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The OG Hoaxers - A story of some Original Gangsters who could Hoax a world
#1
I actually wanted to post this in the Hoax Vault ...  tinylaughing tinylaughing tinylaughing

Many people (myself included) tend to think “hoaxing” is something of a modern invention. I don’t see it as something that never happened before the internet, more like something that can be propagated like a wildfire thanks to this series of tubes…

But while the medium may have changed, hoaxing / pranking people for money (clicks), fame (subscribers), or just boredom (trolls) is quite a bit more ancient than most may think.
Famous examples? Well you are all aware of one of the most popular hoaxes in modern history (by the way, I’m using the word “hoax” kind of interchangeably with what some may feel wasn’t a deliberate “hoax” – full disclosure)


Martians Attack!!

Quote:Orson Welles causes a nationwide panic with his broadcast of “War of the Worlds”—a realistic radio dramatization of a Martian invasion of Earth.

Ah yes, good ole’ War of the Worlds. Nowadays I imagine that stuff like this wouldn’t spread as fast (even with the internet) because of incessant fact-checking, constant denial, and just all-around sleuthing, but boy did it cause a stir. The funny thing? The reason why I don’t label this as a true “hoax”? Everybody was warned at the start that this was just a reading of the book by H.G. Wells…but they were too damn busy listening to a ventriloquist on another station to hear the beginning:

Quote:The show began on Sunday, October 30, at 8 p.m. A voice announced: “The Columbia Broadcasting System and its affiliated stations present Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater on the air in ‘War of the Worlds’ by H.G. Wells.”

Sunday evening in 1938 was prime-time in the golden age of radio, and millions of Americans had their radios turned on. But most of these Americans were listening to ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his dummy “Charlie McCarthy” on NBC and only turned to CBS at 8:12 p.m. after the comedy sketch ended and a little-known singer went on. By then, the story of the Martian invasion was well underway.

I will not attempt to interject my comments into this next portion as nothing I will say can come close to a literary icon. So, without interruption:

Quote:Welles introduced his radio play with a spoken introduction, followed by an announcer reading a weather report. Then, seemingly abandoning the storyline, the announcer took listeners to “the Meridian Room in the Hotel Park Plaza in downtown New York, where you will be entertained by the music of Ramon Raquello and his orchestra.” Putrid dance music played for some time, and then the scare began. An announcer broke in to report that “Professor Farrell of the Mount Jenning Observatory” had detected explosions on the planet Mars. Then the dance music came back on, followed by another interruption in which listeners were informed that a large meteor had crashed into a farmer’s field in Grovers Mills, New Jersey.

Soon, an announcer was at the crash site describing a Martian emerging from a large metallic cylinder. “Good heavens,” he declared, “something’s wriggling out of the shadow like a gray snake. Now here’s another and another one and another one. They look like tentacles to me … I can see the thing’s body now. It’s large, large as a bear. It glistens like wet leather. But that face, it… it … ladies and gentlemen, it’s indescribable. I can hardly force myself to keep looking at it, it’s so awful. The eyes are black and gleam like a serpent. The mouth is kind of V-shaped with saliva dripping from its rimless lips that seem to quiver and pulsate.”

The Martians mounted walking war machines and fired “heat-ray” weapons at the puny humans gathered around the crash site. They annihilated a force of 7,000 National Guardsman, and after being attacked by artillery and bombers the Martians released a poisonous gas into the air. Soon “Martian cylinders” landed in Chicago and St. Louis. The radio play was extremely realistic, with Welles employing sophisticated sound effects and his actors doing an excellent job portraying terrified announcers and other characters. An announcer reported that widespread panic had broken out in the vicinity of the landing sites, with thousands desperately trying to flee. In fact, that was not far from the truth.
Perhaps as many as a million radio listeners believed that a real Martian invasion was underway. Panic broke out across the country. In New Jersey, terrified civilians jammed highways seeking to escape the alien marauders. People begged police for gas masks to save them from the toxic gas and asked electric companies to turn off the power so that the Martians wouldn’t see their lights. One woman ran into an Indianapolis church where evening services were being held and yelled, “New York has been destroyed! It’s the end of the world! Go home and prepare to die!”
And there you have it, PANIC!

