“The Great Moon Hoax” refers to a series of six articles that were published in The Sun, a New York newspaper, beginning on August 25, 1835, about the supposed discovery of life and even civilization on the Moon. The discoveries were falsely attributed to Sir John Herschel, perhaps the best-known astronomer of his time. The story was advertised on August 21, 1835, as an upcoming feature allegedly reprinted from The Edinburgh Courant. The first in a series of six was published four days later on August 25. The headline read: “GREAT ASTRONOMICAL DISCOVERIES, LATELY MADE BY SIR JOHN HERSCHEL, L.L.D. F.R.S. &c., At the Cape of Good Hope, [From Supplement to the Edinburgh Journal of Science]”. The articles described fantastic animals on the Moon, including bison, goats, unicorns, bipedal tail-less beavers, and bat-like winged humanoids (“Vespertilio-homo”) who built temples. There were trees, oceans and beaches. These discoveries were supposedly made with “an immense telescope of an entirely new principle.” The author of the narrative was ostensibly Dr. Andrew Grant, the traveling companion and amanuensis of Sir John Herschel, but Grant was fictitious. Eventually, the authors announced that the observations had been terminated by the destruction of the telescope, by means of the Sun causing the lens to act as a “burning glass,” setting fire to the observatory. Notes: The Great Moon Hoax of 1835″ is one of the best-known news hoaxes of all time.”
Appearance List 6 articles in The Sun (New York, August 25, 1835); The Great Moon Hoax of 1835 (1859); The Great Moon Hoax Was Simply a Sign of Its Time (July 2, 2015) [Smithsonian]; “The Great Moon Hoax” is published in the New York Sun (November 24, 2009) [History.com]; Print titled “Altre Scoperte Fatte Nella Luna” from [British Museum].
Description “The Great Moon Hoax” refers to a series of six articles that were published in The Sun, a New York newspaper, beginning on August 25, 1835, about the supposed discovery of life and even civilization on the Moon. The discoveries were falsely attributed to Sir John Herschel, perhaps the best-known astronomer of his time. The story was advertised on August 21, 1835, as an upcoming feature allegedly reprinted from The Edinburgh Courant. The first in a series of six was published four days later on August 25. The headline read: “GREAT ASTRONOMICAL DISCOVERIES, LATELY MADE BY SIR JOHN HERSCHEL, L.L.D. F.R.S. &c., At the Cape of Good Hope, [From Supplement to the Edinburgh Journal of Science]”. The articles described fantastic animals on the Moon, including bison, goats, unicorns, bipedal tail-less beavers, and bat-like winged humanoids (“Vespertilio-homo”) who built temples. There were trees, oceans and beaches. These discoveries were supposedly made with “an immense telescope of an entirely new principle.” The author of the narrative was ostensibly Dr. Andrew Grant, the traveling companion and amanuensis of Sir John Herschel, but Grant was fictitious. Eventually, the authors announced that the observations had been terminated by the destruction of the telescope, by means of the Sun causing the lens to act as a “burning glass,” setting fire to the observatory. Notes: The Great Moon Hoax of 1835″ is one of the best-known news hoaxes of all time.”
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