The Great Moon Hoax

AUG 25 1835

Beginning on 25 August 1835, the New York Sun ran six articles describing life discovered on the Moon by the astronomer Sir John Herschel, including bison, unicorns, tailless beavers and bat-winged humanoids. The series was written by the reporter Richard Adams Locke, who did not publicly admit authorship until 1840. The Sun conceded the articles were fabricated on 16 September 1835 but never printed a formal retraction.