It all worked out and we didn’t succumb to a Martian invasion. But this day will go down in history as one of the truly great “hoaxes” … Even though it wasn’t intentional. With the power of social media in the present I imagine that those who didn’t hear the start of the show would be quickly corrected and beaten down by the truth police (who actually listened to the start of the show) on Twitter / Facebook. 

Quote:When news of the real-life panic leaked into the CBS studio, Welles went on the air as himself to remind listeners that it was just fiction. There were rumors that the show caused suicides, but none were ever confirmed.

The Federal Communications Commission investigated the program but found no law was broken. Networks did agree to be more cautious in their programming in the future. Orson Welles feared that the controversy generated by “War of the Worlds” would ruin his career. In fact, the publicity helped land him a contract with a Hollywood studio, and in 1941 he directed, wrote, produced, and starred in Citizen Kane—a movie that many have called the greatest American film ever made.


OG Hoaxer #1


The Spaghetti Tree!



This one's a classic, truly TRULY amazing! 

Quote:The spaghetti-tree hoax was a three-minute hoax report broadcast on April Fools' Day 1957 by the BBC current-affairs programme Panorama, purportedly showing a family in southern Switzerland harvesting spaghetti from the family "spaghetti tree". At the time spaghetti was relatively little known in the UK, so that many Britons were unaware that it is made from wheat flour and water; a number of viewers afterwards contacted the BBC for advice on growing their own spaghetti trees. Decades later CNN called this broadcast "the biggest hoax that any reputable news establishment ever pulled"

I need to write that again!  tinylaughing tinylaughing tinylaughing

Quote:An estimated eight million people watched the programme on 1 April, and hundreds phoned in the following day to question the authenticity of the story or ask for more information about spaghetti cultivation and how they could grow their own spaghetti trees. The BBC reportedly told them to "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best"

So yeah, while you can technically call it a hoax is WAS APRIL FOOLS DAY! I MEAN COME ON!!!!  tinylaughing tinylaughing tinylaughing

Spaghetti Tree Hoax



ETA
Here's a small Documentary on the making of this:





So yeah, while you can technically call it a hoax it WAS APRIL FOOLS DAY! I mean come on…
 
But the point of this thread was to showcase another fascinating story that I only heard about days ago. It’s similar to the “Martians Attack!” story but WAAAY before H.G. duped a nation glued to their radios. I give you, 

August 25th, 1835 - The Great Moon Hoax!


Quote:On this day in 1835, the first in a series of six articles announcing the supposed discovery of life on the moon appears in the New York Sunnewspaper.

Known collectively as “The Great Moon Hoax,” the articles were supposedly reprinted from the Edinburgh Journal of Science. The byline was Dr. Andrew Grant, described as a colleague of Sir John Herschel, a famous astronomer of the day. Herschel had in fact traveled to Capetown, South Africa, in January 1834 to set up an observatory with a powerful new telescope. As Grant described it, Herschel had found evidence of life forms on the moon, including such fantastic animals as unicorns, two-legged beavers and furry, winged humanoids resembling bats. The articles also offered vivid description of the moon’s geography, complete with massive craters, enormous amethyst crystals, rushing rivers and lush vegetation.


Quote:From the day the first moon hoax article was released, sales of the paper shot up considerably. It was exciting stuff, and readers lapped it up. The only problem was that none of it was true. The Edinburgh Journal of Science had stopped publication years earlier, and Grant was a fictional character. The articles were most likely written by Richard Adams Locke, a Sun reporter educated at Cambridge University. Intended as satire, they were designed to poke fun at earlier, serious speculations about extraterrestrial life, particularly those of Reverend Thomas Dick, a popular science writer who claimed in his bestselling books that the moon alone had 4.2 billion inhabitants.

