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\\nIn 1835 the New York Sun announced that astronomers had discovered bat-winged humanoids on the moon, as well as reindeer, unicorns, bipedal beavers and temples made of sapphire. The fake news was reprinted around the world, impressing even P.T. Barnum; Edgar Allan Poe said that "not one person in ten" doubted the story. In this episode of the Futility Closet podcast we\'ll review the Great Moon Hoax, the first great sensation of the modern media age.
\\nWe\'ll also learn why Montana police needed a rabbi and puzzle over how a woman\'s new shoes end up killing her.
\\nSources for our segment on the Great Moon Hoax:
\\nMatthew Goodman, The Sun and the Moon, 2008.
\\nThe Museum of Hoaxes\\xa0has an excellent summary of the hoax and its significance in media history, including the text of all six articles.
\\nListener mail:
\\nLauren May, "Terrified Banstead Family Confronted by \'Dark Figure\' on Bypass,"\\xa0Epsom Guardian, Feb. 23, 2012.
\\nMichael Munro, "\'The Springer\' Leaps From WW2 Urban Legend to Anti-Fascist Superhero,"\\xa0io9, Sept. 3, 2014 (accessed Nov. 30, 2014).
\\nEric A. Stern, "Yes, Miky, There Are Rabbis in Montana,"\\xa0New York Times, Dec. 4, 2009.
\\n"Body of Boy Found as Snow Melts,"\\xa0The Hour, March 1, 1978.
\\nYou can listen using the player above, download this episode directly, or subscribe on iTunes\\xa0or via the RSS feed at http://feedpress.me/futilitycloset.
\\nMany thanks to Doug Ross\\xa0for the music in this episode.
\\nIf you have any questions or comments you can reach us at podcast@futilitycloset.com. Thanks for listening!
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