Buzz
Throughout history, countless individuals have fallen victim to cunning tricksters and pranksters. Whether driven by gullibility, preexisting beliefs, or the desire for a better life, people remain susceptible to deception. Here are 10 more obscure hoaxes that have fooled many.
10. Clever Hans
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a remarkable horse named Clever Hans captivated the German public. His owner, Wilhelm von Osten, claimed the horse could solve complex intellectual tasks, including math problems. Despite earlier failed attempts with bears and cats, von Osten was convinced he could teach an animal mathematics. Clever Hans appeared to succeed, tapping out correct answers with his hoof to problems written on a chalkboard. Victory!
Not so fast. Carl Stumpf, a philosophy professor, initially confirmed the phenomenon as genuine. However, upon closer investigation with his student Oskar Pfungst, they uncovered the truth. Von Osten was unintentionally providing subtle physical cues that Clever Hans responded to. While von Osten may not have intended to deceive, the outcome was undeniably a hoax.
9. The Adventures of Sir John Mandeville
Penned by an anonymous writer in the 14th century, the book’s narrator identifies himself as John Mandeville, a knight from St. Albans. In 1322, Mandeville embarked on a grand adventure, traversing the Middle East, China, India, and eventually Mongolia, where he spent 15 months in the Great Khan’s army.
However, the existence of this enigmatic knight remains unverified. A physician named Jean de Bourgogne from Liège, Belgium, was once thought to be the author due to the medical references in the text, but this theory has been debunked. Mandeville’s tales include visits to fantastical locations like Prester John’s kingdom, the home of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, and an island populated by dog-headed humans. It’s unclear whether medieval readers believed these stories, but given the era’s credulity, it’s possible they did.
8. The Papal Bull of John V
John V, the final Count of Armagnac, was noted for his unattractive appearance, being short and stout. At 30, he remained unmarried, a rarity for nobles of his time. His lack of appeal wasn’t the only reason—John V was entangled in an incestuous affair with his sister, Isabella, renowned as one of France’s most beautiful women.
Following the birth of two children from their relationship, John V and Isabella vowed to end their affair. However, this promise was broken when a third child was born shortly after. The couple faced ex-communication by Pope Pius II, but a conveniently timed papal bull from his predecessor, Callixtus III, appeared to legitimize their union. This document was later exposed as a forgery, orchestrated by John V and a corrupt bishop, Antoine d’Alet. While d’Alet was exiled, John V’s punishment for incest was surprisingly lenient, reflecting the peculiar moral standards of medieval France.
7. The Miraculous Birth of Magdeleine d’Auvermont
Magdeleine d’Auvermont, a resident of 17th-century Grenoble, France, gave birth to a child named Emmanuel after being separated from her husband for four years. Accused of adultery, she claimed the child was conceived during a dream in which her husband appeared. A panel of mothers, midwives, and doctors supported her story, citing similar supernatural experiences. She was acquitted, and the child was deemed legitimate.
Months after the verdict, the Parliament of Paris declared the entire case a hoax. Suspicious details, such as the child’s name, the mother’s tale, and the timing of the verdict during Carnival, led them to conclude that the individuals involved were likely fictional.
6. De Situ Britanniae
In 1747, Charles Bertram, a 24-year-old Englishman, contacted a renowned antiquarian, claiming to have found an ancient manuscript titled De Situ Britanniae, along with a map allegedly created by a 14th-century monk compiling the works of a Roman general. Leading paleographers of the era authenticated the documents, and the manuscript was published a decade later, significantly influencing historians until the 19th century. The text was celebrated for its detailed account of Roman Britain, particularly Scotland, a region rarely documented in historical records.
By the late 1800s, Bernard Woodward, Windsor Castle’s librarian, disputed Bertram’s findings in a series of articles in Gentleman’s Magazine, questioning the manuscript’s authenticity. He argued that much of the content was either borrowed from other sources or fabricated. J.E.B. Mayor, Cambridge University’s librarian, further dismantled the claims with a comprehensive 90-page critique published two years later, ultimately exposing the work as a forgery.
