Buzz
Even though you might be aware that places like Atlantis are fictional and the likelihood of undiscovered ancient civilizations still existing is slim, it’s hard not to be fascinated by such tales. The allure of unexplored societies and the mysteries of human evolution are incredibly captivating. Often, we find ourselves believing in extraordinary and implausible stories simply because we desire them to be true.
10. ‘Tribal Rites Of The New Saturday Night’
On June 1, 1976, New York Magazine released an intriguing feature on an enigmatic subculture emerging within the disco era. Nik Cohn’s piece, titled “Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night,” delved into the new customs, styles, slang, and rituals of teenagers aged 16 to 20. The era of ’60s rockers had faded, making way for disco with its vibrant shirts and flashy coats. To outsiders, this culture seemed bizarre and almost alien.
The article centered on a tight-knit group led by Vincent, the most skilled dancer in the area. Clubs would pay him to visit their venues, and when Vincent hit the dance floor, everyone else stepped aside. However, such fame came with its own set of challenges and sacrifices.
The following year, Saturday Night Fever hit the screens, entirely inspired by Cohn’s piece. John Travolta brought Cohn’s character to life, and the film became the ultimate symbol of the disco era.
In 1994, Cohn finally confessed that his entire article was fabricated. Vincent never existed, and Cohn had no real knowledge of the disco scene he depicted—he wasn’t even acquainted with the New York City area where the story was set. Having just moved to the city, he relied on his memories of a mod rocker from the ’60s to create Vincent.
Not only did Cohn shape the disco phenomenon through his fictional tale, but in 1983, he was also charged for his role in a drug smuggling operation that imported around $4 million worth of Indian heroin into the country. With his persuasive storytelling skills, he negotiated his penalty down to a $5,000 fine and probation in exchange for cooperating with authorities.
9. The Veleia Scandal
In 2006, Spain was thrilled. During a dig at the ancient Roman city of Iruna-Veleia, a team of archaeologists, led by Eliseo Gil, uncovered artifacts that promised to revolutionize our knowledge of its inhabitants. Pottery fragments from the third century bore carvings depicting Christ’s crucifixion, while other items featured Egyptian hieroglyphics. Most astonishingly, they discovered inscriptions in the Basque language, potentially rewriting its history by advancing its origins by 700 years.
The findings were groundbreaking, positioning the city—and the excavation—at the heart of Roman Empire history. Dates were verified, scientific analyses conducted, and experts consulted. Ultimately, around 600 pieces of out-of-place pottery were recovered, spanning Roman and Egyptian history, early Christianity, Greek and Roman mythology, and Egyptian royalty.
If it seems too incredible to be true, it was.
Eliseo Gil faced accusations of damaging national heritage and committing fraud, though the situation was more nuanced. While skeptics acknowledged some genuine discoveries, others argued the evidence was too dubious to trust. Gil was eventually dismissed as the dig’s director, casting doubt on the artifacts, the excavation’s credibility, and his own role. He maintains his innocence, blaming the Institute of Cultural Heritage of Spain for misidentifying the artifacts.
Among the evidence was the inscription “RIP” on a depiction of Christ’s crucifixion, which contradicted the belief in his resurrection. Such a notion would have been considered heretical at the time. Additionally, the artifacts bore names that didn’t come into use until the 1800s, along with a reference to Descartes’ works. The most incriminating detail, however, was the presence of modern glue on some of the items.
8. Stotham, Massachusetts
The April 1920 edition of the White Pine Monograph Series (a publication dedicated to structures built with white pine) showcased buildings in a town named Stotham, Massachusetts. It included photographs of the town’s architectural landmarks, such as churches and mansions, along with a brief history mentioning Zabdiel Podbury and Drusilla Ives, who left England to settle in New England. The article also highlighted a local haunted house and other preserved structures that the townspeople cherished.
For years, no one realized that Stotham didn’t exist. It wasn’t until the Library of Congress archived the White Pine Monograph Series that they discovered no other records of the town or its inhabitants. Despite thorough searches through historical documents and maps spanning decades, Stotham remained entirely unmentioned.
Eventually, they reached out to an editor of the publication to uncover the truth.
Stotham was entirely fabricated as a creative solution to utilize a surplus of photos left over from earlier issues. With an abundance of high-quality images that deserved to be seen, they invented Stotham, complete with its residents and backstory, crafting an idyllic New England town from their imagination.
