In 1835, readers of a New York newspaper learned that a famous astronomer had discovered unicorns, bipedal beavers, and temple-building bat-winged humanoids living on the moon. Astonishingly, much of the public believed it.
This episode unpacks the Great Moon Hoax as a pivotal moment in media history, sitting at the crossroads of early mass media, human gullibility, and the blurry line between science and fiction. It explores why the lie worked, who wrote it, and how its dry, credible packaging foreshadowed the modern problem of fake news.
How the penny press and sensational journalism created the perfect conditions for the hoax
The real speculative science, like a Munich professor claiming to see lunar buildings, that primed the public
Spoofing the credibility of real astronomer Sir John Herschel and inventing a fictional assistant, Dr. Andrew Grant
The conveniently destroyed telescope ending and Edgar Allan Poe's fury over alleged plagiarism
Author Richard Adams Locke's true intent as satire that backfired because it sounded too credible
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