5 of history's most controversial business moves

Sometimes you have to get your hands a little dirty to taste success. And — sometimes —people take that expression a bit too literally. Whether it was Jack Molinas' obsession with gambling or Bayer medicine's heroin promotion at the turn of the 20th century, history has seen dozens of dopey business ventures that continue to cause turn heads decades down the road. Here are five examples of the most controversial business moves in history.

When you could buy heroin at your local pharmacy: One of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies once touted heroin as a cure-all miracle medicine. And people bought it.

Coke made especially for a communist: Long before its failed experiment with New Coke, Coca-Cola changed its signature look for one very special communist drinker.

Basketball's one-man corruption machine: Jack Molinas was an Ivy League graduate and an NBA All-Star. But when gambling got the best of him, Molinas turned down a path that left him face-up on his patio with a bullet to the noggin.

The bloody birth of corporate PR: Madison Avenue got its start because of a gruesome massacre in the Rocky Mountains.

The drug that bankrolled some of America's great dynasties:Some of America's most prominent families grew their fortunes on the backs of millions of Chinese opium addicts.

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Caption for Newser photo: An old bottle of heroin from the early 1900th century when it was used for medicinal purposes. (Corbis)