7. The Tasaday
In 1971, anthropologists announced the discovery of an untouched civilization in a remote part of the Philippines, untouched by modern advancements and living as if still in the Stone Age. This group was known as the Tasaday people.
The Tasaday were described as living in harmony with nature. To preserve their way of life, thousands of acres were designated exclusively for their use.
However, some anthropologists raised doubts, pointing out that the berries and tadpoles the Tasaday supposedly relied on couldn’t provide sufficient nutrition for survival. When they sought to investigate further, they were barred from contacting the tribe. Political unrest in the Philippines soon halted any further research, leaving the Tasaday undisturbed for years.
In 1986, Manuel Elizalde, the original discoverer of the tribe, learned of renewed interest in studying the Tasaday. When allegations surfaced that the tribe was a fabrication, he enlisted the support of the country’s president. The Tasaday were officially declared genuine, though skepticism persisted.
The controversy deepened with conflicting reports about the tribe. Their language differed significantly from neighboring groups, and the Tasaday later admitted they had been coerced into portraying a Stone Age lifestyle. Despite the confusion, it’s widely believed that while they were indeed an isolated group, their Stone Age identity was fabricated. The debate remains unresolved, especially after Elizalde disappeared with the $35 million raised for the Tasaday and a new entourage.
6. Uluru’s Ancient City
World News Daily Report, a satirical site, openly admits that its content is far from factual. In 2014, they published a story about archaeologists from the Australian National University who, while exploring Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock), allegedly uncovered the ruins of an ancient city. The city was estimated to be around 1,500 years old, with structures like temples, palaces, reservoirs, and homes suggesting it was not just a settlement but potentially the capital of a previously unknown civilization. Housing 20,000 to 30,000 people, it appeared to be a thriving hub for gold mining and global trade.
Unsurprisingly, Australians were not amused.
Commenters on the site were furious, arguing that the article detracted from pressing issues affecting Australia’s Aboriginal communities. The story went viral, with many readers rushing to the “source.” The archaeology department at the university was inundated with questions about this supposed civilization. They handled the situation with humor, joking about a potential increase in student applications and noting that the fictional city was far more thrilling than their typical discoveries.
5. The Patagonian Giants
Ferdinand Magellan undoubtedly witnessed extraordinary sights during his global voyages. According to Magellan’s Voyage: A Narrative Account of the First Circumnavigation, written by one of his expedition scholars, these included encounters with singing, dancing, and unclothed Patagonian giants in South America.
As the tale goes, Magellan and his crew first spotted a giant dancing along the shore. Upon landing, the giants welcomed them with food and drink as a gesture of goodwill. The explorers were embraced by the tribe and reciprocated by gifting European items, including a mirror. The giants were initially terrified by their own reflections, perceiving themselves as monstrous. The Europeans reportedly stood only waist-high compared to the towering giants.
Magellan’s strategy involved exploiting the giants’ fascination with shiny objects to subdue and chain them, intending to transport them back to Europe. While this sounds almost absurd, it aligns with the typical behavior of European explorers encountering indigenous peoples. Tragically, the giants allegedly perished during the voyage.
A century later, Sir Francis Drake revisited the region and interacted with the locals. He debunked Magellan’s claims, stating that while the Patagonians were somewhat taller and stronger than Europeans, the rest of the story was fabricated—particularly the assertion that they averaged 3 meters (10 feet) in height. Whether Magellan exaggerated or encountered an unusually tall individual remains unclear, but the existence of such a race as he described is definitively false.
4. The 1909 Grand Canyon Hoax
The idea of ancient civilizations hidden beneath North America has long fascinated historians and anthropologists on the fringes of mainstream academia. In 1909, the Arizona Gazette published a story that appeared to validate these fantasies, backed by two seemingly credible researchers from the Smithsonian.
According to the report, the Smithsonian archaeologists had uncovered a city within a network of caves in a remote, uncharted part of the Grand Canyon. The city was said to contain artifacts suggesting a connection to ancient Egypt, potentially making it the oldest civilization in the United States. The article described a shrine with a cross-legged statue holding a lotus flower, a crypt housing mummified remains and urns, and walls adorned with hieroglyphics.
The article also explained why the site had remained undiscovered for so long: its entrance was located on a steep cliff in an isolated area.
