The Great Moon Hoax, as it has become known, was published in the New York Sun over several days in the summer of 1835. A series of 6 articles went on 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 intended as satire rather than hoax. Richard Adams Locke, a well-educated recent British immigrant who wrote for the Sun, eventually came clean in a letter to another newspaper. Locke's target was the widespread and uncritical belief in extra-terrestrial life among men of science.
0 comment(s):
Post a Comment