The Great Moon Hoax of 1835 Explored in Fascinating Video Essay
Here’s a fun bit of information from the past that I recently learned regarding the Moon! Back in 1835, The Sun posted a series of satirical articles claiming that life had been discovered on the moon. The imaginations of readers went wild and the Great Moon Hoax was born.
It claimed that unicorns lived on the moon along with beavers that walked on their hind legs. Oh yeah, and how can I forget the four-foot-tall Man Bat creatures that lived there as well? Not only that, but these Man Bats build temples and fornicated in public. People actually believed this! It’s incredible!
These articles were written by Richard Adams Locke and he couldn’t believe that people took it all seriously. But, The Sun never bothered to explain that the articles were satire and they also never issued a retraction. Why? Because they were making good money from the hoax!
The internet is no different today. So many websites still make up ridiculous fake news stories that people believe.
The video below came from BBC Reel and this is the note that came with it:
The Moon and Space Exploration are magnets for fake news. August 2022 a prominent French physicist discovers a star later admits it was a piece of chorizo. July 1969. Man lands on the moon. Or didn't, according to conspiracy theorists.
But before any of this, it was August, 1835 that launched the most imaginative moon hoax of them all. And it was at this time, when the world looked up at the moon, they saw an entirely new lunar landscape that it was believed would change humanity as we know it.
Check out the video below and let us know what you think!