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

In 2009, Richard and Mayumi Heene claimed their son Falcon had floated away in a helium balloon shaped like a flying saucer. The media covered the incident extensively, dubbing Falcon "Balloon Boy." However, it was later revealed as a hoax when Falcon was found hiding in the attic. Richard Heene received a 90-day jail sentence and a restitution order, while Mayumi served 20 days of community service. They were also prohibited from financially benefiting from the incident.

In 1983, the West German magazine Stern published what they believed to be Adolf Hitler's unseen diaries, purchased for $4 million. Handwriting experts confirmed their authenticity, but skepticism led to further tests, revealing modern stationery and forgery. Editors, including those from Stern, The Sunday Times, and Newsweek, resigned. The diaries were later exposed as a hoax, forged by Konrad Kujau, a small-time crook.

In the 1820s, Gregor MacGregor went beyond typical cons, inventing an imaginary Central American country called Poyais, complete with a flag, banknotes, and a nobility system. Capitalizing on Britain's economic boom, he raised almost $6 billion by offering bonds for the fictional land's development. He also convinced Scottish settlers to seek fortunes in Poyais. However, the reality was devastating, with starvation, disease, and suicides claiming two-thirds of the settlers. MacGregor's scheme failed, and he fled to Paris, attempting a similar trick before eventually escaping to Venezuela and avoiding returning to Europe.

During World War II, Juan Pujol Garcia, a Spaniard, initially tried to offer his services as a spy to the British, but with no relevant experience, they declined. Undeterred, he approached Nazi intelligence in Madrid, posing as a pro-Nazi spy. The Nazis accepted, and Pujol, nicknamed GARBO, fed them fabricated information from Lisbon, impressing both sides. Eventually, he convinced MI6 to accept him as a double agent. Working with Tomas Harris, they created a fictional spy network that played a crucial role in deceiving the Germans about D-Day preparations. Pujol received both the Iron Cross from the Germans and an MBE from the British for his remarkable deception.

Charles Dawson, an amateur archaeologist, hailed the Piltdown Man as a groundbreaking discovery in 1912 while searching for the "missing link" between apes and humans in accordance with Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Unearthed in Piltdown, Sussex, the fossils were initially celebrated but later revealed to be a hoax in 1953 when new dating techniques exposed inconsistencies. Subsequent analysis in 2009 implicated Charles Dawson as the likely mastermind behind the forgery, marking a significant deception in the history of human evolution research.

In 1924, Artur Alves Reis, a Portuguese arms dealer just released from jail, convinced London-based printing company Waterlow and Sons to print 300 million escudos (nearly 1% of Portugal's GDP) secretly for a loan to Portuguese Angola. The money, printed in 500 escudo notes, appeared genuine. Reis laundered it in Portugal, establishing the Bank of Angola & Metropole. Attempting to control the Bank of Portugal, he bought over 20% of its shares by September, triggering suspicions. The scheme unraveled by November, causing a crisis and contributing to a coup. Reis was sentenced to 20 years in prison and died penniless in 1955.

Yoshitaka Fujii, a Japanese anesthesiologist, fabricated 172 scientific articles during his 19-year career, making him the record holder for scientific fraud. Dismissed from Toho University in February 2012 for lacking ethics approval in eight studies, suspicions had lingered for over a decade. A review revealed the improbability of true results in 168 of Fujii's papers. Exploiting minor aspects of anesthesiology and diverse journal placements, he navigated through seven different jobs, evading suspicion.

In 1959, prankster Alan Abel initiated a hoax called The Society for Indecency to Naked Animals (SINNA), claiming their mission was to clothe animals for decency. With the slogan "A nude horse is a rude horse," Abel generated press releases and convinced people of the organization's existence. The "president," portrayed by actor Buck Henry, even appeared on Walter Cronkite's CBS news show in 1962. The ruse persisted until 1963, when Time magazine exposed it.

On April 13, 1844, The New York Sun published a sensational article about eight people flying across the Atlantic in a balloon. Claiming famous figures were on the journey, including Monck Mason, the balloonist, the story was a hoax created by the destitute Edgar Allan Poe. The paper retracted the tale after only two days.

In 1933, a widely circulated photograph falsely claimed to depict German Chancellor Adolf Hitler as a baby, portraying him with a scowl and aiming to ridicule him. German officials responded by providing a genuine baby photo of Hitler, which appeared normal. The origin of the hoax was falsely attributed to Austria, but the true source remained unknown. The baby in the photo was later revealed to be an American, and the image had been manipulated to make him appear angrier.