it began offering police officers up to 10,000 Thai baht (about $280) as an incentive not to accept bribes. The policy, aimed at curbing the entrenched culture, turned the tables by rewarding officers for integrity rather than punishing misconduct.
While the long‑term impact remains debated, the move underscores a paradoxical approach—using money to discourage the very act of taking money.
5 Simon and Garfunkel’s First Single Aired on Radio Thanks to the Payola System
Before they became folk‑rock legends, Simon & Garfunkel were teenage hopefuls with a single titled “Hey, Schoolgirl.” The track needed airplay to launch their career, but radio stations were guarded by the infamous payola practice—bribing DJs to spin a record.
Their label slipped DJ Alan Freed a $200 envelope, prompting him to play the song on his nightly show. The exposure catapulted the duo into regular rotation, igniting a career that would eventually sell tens of millions of albums.
4 George Washington Bribed Voters with Booze
Political bribery isn’t a modern invention; even America’s first president, George Washington, understood the power of a good drink. In his early campaigns, Washington distributed roughly 144 gallons of assorted spirits to sway voters.
After a previous loss, he turned to taverns, offering a half‑gallon of liquor for each vote secured. The generous libations helped him clinch his election, demonstrating how a splash of alcohol could tip the scales in early American politics.
While today such tactics would be illegal, Washington’s approach highlights a time when a well‑timed toast could be as persuasive as a well‑crafted speech.
3 Lincoln Bribed Congressmen with Patronage to Support Anti‑Slavery
Abraham Lincoln, revered for emancipating the slaves, also leaned on the age‑old political practice of patronage—offering coveted jobs and favors to secure legislative backing. Though not a direct cash payment, these appointments functioned as bribes to advance his anti‑slavery agenda.
Lincoln promised lucrative posts and influential positions to congressmen who pledged support for his policies. By weaving a network of favors, he gathered the necessary political capital to push through critical reforms, showing that even the most celebrated leaders sometimes employ behind‑the‑scenes incentives.
2 The Bacon Memes Were the Result Of Pork Industry Bribes
If you recall the early 2000s internet craze, bacon memes dominated timelines, turning the salty strip into a cultural obsession. While it seemed organic, the surge was orchestrated by the pork industry, which saw a dip in demand after the health‑food boom of the 1980s.
The Pork Board launched a covert campaign, paying restaurant chains and food‑bloggers to showcase bacon‑laden dishes. Their low‑cost, high‑flavor strategy birthed products like the Baconator and even novelty items like bacon‑scented soap, flooding the market with pork‑centric content.
The result was a wave of meme‑fuelled enthusiasm that turned bacon into a pop‑culture icon, all thanks to strategic bribes that turned a struggling commodity into a viral sensation.
1 England Spent $200 Million in Bribes to Keep Spain Out of WWII
During the Second World War, the United Kingdom faced a delicate diplomatic puzzle: keeping Spain neutral. Though officially non‑aligned, Spain’s leadership flirted with the Axis powers, threatening to tip the balance.
To ensure Spain stayed on the sidelines, British officials funneled roughly $200 million through Swiss accounts, offering cash incentives that discouraged Franco’s regime from joining Hitler. Some accounts suggest the money helped fund anti‑pro‑Nazi operatives, while others claim it simply bought silence.
Regardless of the exact mechanisms, the massive payout illustrates how a state can employ bribery on a grand scale to shape the course of global conflict.