This my friends is the stuff of beauty! A true hoax with the familiar "oh, it was intended as satire" response. To an OG Hoaxer back in the early 19th century, hats off to you good sir!

Quote:Readers were completely taken in by the story, however, and failed to recognize it as satire. The craze over Herschel’s supposed discoveries even fooled a committee of Yale University scientists, who traveled to New York in search of the Edinburgh Journal articles. After Sun employees sent them back and forth between the printing and editorial offices, hoping to discourage them, the scientists returned to New Haven without realizing they had been tricked.

This Day in History - August 25th 1835

This is the stuff of legend. “you didn’t find it? Ok, check downtown at the editor’s office!” The story itself sounds awesome though. I can see how it fooled a bunch of people, it’s very well written! I’ll post excerpts here but will link the entire story below:

Day 1:

Quote:To render our enthusiasm intelligible, we will state at once, that by means of a telescope of vast dimensions and an entirely new principle, the younger Herschel, at his observatory in the Southern Hemisphere, has already made the most extraordinary discoveries in every planet of our solar system; has discovered planets in other solar systems; has obtained a distinct view of objects in the moon, fully equal to that which the naked eye commands of terrestrial objects at the distance of a hundred yards; has affirmatively settled the question whether this satellite be inhabited, and by what order of things; has firmly established a new theory of cometary phenomena; and has solved or corrected nearly every leading problem of mathematical astronomy.


The weight of this ponderous lens was 14,826 lbs. or nearly seven tons after being polished; and its estimated magnifying power 42,000 times. It was therefore presumed to be capable of representing objects in our lunar satellite of little more than eighteen inches in diameter, providing its focal image of them could be rendered distinct by the transfusion of article light. It was not, however, upon the mere illuminating power of the hydro-oxygen microscope, as applied to the focal pictures of this lens, that the younger Herschel depended for the realization of his ambitious theories and hopes. He calculated largely upon the almost unlimited applicability of this instrument as a second magnifier, which would supersede the use, and infinitely transcend the powers of the highest magnifiers in reflecting telescopes.

That is one GIANT telescope! And to think somebody could set one up in 1835?! Nice!!  tinylaughing tinylaughing tinylaughing

Day 2:

Quote:But its operation was found to be so consummately perfect, that the observers could detain the object upon the field of view for any period they might desire. The specimen of lunar vegetation, however, which they had already seen, had decided a question of too exciting an interest to induce them to retard its exit. It had demonstrated that the moon has an atmosphere constituted similarly to our own, and capable of sustaining organized, and therefore, most probably animal life. The basaltic rocks continued to pass over the inclined canvass plane, through three successive diameters, when a verdant declivity of great beauty appeared, which occupied two more. This was preceded by another mass of nearly the former height, at the base of which they were at length delighted to perceive that novelty, a lunar forest. "The trees," says Dr. Grant, "for a period of ten minutes, were of one unvaried kind, and unlike any I have seen, except the largest kind of yews in the English churchyards, which they in some respects resemble.

In the shade of the woods on the south-eastern side, we beheld continuous herds of brown quadrupeds, having all the external characteristics of the bison, but more diminutive than any species of the bos genus in our natural history. Its tail is like that of our bos grunniens; but in its semi-circular horns, the hump on its shoulders, and the depth of its dewlap, and the length of its shaggy hair, it closely resembled the species to which I first compared it. It had, however, one widely distinctive feature, which we afterwards found common to nearly every lunar quadruped we have discovered; namely, a remarkable fleshy appendage over the eyes, crossing the whole breadth of the forehead and united to the ears. We could most distinctly perceive this hairy veil, which was shaped like the upper front outline of a cap known to the ladies as Mary Queen of Scots' cap, lifted and lowered by means of the ears. It immediately occurred to the acute mind of Dr. Herschel, that this was a providential contrivance to protect the eyes of the animal from the extremes of light and darkness to which all the inhabitants of our side of the moon are periodically subjected.

