The Most Famous Historical Hoaxes — History

The 'Maine' hoax was about the sinking of the USS Maine, with some believing that the explosion that sank the ship was deliberately caused to incite the Spanish-American War.

The Bigfoot photograph hoax was a famous 1967 image purportedly showing the creature. It was later proven to be a hoax, with the two men admitting to faking it.

The 'Great Moon Hoax' was a series of six articles in the 'New York Sun' in 1835 claiming that life had been discovered on the moon. It was later revealed to be fabricated.

The Shakespeare hoax involved the discovery of letters supposedly written by William Shakespeare, but they were later revealed to be fake.

The 'Vinland Map' hoax was about a map allegedly showing Viking landings in North America. It was later proven to be a forgery.

The 'Shroud of Turin' is believed by some to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ, though its authenticity has been debated and is considered a medieval hoax by many scholars.

The 'War of the Worlds' broadcast was a 1938 radio play by Orson Welles that caused panic among listeners who thought an actual alien invasion was happening.

The moon landing conspiracy theory suggests that the 1969 landing was faked by the U.S. government. This hoax has been debunked by experts.

The 'Piltdown Man' hoax in 1912 involved the alleged discovery of a missing link between apes and humans. It was later proven to be a combination of human and ape remains.

The 'Cottingley Fairies' were a series of photographs of fairies taken by two young girls in England in 1917. The photos were later revealed to be hoaxes.