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80 10 Famous Paranormal Hoaxes

10 Famous Paranormal

Hoaxes

Continued from Page 78

A local doctor pronounced them "bewitched," or
cursed by a minion of the devil [source: Salem
Witch Museum].
Belief in the devil was strong in the 17th
century, and the community of Salem Village
was rattled by a recent smallpox epidemic and
attacks from Native American tribes. The
atmosphere bred a powerful need to blame the
community's troubles on supernatural causes.
The girls named their accused witches,
who were tried in a special court on the flimsiest
spectral evidence -- the alleged ability of the
accused to appear to the girls in spirit while their
physical bodies where elsewhere [source: results [source: Knapton]. How Lying Works
History.com]. Anything's possible.
Other young girls started exhibiting the
same "symptoms" and pointing fingers at their 01. The Cardiff Giant Lying doesn't necessarily spell moral
neighbors. During the spring and fall of 1692,
depravity. In fact, the behavior
150 citizens of Salem Village were thrown in jail Known as "America's Greatest Hoax," this 10- involves a tremendous amount of
on charges of witchcraft [source: Salem Witch foot (3-meter) tall stone statue of a "petrified"
Museum]. ancient giant made its 19th-century creator, creativity, mental agility and
By October, the governor of George Hull, a very rich man. perseverance to keep it going.
Massachusetts banned spectral evidence and Hull was a get-rich-quick schemer and a
disbanded the witchcraft court. Those still in jail proud atheist in a time of great religious fervor. by Tom Scheve
were released and pardoned, and financial After an argument with a revivalist preacher
compensation was given to the heirs of the over the existence of giants as mentioned in the When you're young, there's one lesson that gets
wrongly executed [source: History.com]. What book of Genesis, Hull conceived a devious plan hammered into you more often than others: Tell
was really behind the accusations is still a that would capitalize on the gullibility of the the truth. Tell the truth, you're told, and
mystery. public [source: Roadside America]. everything will be OK. Then why does Mom
In 1868, Hull hired a Chicago call her boss claiming to be sick when she's not,
02. The Shroud of Turin stonecutter to carve a massive hunk of gypsum and why does Dad say Mom's dress doesn't

in Hull's own likeness [source: The Farmers' make her look fat? The lesson didn't stick for
Many faithful believers exalt the Shroud of Museum]. Hull then "aged" the stone with a them when they were little, and it didn't stick
Turin as the very same "clean linen cloth" in sulfuric acid and convinced a farmer in Cardiff, with you or me, either.
which the crucified Jesus Christ was wrapped New York, to secretly bury it in his backyard. A Lying isn't a sign of moral depravity
before rising on the third day from his tomb. The year later, Hull had the farmer dig a well, (except when it is). Lying is a sign of cognitive
yellowed piece of cloth, roughly 14 feet by 4 instructing the workmen to dig exactly where advancement. It requires a fertile and high-
feet, (4 by 1 meters) bears the faint, but the stone giant was buried. functioning brain to take something as simple as
unmistakable imprint of a bearded man marked The unearthing of the Cardiff Giant the truth and twist it, palming off the deception
with wounds consistent with that of crucifixion caused a great sensation in upstate New York, on someone else with the earnestness of a
[sources: Thurston, Squires]. still a hotbed of spiritual excitement. choirboy.
The relic resides in the Cathedral of St. (Remember the Fox Sisters?) News of the
John the Baptist in Turin, Italy. But centuries of creature spread far and wide, inciting fierce The Basics of Lies
controversy have cast serious doubts on the debate over the artifact's authenticity. Hull
shroud's authenticity. fanned the fires of speculation, taking the giant The ability to lie is a cognitive accomplishment.
Catholic Church documents dating from on tour and charging 50 cents for a peek. Rumor While we look down on the practice from a
1389 show the presiding French bishop has it he made $30,000, a fortune in the 1860s moral and ethical point of view, lying isn't
petitioning the pope to put an end to the [source: Roadside America]. normally done without a pretty good motive.
"scandal" surrounding the shroud at Lirey, You can still see the Cardiff Giant at The Lies are told for some of the following reasons:
France [source: Thurston]. The object was well- Farmer's Museum in Cooperstown, New York.
known to be the work of a local artist, who • To conceal misdeeds and stay out of trouble.
created it not as a hoax, but as part of an Easter Author's Note: 10 Famous Paranormal Wrongdoings often can't be undone, and it's
celebration. Once displayed, the adoring crowds
Hoaxes rare that owning up to a misdeed will result
mistook it for the real thing, stained with the in a positive outcome (at least in the short
very sweat and blood of the Savior. The relic
It's easy to look back and laugh at the follies of term). These lies are told to avoid
passed through several hands before arriving in
our forebears, but much more difficult to responsibility and repercussions.
Turin in 1578 [source: Knapton].
examine our own embarrassing acts of self-
Carbon dating has never successfully • To preserve reputation. A recovering drug
deception. How quick are we to forward the
linked the fibers of the cloth to the time of addict may lie about time spent in a
amazing video of the one-winged plane making
Christ, although Italian scientists published a treatment facility, especially to a potential
a miraculous landing? And how slow are we to
new theory in 2014. Apparently, a powerful employer or romantic prospect. A lie like
recognize that the fromage-scented perfume
earthquake in 33 C.E. could have released
marketed by Cheetos is, in fact, an April Fool's this is told to avoid shame or
enough radioactive emissions to not only
joke? While only a single sucker was born every embarrassment.
imprint the image of Christ on the cloth, but alter
day back in the 19th century, the Internet can
the molecular structure of its fibers in such a
spawn a new sucker every millisecond. Good (Continued on Page 82)
way as to produce incorrect carbon dating
luck out there! []