Great Moon Hoax of 1835

1835 newspaper hoax perpetrated by The New York Sun that claimed astronomers had discovered life on the Moon, including bat-like humanoids and other fantastic creatures, through powerful new telescopes. The series of articles, written by reporter Richard Adams Locke, was presented as reprints from the Edinburgh Journal of Science and attributed to the real astronomer Sir John Herschel, who was then conducting legitimate astronomical observations at the Cape of Good Hope.

The hoax began with plausible accounts of Herschel’s telescope discoveries before gradually introducing increasingly fantastical claims about lunar life forms. Locke described forests, beaches, and elaborate civilizations on the Moon, complete with creatures he called “Vespertilio-homo” (bat-men) who lived in villages and appeared to have religious ceremonies. The articles were accompanied by detailed illustrations that added credibility to the fabricated observations.

The Sun’s circulation skyrocketed during the six-day series, making it temporarily the most widely read newspaper in the world. Many readers initially believed the reports, while others remained skeptical of the extraordinary claims. The hoax was eventually exposed when other newspapers attempted to verify the story and found no corresponding articles in the Edinburgh Journal of Science, which had actually ceased publication years earlier.

The Great Moon Hoax demonstrated the power of the press to shape public opinion and highlighted the public’s fascination with scientific discovery and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. It also established a template for media hoaxes that would be repeated throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, showing how fabricated scientific reports could capture public imagination and commercial success. The incident contributed to growing awareness of the need for verification in journalism and scientific reporting.