10 Famous Hoaxes That Fooled the World
The world has a long history of falling for clever lies, and these 10 hoaxes prove just how easy it is to be fooled.
- Sophia Zapanta
- 4 min read
Hoaxes come in all shapes and sizes—from staged discoveries to fake news stories that spread like wildfire. Some were funny, some were scary, and some even changed the way people saw the world, at least for a while. These 10 hoaxes show just how far people will go for fame, fortune, or just a really good laugh.
1. The Piltdown Man
James Howard McGregor on Wikimedia Commons
In 1912, a fossil skull was found in England, and the missing link between humans and apes was declared. Scientists and newspapers went wild, celebrating the discovery. It took over 40 years to realize it was a human skull paired with an orangutan jaw. The bones had been stained and filed down to fool experts.
2. The Loch Ness Monster Photo
Immanuel Giel on Wikimedia Commons
The famous black-and-white photo of Nessie’s long neck sticking out of the water was taken in 1934. It was treated as solid proof of the monster’s existence. Decades later, it came out that it was just a toy submarine with a fake head. Still, people want to believe, and Nessie lives on in folklore.
3. The War of the Worlds Broadcast
Acme News Photos on Wikimedia Commons
In 1938, a radio broadcast of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds caused real panic. People believed aliens were actually invading Earth. The show was presented as news, and listeners didn’t realize it was fiction. Some even packed up and tried to flee their towns.
4. The Cardiff Giant
Bain News Service on Wikimedia Commons
In 1869, workers digging a well in New York found a ten-foot-tall “petrified man.” Crowds paid to see what was thought to be a giant from ancient times. It turned out to be a carved gypsum statue buried as a prank. The man behind it made a fortune before the truth came out.
5. The Hitler Diaries
ElDiarioDeAdolf on Wikimedia Commons
In 1983, a German magazine bought what were claimed to be Adolf Hitler’s personal diaries. Historians were initially fooled and thought they were real. A few weeks later, experts discovered the diaries were badly forged. The magazine lost credibility, and it was a global embarrassment.
6. The Balloon Boy Incident
SMU Libraries Digital Collections on Wikimedia Commons
In 2009, news broke that a six-year-old boy was trapped in a homemade balloon flying over Colorado. TV helicopters followed the balloon for hours in a dramatic live chase. The balloon finally landed, and the boy wasn’t inside—he had been hiding at home. His parents staged the stunt to land a reality TV deal.
7. The Cottingley Fairies
John Illingworth on Wikimedia Commons
Two young girls in 1917 took photos of themselves with tiny, winged fairies. People believed they had real evidence of magical creatures. Even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, was convinced. Later, the girls admitted they used paper cutouts and trick photography.
8. The Tasaday Tribe
Susanne Haerpfer on Wikimedia Commons
In the 1970s, a “lost tribe” in the Philippines was introduced to the world. They were said to live like ancient humans, with no contact with modern society. Journalists and scientists later discovered it was staged—tribe members were coached and dressed to play the part. It was a PR stunt by a local official.
9. The Sokal Affair
Yorgos Kourtakis on Wikimedia Commons
In 1996, physicist Alan Sokal submitted a nonsense paper full of jargon to a cultural studies journal. It was accepted and published without anyone checking if it made sense. Sokal revealed it was a hoax to show the lack of academic rigor in certain fields. The stunt kicked off major debates in the world of academia.
10. The Lying Stones of Dr. Beringer
Ymblanter on Wikimedia Commons
In the 1700s, a professor in Germany found stones with images of animals and stars carved into them. He believed they were messages from God or signs of ancient intelligence. It turned out his colleagues had made the stones to trick him because they thought he was arrogant. He went all-in on publishing them—and was totally humiliated.