August 25, 2012 - The Great Moon Hoax

n– 1835

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Didnyou know that the best known astronomer of his time, Sir JohnnHerschel, discovered life on the Moon? And I’m talking really obviousnlife: creatures that looked a lot like bison, goats, unicorns,nbeavers without tails, and humanoids with giant bat wings. Andnbuildings that looked a lot like temples here on Earth.

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nOfncourse, you know already that Herschel made no such discovery! Butndid an esteemed scientist hoax everybody?

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nNo,nno he did not. n

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nThensix articles detailing the exciting (but false) “discovery,”nwhich were printed beginning on this date in 1835 in the New YorknSun, were supposed to be written by the traveling companion andnassistant of Herschel, a man named Dr. Andrew Grant. However, therenwas no such person. All available evidence points instead to thenarticles being written by Richard A. Locke, who worked for thennewspaper. n

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nThisnstory sold a lot of newspapers, apparently. Several weeks afternpublication, it had been established that the story wasn’t true—butnthe newspaper never issued a retraction. In other words, they nevernsaid in print, “Sorry, guys, those articles were not true.” AndnLocke never admitted writing the articles.

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nAtnfirst Herschel was a bit amused by the hoax. When asked about it bynothers, he remarked that his real observations of the moon couldnnever be as exciting. But as more and more people asked him about hisn“discoveries”—and he realized that they still believed thenstories to be true—Herschel became annoyed. I bet he wished thatnthe paper used as many inches debunking the story as it did tellingnthe tall tale in the first place!

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nAlsonon this date:

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