In 1869, swindler George Hull pitched a tent in upstate New York and charged people 50 cents to step right up and view the remains of a petrified giant.
The Cardiff Giant was supposedly the skeleton of an extinct human species. In reality, Hull had two sculptors carve a 10-foot-tall, realistic giant from stone. He made $56,000 (more than $1 million in today’s money) before his scam was debunked.
For decades, Hull boasted he had tricked the public into believing his giant was real. But he actually defrauded the public by taking their admissions fees.
Although the word “hoax” is often used to describe forgeries or frauds, swindlers’ scams can be serious. In many cases, these frauds are not only criminal but also misleading for scientists.
(Credit: davide bonaldo/Shutterstock)
davide bonaldo/Shutterstock
For historian Nick Wilding, the word “hoax” is too mild and implies a forgery was a silly prank, not ...
