I want to believe
11 famous hoaxes in American history that fooled everyone
Image: Hartono Creative Studio
The fact that not every little thing in our world can yet be explained makes life a bit more interesting for many of us. And that urge to believe in certain things has fostered many myths and hoaxes that continue to fool people to this day. How many of the following 11 do you know?
1
The Cardiff Giant
In 1869, workers digging a well in Cardiff, New York, uncovered what appeared to be a 10-foot-tall petrified man. Locals rushed to see the "giant," paying admission to witness history in the soil.
But, as it turned out, it wasn’t ancient at all. A man named George Hull had buried the statue as a prank and made some quick money from the curious crowd.
2
War of the Worlds Broadcast
This very famous hoax took place on the eve of Halloween 1938. Orson Welles’s radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds aired as if it were breaking news . Many listeners tuning in late thought Martians had really landed in New Jersey.
Some packed up their cars or called the police in panic. Though no invasion occurred, the broadcast became a legend in media history.
3
The Balloon Boy
In 2009, Americans watched live TV coverage of a silver balloon drifting across the skies of Colorado , fearing that a six-year-old boy was trapped inside . The story gripped the nation for hours.
When the balloon finally landed empty, police discovered the child hiding safely at home. His parents later admitted it was a publicity stunt gone wrong.
4
The Feejee Mermaid
In 1842, showman P. T. Barnum unveiled a marvel: a preserved "mermaid" supposedly from the South Seas . Crowds lined up to see the half-fish, half-woman curiosity.
The truth was stranger still. It was the upper body of a monkey sewn onto a fish tail and covered in papier-mâché.
5
The Great Moon Hoax
Readers of The New York Sun in 1835 were astonished by reports claiming that scientists had spotted bat-like people and crystal palaces on the Moon through a powerful new telescope.
The story was pure invention, but circulation went up. By the time the truth came out, the paper’s readership had reportedly increased dramatically.
6
The Crop Circles Craze
When perfect circles began appearing overnight in wheat fields , people talked about UFO landings. The shapes seemed too precise to have been made by human hands.
But, in 1991, two Englishmen confessed they’d used boards and ropes to flatten the crops. While this revelation explained many of the formations, the mystery lives on in popular imagination.
7
Alien Autopsy Film
In 1995, a grainy black-and-white video surfaced, showing doctors dissecting what seemed to be an alien recovered from the 1947 Roswell crash. The footage spread quickly worldwide.
Years later, the filmmaker admitted that the film was staged, using latex models and fake organs.
8
The Manti Te’o girlfriend hoax
Notre Dame football star Manti Te’o captured hearts when he revealed that his girlfriend had died of leukemia . Sports fans wept over the tragic love story.
But reporters later learned that the woman never existed. It was an elaborate online catfishing scheme.
9
The Patterson–Gimlin Bigfoot film
In 1967, a short film shot in California showed a large, hairy creature striding through the woods . Many viewers thought this was real proof of Bigfoot´s existence.
Decades later, one participant claimed it was a man in a gorilla suit, but that claim failed to convince many people who prefer to believe in the existence of this creature.
10
The Drake’s Plate of Brass
In 1936, a shiny brass plate found in California seemed to confirm that explorer Sir Francis Drake had landed there in 1579. Historians called it a priceless relic.
For decades, the plate was displayed proudly, until metallurgical tests in 1977 proved it was modern . It had been made as a practical joke among historians that went too far.
11
Paul Is Dead
The final entry on our list might not be American per se, but it drew much attention on these shores. In 1969, rumors spread that Beatle Paul McCartney had died and been secretly replaced by a double . Fans scoured album covers for "clues" like hidden messages and backward songs.
Paul, very much alive, later joked about it. The bizarre theory became a lasting pop-culture phenomenon.
