Why is Pre-Ordering Onions Illegal in the USA?

One man wanted to own every onion in America — and it ruined the economy

Are onions really that important to the economy? (Image by Philip and Linda Naudus/Polina Kovaleva/terdpongvector)

In 1955, Vincent Kosuga decided he wanted to own every onion in America.

But Kosuga didn’t stop there. He moved on to buying up all the onion futures, as well. Onion futures are essentially a way merchants use to pre-order onions, and…