Day 3: Getting Juicy!!!  tinywondering tinywondering tinywondering

Quote:A direct proof of this is afforded in a tremendous volcano, now in its prime, which I shall hereafter notice. What gave the name `The Lake of Death' to the annular mountain I have just described, was, I suppose, the dark appearance of the valley which it encloses, and which, to a more distinct view than we obtained, certainly exhibits the general aspect of the waters on this planet. The surrounding country is fertile to excess: between this circle and No. 2 (Endymion), which we proposed first to examine, we counted not less than twelve luxuriant forests, divided by open plains, which waved in an ocean of vendure, and were probably prairies like those of North America. In three of these we discovered numerous herds of quadrupeds similar to our friends the bisons in the Valley of the Unicorn, but of much larger size; and scarcely a piece of woodland occurred in our panorama which did not dazzle our visions with flocks of white or red birds upon the wing.


You can read the entire post (over 6 days) and it’s quite fascinating. I can see why people would flock to try and do some research themselves. This would have been not just the find of the century, it would have been the find of HUMANITY. Of all history!
 
I mean,

Quote:Certainly the were like human beings, for their wings had now disappeared, and their attitude in walking was both erect and dignified. Having observed them at this distance for some minutes, we introduced lens Hz which brought them to the apparent proximity of eighty yards; the highest clear magnitude we possessed until the latter end of March, when we effected an improvement in the gas-burners. About half of the first party had passed beyond our canvass; but of all the others we had a perfect distinct and deliberate view. They averaged four feet in height, were covered, except on the face, with short and glossy copper-colored hair, and had wings composed of a thin membrane, without hair, lying snugly upon their backs, from the top of their shoulders to the calves of their legs. The face, which was of a yellowish flesh color, was a slight improvement upon that of the large orangutan, being more open and intelligent in its expression, and having a much greater expansion of forehead. The mouth, however, was very prominent, though somewhat relieved by a thick beard upon the lower jaw, and by lips far more human than those of any species of similar genus. In general symmetry of body and limbs they were infinitely superior to the orangutan; so much so, that, but for their long wings, Lieut. Drummond said they would look as well on a parade ground as some of the old cockney militia! The hair on the head was a darker color than that of the body, closely curled, but apparently not wooly, and arranged in two curious semicircles over the temples of the forehead. Their feet could only bee seen as they were alternately lifted in walking; but, from what we could see of them in so transient a view, they appeared thin, and very protuberant at the heel.

And it gets much MUCH better:

Quote:"The very first object in this valley that appeared upon our canvass was a magnificent work of art. It was a temple — a fane of devotion, or of science, which, when consecrated to the Creator is devotion of the loftiest order; for it exhibits his attributes purely free from the masquerade, attire, and blasphemous caricature of controversial creeds, and has the seal and signature of his own hand to sanction its aspirations. It was an equitriangular temple, built of polished sapphire, or of some resplendent blue stone, which, like it, displayed a myriad points of golden light twinkling and scintillating in the sunbeams. 

This link will take you to the story. On the page are individual links for each day the story ran (6 total). 


I implore you! Read this story when you have time! It’s a very good tale of how a good hoax used to take place. Now it’s just a bunch of kids writing click-bait articles for ad revenue, trolling, and internet fame. It takes quite a bit to pull something off of this magnitude and while I’m sure there were many who scoffed at these writings, others traveled the country in search of more.
 
