1925, 48 years old, bought 5 million bushels of wheat during the market rise, turned bearish at the top of the market, and shorted 50 million bushels, making a profit of100000 USD.

He shorted 1029 during the Great Depression, and made a profit of about 1 billion dollars, reaching the peak of his life. 1940, he committed suicide with a revolver to his head. So it wasn't 1939 who shorted wheat futures and went bankrupt and committed suicide.