From Scams to Scandals: 50 Historical Hoaxes You Won’t Believe

David Rosenhan and seven of his colleagues conducted an experiment in 1973 to see if psychiatric professionals could correctly diagnose patients by simulating auditory hallucinations. Admitted to psychiatric facilities across five US states, the "pseudopatients" behaved normally but were often misinterpreted as mentally ill. After personnel failed to identify the fake patients in a subsequent phase, Rosenhan concluded that distinguishing between the sane and insane was challenging for professionals in psychiatric settings.

The Tasaday tribe in the Philippines, who were once labeled as a lost Stone Age society, were revealed to be a hoax. Despite claims of noble savagery, they were manipulated by Manuel Elizalde Jr., facilitating visits for anthropologists and celebrities. The ruse was exposed when Oswald Iten found them in modern clothing, using tools, during an unexpected visit. They later admitted to playing a role for financial gain. While some deemed it a publicity scam linked to the regime of Ferdinand Marcos, Filipino President Corazon Aquino declared them real in 1988, sparking ongoing scholarly debates about their authenticity.

On April 1, 2007, Londoner Dan Baines staged an April Fools' prank by posting a fabricated fairy corpse on an online auction site. Claiming authenticity with elaborate details, including hollow bird-like bones and wings, Baines attracted 20,000 viewers in a day. After initial assertions, he later confessed to the hoax and added a disclaimer. Despite the admission, some believers maintain the fairy's authenticity, accusing Baines of concealment.

In the early 1900s, Wilhelm von Olsten showcased Clever Hans, a horse claimed to possess extraordinary math skills. Osten, a mathematics teacher, traveled for free exhibitions, where the horse would answer questions by tapping his foot. Doubters prompted independent studies, revealing Hans couldn't answer unknown questions. His true ability was tapping until people signaled the correct answer, fooling audiences and earning applause.

In 1967, Leonard Lewin published the controversial "Report From Iron Mountain On The Possibility And Desirability Of Peace," allegedly from a secret 15-man panel advocating perpetual war for economic stability. It recommended the government establish a perpetual war to maintain the economy and global status quo. It sparked widespread debate, with some labeling it a hoax and others seeing it as confirmation of a conspiracy to prolong the Vietnam War. Five years later, Lewin admitted fabricating the report to satirize think tanks and promote contemplation on transitioning to a peacetime economy, but conspiracy theorists persist in believing its authenticity.

In 1725, Dr. Johann Berringer, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Würzburg, was pranked by colleagues who planted over 2000 fake "lapides figurati" (stones with recognizable images). Despite obvious signs, such as stones forming insects and a Hebrew text spelling "Jehovah," Berringer published a book about his finds. His colleagues, regretting the prank, unsuccessfully tried to dissuade him. The scandal unfolded when Berringer realized the deception, leading to legal action and ruined careers for all involved.

On April Fools' Day in 1957, the BBC aired a deceptive episode of Panorama, a documentary show, claiming a Swiss family harvested spaghetti from trees. The mockumentary featuring renowned broadcaster Richard Dimbleby captivated UK viewers who were unfamiliar with spaghetti. Many sought advice on growing their spaghetti trees, prompting the BBC to humorously suggest placing spaghetti in tomato sauce and hoping for the best.

In 1998, acclaimed British novelist William Boyd orchestrated an elaborate literary hoax with the publication of Nat Tate: An American Artist 1928-1960. The biography detailed the life of Nat Tate, an abstract expressionist who supposedly destroyed 99 percent of his work and took his life, but it was entirely a figment of Boyd's imagination. Presented as real and reviewed extensively, the hoax involved collaboration with Tate Britain, the National Gallery, and even a public reading by David Bowie on April Fools' Day. The elaborate ruse aimed to expose the pretentiousness of the art world, as revealed when a reader exposed the hoax in The Independent.

In 1726, a woman named Mary Toft claimed to give birth to rabbits, gaining public attention. Surgeon John Howard, after inspecting the remains, endorsed the story, and Mary allegedly delivered more rabbits. The bizarre tale even led to a royal investigation. However, Mary's hoax was exposed when evidence of purchased rabbits emerged. She confessed, and her five-month jail term followed.

Joseph B. Swan, a Colorado farmer with a penchant for practical jokes, pulled off a simple yet effective hoax by claiming to grow 26,000 pounds of potatoes in a year on one acre of land with his special "Maggie Murphy" variety. Using a carved piece of wood, he posed in a photograph with a giant 86-pound potato, which became widely circulated. Despite the skepticism of experts who exposed the fake, Swan received numerous requests for his special potato seed until he eventually revealed the hoax, claiming the magnificent potato had been stolen and he was quitting the spud business.