And that is why I love a good hoax. True or not, some of them can open the mind and take you to a place you never imagined. Others just make you want to put a bullet in somebody’s head and literally open their mind…

The Great Moon Hoax - Full Page

Or by day if you prefer:

Day 1 - Tuesday, August 25th, 1835

Day 2 - Wednesday, August 26th, 1835

Day 3 - Thursday, August 27th, 1835

Day 4 - Friday, August 28th, 1835

Day 5 - Saturday, August 29th, 1835

Day 6 - Monday, August 31st, 1835

Some more information on the site:

Main site:

Hoax Vault

Public Response

The Media Response

The Lunar Life Debate

Enjoy RN, this is a great story and I very much enjoyed reading it. I hope you all do as well!

DFC  tinycool
#2
@"DuckforcoveR"  Excellent thread,,,  minusculeclap
Very, Very Interesting and Informative.
I had not heard of the War of the Worlds growing up in China.
Actually, I had heard of known of these and some I learned about Just NOW, Thank You.  minusculegoodjob
Once A Rogue, Always A Rogue!
[Image: attachment.php?aid=936]
#3
Bump to debug...
#4
Fantastic thread Duckypoo.   minusculeclap   minusculegoodjob 

Quite a bit of reading to do there. I may have to go back and read it again, as I was interrupted several times by the kitten with the meow from hell. tinylaughing  (He wants his voice to be heard... and it is!!)

You should make more threads if they are all as well done as this one.   tinybiggrin
#5
Music 
Great thread, and excellent examples. 

The thing about human nature in general, is that there is a subset of people who literally believe everything they either read or hear, and it doesn't have to be an actual hoax. 

Gilligan's Island is one example. On page 186 of the book Inside Gilligan's Island by Sherwood Schwarz he mentions that 10 weeks or so into the show one Commander Doyle of the Coast Guard came to his office and showed him some telegrams of people demanding the coast guard launch a rescue for these poor people who are shipwrecked on an island before they starve to death.

Mr. Schwartz was dumbfounded, as there were even laugh tracks included in the show. The reason for the commander to show him the telegrams in person was because he didn't think Mr. Schwartz would actually believe there were real telegrams if he didn't see them for himself.

At the time, Mr. Schwartz noted to himself that this subset of humans who would believe anything could be exploited purposefully in the future, for political or other gain. And I believe he gave consideration to the possibility...

A more recent example of utilizing this subset of people, is an advertisement created by artist Adam Padilla:

[Image: DIHJ1ZeUMAAfsOk?format=jpg]



This was a hoax, but people were running around discussing the horror of marketing vape gear to infants. Later people found out that Adam Padilla has Pfizer as one of his big name clients, although he denies Pfizer pharmaceutical had anything to do with his creating this meme as a hoax. 

If Pfizer DID pay for it as a means to blacken the name of the vaping industry, it was just one way to utilize those who will believe anything to their advantage. 

I'm willing to say, the greatest majority of people WILL believe anything, without either checking for facts nor are willing to listen to those of us who do check facts. Facts for most people are mere hindrances to their own confirmation biases.
#6
(08-30-2017, 02:01 AM)Grace Wrote: Great thread, and excellent examples. 

The thing about human nature in general, is that there is a subset of people who literally believe everything they either read or hear, and it doesn't have to be an actual hoax.

A more recent example of utilizing this subset of people, is an advertisement created by artist Adam Padilla:

[Image: DIHJ1ZeUMAAfsOk?format=jpg]



This was a hoax, but people were running around discussing the horror of marketing vape gear to infants. Later people found out that Adam Padilla has Pfizer as one of his big name clients, although he denies Pfizer pharmaceutical had anything to do with his creating this meme as a hoax. 

If Pfizer DID pay for it as a means to blacken the name of the vaping industry, it was just one way to utilize those who will believe anything to their advantage. 


Where can we get those for the grand kids? If I can get stocked up on 'em, I might be persuaded to stop teaching them how to chew snuff...



.
Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king.

Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’


#7
I remember The Great Moon Hoax of 1835. I heard about it many, many years ago, and was fascinated - this illustration of it really got my imagination going at the time:

[Image: Great-Moon-Hoax-1835-New-York-Sun-lithograph-298px.jpg]

I thought flying would be really, really cool, and it did not escape my attention that not a single one of the Moon Folk were working for their bread... I thought that might be kinda cool, too!

