The Great Moon Hoax
How did six newspaper articles fool America?
4.7 (36)
42 mins
Uncover the Great Moon Hoax of 1835, when a New York newspaper published sensational stories claiming that strange life had been discovered on the Moon. Explore the bizarre descriptions of lunar creatures, civilizations, and landscapes that captivated readers across the country.
Ep 1:
Birth of a Beautiful Lie
A penny paper's teaser about a genius astronomer and an impossible telescope sparks a media frenzy, revealing how the New York Sun engineered belief before revealing a single lunar creature.
Ep 2:
Bat-Men, Beavers, and Believers
Green forests, upright beavers, and bat-winged men on the moon captivate a nation primed by religious astronomy—until Locke's satire spirals wildly beyond his control.
Ep 3:
The Hoax That Never Apologized
As the hoax spreads unchecked across newspapers and continents, one skeptical town resists—while the Sun profits richly and escapes every consequence for its outrageous fabrication.
Discussions (5)
Levi
Level 10 · 1 week agoThe Edinburgh Journal of Science was real but had actually stopped publishing in 1833, two years before the hoax. Locke picked a dead citation on purpose so nobody could fact check it. That part checks out completely.
Beau
Level 6 · 1 week agoThe Edinburgh Journal of Science was real but had actually stopped publishing before 1835. Locke picked a dead journal on purpose.
Frederick
Level 7 · 1 week agoThe reciprocity trap is exactly how misinformation spreads today. Nobody verifies, they just repost. John Garish had to actually THINK about it because he was outside the system, and the whole thing fell apart immediately.
