Paul Jones, the Earth-Girdler

Wondermark always has interesting tidbits - today, it was the story of Paul Jones, the Earth-Girdler:

The late nineteenth century was full of daredevils, fame-seekers, and people doing absurd things for the sake of doing absurd things. Mass communication was new, and could bring nationwide notoriety to anyone able to break some barrier or accomplish something no one else had...

The plan, in short, was as follows: “Jones” had made a wager that he would start out on a trip around the world as Nature made him — that is, naked. He guaranteed that he would make the trip in a year, starting without a penny in the world, and without begging or borrowing on the way.

This immediately reminded me of One Red Paperclip.