5. Princess Caraboo
On April 3, 1817, a Gloucestershire family encountered an enigmatic visitor: a woman with dark hair, piercing eyes, and a turban. Speaking an unfamiliar language, later interpreted by a Portuguese sailor, she introduced herself as Princess Caraboo from the island of Javasu. Initially arrested for vagrancy, she was released after her story gained attention. Samuel Worrall, a local magistrate, hosted her for 10 weeks, during which she swam nude, wore exotic attire, and worshipped a deity named Alla-Tallah.
Her true identity was eventually uncovered by Mrs. Neale, a boarding house owner, who identified her as Mary Baker, a cobbler’s daughter from Devonshire. To avoid scandal, the Worralls sent her to America, where she stayed for several years before returning to Europe to continue her deceptive schemes with little success. Her story, slightly dramatized, was adapted into a film in 1994, featuring Phoebe Cates as Princess Caraboo.
4. The Walum Olum
Constantine Rafinesque, a 19th-century polymath, made contributions to botany, zoology, and Mesoamerican linguistics. In 1836, he added prankster to his resume with The Walum Olum, a work he claimed was a translation of ancient pictographs chronicling the history of the Delaware Native American tribe.
Rafinesque asserted the pictographs were inscribed on birch bark strips, though no one else ever saw them. The text contained European-influenced elements, such as a male creator god, a cosmic struggle between good and evil, and a migration across an Asian land bridge. These inconsistencies hinted at the work’s fraudulent nature. However, it wasn’t conclusively debunked until 1996, when researcher David Oestreicher published a detailed exposé.
3. Henry Friend’s Electric Sugar
In 1884, Henry Friend, a self-styled professor, launched a company based on a secret method he claimed could refine sugar using electricity. He asserted that this process was faster and far cheaper than existing methods. Investors poured nearly $1 million into the venture, only to discover it was an elaborate scam.
The scheme unraveled a few years later when J. U. Robertson, the company’s treasurer, disclosed in a letter that W. H. Cotterill, the president, had visited the so-called factory and found raw sugar hidden in a secret room. The “refined” sugar was simply store-bought. Olive Friend, Henry’s widow, and her parents, who were complicit, were convicted on multiple charges and served jail time. Despite this, none of the stolen funds were recovered, and Olive and her mother continued living in the house built with the ill-gotten money.
2. Gordon Gordon
In the 19th century, railroad magnate Jay Gould fell victim to a British fraudster named Lord Gordon Gordon. Gordon first surfaced in 1868, duping investors into funding his estate lease by claiming he was about to inherit a fortune. After fleeing to America, he convinced Gould he owned 60,000 shares of Erie Railroad, a rival company Gould sought to control. (Erie Railroad was central to the Erie War, a fierce rivalry among financiers like Gould and Cornelius Vanderbilt.)
Gordon swindled $1 million from Gould for the fake shares before escaping to Canada. Bounty hunters, hired by Gould or his bondsmen, tried to kidnap Gordon and return him to the U.S. but were arrested near the border for illegal entry. After their release, Gordon’s past caught up with him, and he faced extradition to Britain. To avoid punishment, he took his own life.
1. William Mumler’s Spirit Photography
During the mid-19th century, as photography gained popularity, William Mumler exploited a technical flaw in early cameras. By double-exposing photographic plates, he created images that appeared to show ghosts alongside the living. The American Civil War’s heavy casualties made his services highly sought after, as grieving families sought connections with lost loved ones.
The scam was uncovered when Joseph H. Tooker, using a fake identity, visited Mumler and received a photo featuring a supposed ghost of his father-in-law. Tooker, who didn’t recognize the man, exposed the fraud, leading to a fraud trial. Witnesses included P.T. Barnum, who supported the defense by hiring photographer Abraham Bogardus to replicate the ghostly images. Though acquitted, Mumler’s reputation was ruined, and his work discredited.
