IN 1835 there was life on the moon, or so people were led to believe. Hoaxed by New York paper The Sun on 鈥渞ecent discoveries鈥� by astronomer John Herschel, many Americans eagerly imagined lunar herds of zebra, unicorns and man-bats. Goodman strips away layers of deception by journalist Richard Adams Locke to fully reveal what was hailed as the era鈥檚 鈥渕ost stupendous scientific imposition upon the public鈥�. Theological debates over extraterrestrial life, sensationalism and new technology, he says, met within a writer so pioneering in his science fiction that even Edgar Allan Poe declared him a genius.
Read about seven of the 鈥榖est鈥� scientific hoaxes
The Sun and the Moon
Basic Books