August 25, 1835: the “Great Moon Hoax”

On this day in 1835, the New York Sun perpetrated the “Great Moon Hoax” – an attempt to convince readers that life existed on the moon.

The six-part series described various lifeforms on the moon, supposedly identified using a new type of telescope. Among these were bipedal beavers, who appear to be dancing at left in the image above.

Some of the discoveries were falsely attributed to astronomer John Herschel, who named seven moons of Saturn and four of Uranus. (His father, William Herschel, had discovered Uranus.)

The piece was purportedly put together by a reporter named Richard Adams Locke, who never confirmed his authorship. The Sun saw gains in its readership as a result, and never issued a retraction.

Image: frontispiece of Welsh edition (1836)