The Smithsonian has consistently denied the existence of such a place or any related artifacts in the U.S. The absence of any documentation or records about the archaeologists mentioned in the article supports their stance. However, the story persists and has grown into a legend among pseudohistorians and conspiracy theorists, who believe the Smithsonian is hiding the truth. John Rhodes, a prominent conspiracy theorist, claims to know the location of the caves, which he says are under constant surveillance. Similarly, David Hatcher Childress insists the discovery is genuine and that powerful forces are suppressing the truth.
3. The Lost City Under Moberly, Missouri
If lost cities exist, they’re likely to be discovered in remote, unexplored areas. Missouri doesn’t fit that description, yet in 1884, the town of Moberly claimed to have uncovered an astonishing underground city while digging a new coal mine.
As the story goes, Tim Collins was overseeing a mining operation initially searching for coal (and later black diamonds). Despite digging deeper without success, Collins persisted. Eventually, they broke into a massive underground chamber, described as a “vast cavern of indescribable and awe-inspiring wonders.” The chambers showed signs of human construction, with stone benches, tools, and idols. Further exploration revealed a massive human skeleton near a stone fountain in what appeared to be a wide street. The skeleton’s femur alone measured 1.4 meters (4.5 ft), and its overall size was three times that of an average human, making it impossible to remove.
The tale spread rapidly in the 19th century, featured in newspapers nationwide. While clearly fabricated, the inclusion of real details—such as Tim Collins and his coal mine—lent it some credibility. In 1905, the same newspaper retracted the story, admitting it was a hoax. For most locals, however, the legend was profitable, attracting tourists who otherwise wouldn’t have visited Moberly, Missouri.
The only person truly exasperated by the ordeal was Tim Collins himself. He grew so tired of visitors seeking a glimpse of the ancient city and its treasures that he eventually posted a sign on his property: “No burryied sity lunaticks aloud on these premises.”
2. Fawcett’s Brazilian Idol
We’ve previously discussed Colonel Percy Fawcett and his quest for the lost city of Z. He didn’t invent the idea of a hidden city in South America’s wilderness, and the story’s evolution is as intriguing as his ill-fated expedition to locate it.
Fawcett’s belief in the lost city was fueled by a 25-centimeter (10-inch) basalt figurine given to him by author H. Rider Haggard. Haggard, known for writing tales that align with ancient astronaut theories, claimed to have acquired the enigmatic artifact in Brazil but couldn’t decipher its origins. He insisted it was both genuine and ancient.
After obtaining the idol, Fawcett consulted numerous experts, including those at the British Museum, but their analyses left him unconvinced. Turning to psychic mediums, one claimed the idol was linked to an advanced civilization that once thrived on a continent between South America and Africa, predating ancient Egypt. This civilization was allegedly destroyed by a volcanic eruption. Another psychic suggested the idol had belonged to a high priest, passed down through generations with strict instructions to only be entrusted to appointed priests.
The idol depicted a bearded man holding a tablet, with engravings that matched no known language or script. Despite its improbability, the idol and its mysterious aura convinced Fawcett that the lost civilization was real, driving his determination to find it.
1. Vilcabamba
Vilcabamba is a genuine and stunning location nestled in the Ecuadorian Andes. In the 1970s, it became the focus of a study exploring the link between heart disease and dietary habits. Researchers reportedly uncovered more than expected: the villagers not only exhibited low cholesterol and minimal heart disease but also included nine individuals over 100 years old among its 819 residents. At the time, the U.S. had only about three centenarians per 100,000 people. Some villagers even claimed to be 140 or older, supported by birth certificates and records.
Unsurprisingly, news of the villagers’ remarkable longevity spread, earning the village a reputation as an earthly paradise. Numerous books were written about Vilcabamba, celebrating its residents’ harmonious, nature-centric lifestyle. They farmed, hiked, wrote poetry, and maintained an active way of life.
Unsurprisingly, skepticism arose. When Harvard Medical School visited, they documented a villager claiming to be 122 years old. Returning three years later, he declared his age as 134. Further scrutiny revealed a starkly different reality: no one in the village was actually over 100. This discrepancy stemmed from a cultural tradition where elders, revered in the community, inflated their ages to elevate their status. When researchers initially arrived, they accepted these claims at face value. As for the birth records, the common practice of reusing names across generations added to the confusion.
Despite the revelations, the myth of Vilcabamba’s mystical allure persists. Even today, people flock to the village seeking the secret to longevity, only to leave disappointed.
