Poe's Balloon-Hoax in the New York Sun

APR 13 1844

On 13 April 1844 the New York Sun published Edgar Allan Poe's unsigned account of the balloonist Monck Mason crossing the Atlantic by gas balloon in seventy-five hours, complete with diagrams and technical specifications. The detail was convincing enough that crowds reportedly gathered at the Sun's offices for further news. The paper backed away from the story on 15 April, saying it had received no confirmation, while conceding such a voyage was not impossible.