The Great Moon Hoax of 1835
The human capacity for belief, even in the face of outlandish claims, is a curious and often exploited phenomenon. History is replete with examples of elaborate deceptions that captivated the public imagination, and few stand out as vividly as The Great Moon Hoax of 1835. This elaborate fabrication, spun from the fertile mind of a New York journalist, managed to convince a significant portion of the American populace that life had been discovered on the moon, complete with bat-winged humanoids and magnificent sapphire temples.
The genesis of this audacious scheme lies in the competitive world of 19th-century journalism. Benjamin Day, a shrewd publisher and the founder of The Sun, a New York newspaper striving to establish itself as a reputable source of news (akin to the New York Times or the Herald Tribune of today), recognized the potential for sensational stories to boost readership and, consequently, profits. Day’s ambition led him to Richard Adams Locke, a writer who, according to the Museum of Hoaxes, presented himself as a Cambridge-educated reporter. Locke was then employed by another penny paper, covering a high-profile trial. Day saw an opportunity and offered Locke a chance to write for The Sun, with the stipulation that Locke’s name would not be directly associated with the articles due to his existing employment.
Locke’s coverage of the trial proved immensely popular, so much so that Day compiled the articles into a pamphlet that sold thousands of copies. Recognizing the potential of long-form, serialized stories, Day sought to secure Locke’s talents more permanently. He hired Locke as a co-editor of The Sun, setting the stage for what would become one of the most memorable media hoaxes in history. Almost immediately upon joining The Sun, Locke proposed a series of articles detailing an astronomical discovery of life on the moon, disguised as satire.
On August 25, 1835, The Sun unleashed the first installment of a six-part series titled "Great Astronomical Discoveries Lately Made by Sir John Herschel, L.L.D.F.R.S.&c, At the Cape of Good Hope [From Supplement to the Edinburgh Journal of Science]." Sir John Herschel was a real and highly respected British astronomer, the son of William Herschel, who discovered Uranus. The article cleverly began with a plausible account of Herschel’s astronomical pursuits at the Cape of Good Hope, including the use of a revolutionary new telescope. It described his supposed discoveries of planets in other solar systems and vast nebulae. It also declared that Herschel had supposedly solved or corrected nearly every leading problem of mathematical astronomy. Only then, almost as an aside, did the article drop the bombshell: Herschel had discovered life on the moon. Unsurprisingly, Herschel was completely unaware of this supposed work, and the announcement ignited a firestorm of excitement across America and Europe. The narrative of The Great Moon Hoax of 1835 had begun.
The articles, ostensibly reprinted from a supplement to the Edinburgh Journal of Science, added an air of authenticity. The story centered around Herschel’s creation of an incredibly powerful telescope, capable of magnifying objects to such an extent that even insects on the lunar surface could be observed. From this premise, the narrative spiraled into a fantastical account of the lunar landscape, replete with descriptions of trees, oceans, beaches, and various forms of animal life, including bison and goats. The most captivating element of the hoax, however, was the description of bat-like winged humanoids, referred to as Vespertilio-homo, who were said to inhabit the moon and construct magnificent temples of sapphire. To further lend credence to the story, the articles were attributed to a fictitious Dr. Andrew Grant, purportedly a former student of Sir William Herschel and now the traveling companion of John Herschel. It was written that Grant was writing the series in conjunction with a more scientific account submitted by Herschel to the Royal Society. The details were meticulously crafted to create a believable, if extraordinary, narrative. The appeal of The Great Moon Hoax of 1835 was undeniable.
The story spread rapidly, fueled by the credulity of the public and the willingness of other newspapers and magazines to report on the sensational claims. The Sun capitalized on the frenzy, quickly publishing the series as a pamphlet, complete with lithographic prints depicting the imagined lunar landscapes and its inhabitants. These illustrations, commissioned from Wall Street lithographers Norris & Baker, further enhanced the illusion of reality. The pamphlet sold an estimated 60,000 copies, a phenomenal number for the time, although only a handful of these original pamphlets survive today as valuable collector’s items. The profitability of The Great Moon Hoax of 1835 was evident.
While skepticism existed within the media, contemporary accounts suggest that a large segment of the public initially accepted the claims of life on the moon as factual. This belief was, however, short-lived. As more credible newspapers began to scrutinize the articles and question their veracity, the hoax began to unravel. Despite being exposed, The Sun remained unrepentant, even portraying the deception as a clever joke. The newspaper continued to thrive, demonstrating the power of sensationalism and the public’s appetite for the extraordinary, until its eventual closure in 1950.
The authorship of The Great Moon Hoax of 1835 has been a subject of debate, although Richard Adams Locke is widely considered to be the primary author. Locke initially denied any involvement in the series. His claims of attending Cambridge were also false. About a year later, in 1836, Locke left The Sun and began working at New Era, another penny paper. He added "Author of the Moon Hoax" to his byline shortly after joining the publication. He later claimed that the lunar narrative was intended as a satire on the unchecked influence of religion on science, a justification that has been debated by historians.
Locke left journalism in 1842 for a job with the Customs Service. He died in 1871, and his obituary ran on the front page of The Sun, which stated in part: "Richard Adams Locke died on Staten Island on Thursday, in his 71st year. Mr. Locke was the author of the ‘Moon Hoax,’ the most successful scientific joke ever published, which originally appeared in The Sun. The story was told with a minuteness of detail and dexterous use of technical phrases that not only imposed upon the ordinary reader but deceived and puzzled men of science to an astonishing degree."
The Great Moon Hoax of 1835 stands as a testament to the power of narrative, the allure of the extraordinary, and the enduring human capacity for belief, even in the face of the implausible. It is a reminder of the importance of critical thinking and the need to question even the most compelling stories.