Aaaanndd.... UNICORNS! Who doesn't like unicorns?

I credit that story with sparking my interest in astronomy and extraterrestrial life.



.
Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king.

Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’


#8
(08-30-2017, 05:59 AM)Ninurta Wrote: Aaaanndd.... UNICORNS! Who doesn't like unicorns?

@"Ninurta" 


Speaking of Unicorns... I still haven't forgiven you and Doug for stealing mine from his stall a few years ago.
I miss him so much. tinycrying

So glad I have some pictures to remember him by. 

[Image: giphy.gif]

 
#9
(08-30-2017, 03:42 PM)Mystic Wanderer Wrote:
(08-30-2017, 05:59 AM)Ninurta Wrote: Aaaanndd.... UNICORNS! Who doesn't like unicorns?

@"Ninurta" 


Speaking of Unicorns... I still haven't forgiven you and Doug for stealing mine from his stall a few years ago.
I miss him so much. tinycrying

So glad I have some pictures to remember him by. 

[Image: giphy.gif]

 



It was for your own good. You KNOW that unicorns only hang out with virgins! Think of your children!

It had to be, so that they might live. we performed a Public Service!


.
Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king.

Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’


#10
(08-30-2017, 11:05 PM)Ninurta Wrote:
(08-30-2017, 03:42 PM)Mystic Wanderer Wrote:
(08-30-2017, 05:59 AM)Ninurta Wrote: Aaaanndd.... UNICORNS! Who doesn't like unicorns?

@"Ninurta" 


Speaking of Unicorns... I still haven't forgiven you and Doug for stealing mine from his stall a few years ago.
I miss him so much. tinycrying

So glad I have some pictures to remember him by. 

[Image: giphy.gif]

 



It was for your own good. You KNOW that unicorns only hang out with virgins! Think of your children!

It had to be, so that they might live. we performed a Public Service!


.

That's the most lame excuse I've ever heard. Virgin's aren't the only people who can own a Unicorn.   smalltappingfoot
#11
You're right, they can. But the horns must be removed...so, horses.

tinylaughing tinylaughing tinylaughing
#12
(08-30-2017, 11:29 PM)Mystic Wanderer Wrote:
(08-30-2017, 11:05 PM)Ninurta Wrote:
(08-30-2017, 03:42 PM)Mystic Wanderer Wrote:
(08-30-2017, 05:59 AM)Ninurta Wrote: Aaaanndd.... UNICORNS! Who doesn't like unicorns?

@"Ninurta" 


Speaking of Unicorns... I still haven't forgiven you and Doug for stealing mine from his stall a few years ago.
I miss him so much. tinycrying

So glad I have some pictures to remember him by. 

[Image: giphy.gif]

 



It was for your own good. You KNOW that unicorns only hang out with virgins! Think of your children!

It had to be, so that they might live. we performed a Public Service!


.

That's the most lame excuse I've ever heard. Virgin's aren't the only people who can own a Unicorn.   smalltappingfoot
@"Mystic Wanderer"  That is True!
They have their's to.
[Image: tenor.gif] [Image: obamacard.gif]
Once A Rogue, Always A Rogue!
[Image: attachment.php?aid=936]
#13
(08-30-2017, 11:29 PM)Mystic Wanderer Wrote: That's the most lame excuse I've ever heard. Virgin's aren't the only people who can own a Unicorn.   smalltappingfoot

Lame or not, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! A lame excuse is better than NO excuse, eh?

Besides, OWNING a unicorn and INTERACTING with it are two different things! What good is a unicorn you can't interact with? Again, it was for your own good - we could not have lived with ourselves if we had allowed it to get out of hand to the point that the unicorn gored you!

Doug and I are publicly-minded like that!
Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king.

Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’




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