About the Museum
The Museum of Hoaxes is dedicated to promoting knowledge about hoaxes. (Click here for opening hours, etc.) On our blog we post about dubious- sounding claims, and whatever else strikes our fancy. The site is also home to the Hoaxipedia (the museum's online encyclopedia of hoaxes), and the Hoax Forum.

The museum was created in 1997 by Alex Boese. He's assisted by a staff of deputy curators and docents. Alex is the author of three books, most recently Elephants on Acid: And Other Bizarre Experiments (which has nothing to do with hoaxes). Check out the list of the Top 20 Most Bizarre Experiments of All Time for a preview.



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REMOTE CONTROL FART MACHINE
The Brand New Fart Machine has “BoomBox” Technology, which allows more vibrant, natural sounding farts. Simply hide the little speaker, then from up to 100 feet away, press the included remote, and the hidden speaker lets out one of 15 disgusting fart sounds. Place under your co-workers desk, and let the laughter begin.


#90: Belgium Divides
The London Times reported in 1992 that formal negotiations were underway to divide Belgium in half. The Dutch-speaking north would join the Netherlands and the French-speaking south would join France. An editorial in the paper then lamented that, "The fun will go from that favorite parlor game: Name five famous Belgians." The report apparently fooled the British foreign office minister Tristan Garel-Jones who almost went on a TV interview prepared to discuss this "important" story. The Belgian embassy also received numerous calls from journalists and expatriate Belgians seeking to confirm the news. A rival paper later criticized the prank, declaring that, "The Times's effort could only be defined as funny if you find the very notion of Belgium hilarious."

Comments
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
Page 1 of 1 pages
I think you should restrict your use of that word to Serious Screenplays.
Posted by Big Fan  on  Mon Apr 04, 2005  at  08:45 AM
hey, name five famous belgiums! cool hmm
Posted by Adriana  on  Tue Apr 12, 2005  at  12:11 PM
Belgium is pretty hilarious.
Posted by OneTrunks  in  USA  on  Mon Oct 10, 2005  at  02:17 PM
The only one I can think of is Hercule Poirot. He's real to me, but otherwise exists only in the world of mystery novels written by Dame Agatha Christie. His personality counts for all five.
Posted by readsomebooks  in  Alaksa  on  Thu Mar 30, 2006  at  06:04 PM
It's bad enough to require that the Belgians are both nonficticious and truly well known; if they have to be alive also, the game is nearly impossible. Hercule Poirot was the figment of Agatha Christie's imagination. Likewise, Tintin and Snowy don't count either, but their creator does: Herge ( pen name of Remi Georges). The only ones we can come up with tht are still among us are are Jean Claude Van Damme and Liz Claiborne. (Cheating by visiting famousbelgians.net gives a list of 259 names, mostly, uh, who?) Hooverphonic could count, but we don't know the names of the band members. Famous dead Belgians: Magritte, Audrey Hepburn, Soeur Sourire (the singing nun). There, *6* Belgians known to most everyone.
Posted by chuck delwiche  on  Sat Apr 01, 2006  at  08:48 AM
isn't Jean Claude Van-Damme from Belgium? blank stare
Posted by Marvin Alentz  in  new york  on  Sat Apr 01, 2006  at  10:35 PM
It's funny because it's (almost) true. Check out the Economist Cities Guide for Brussels: http://www.economist.com/cities/findStory.cfm?city_id=BRU&folder=Facts-Figures
Posted by Gabriel  in  Washington, DC  on  Sun Apr 02, 2006  at  10:51 AM
42
Posted by zaphod beeblebrox  on  Sun Apr 02, 2006  at  01:24 PM
"The Times's effort could only be defined as funny if you find the very notion of Belgium hilarious."
...
But that's the point... everyone finds the very notion of Belgium hilarious. Especially us Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy fans.
Posted by Pericles  on  Mon Apr 10, 2006  at  02:47 PM
Visited famousbelgians.net. Hadn't heard of any of them besides Jean Claude VD and Audrey Hepburn--and who knows that they are Belgian anyway?!?! No disrespect to Belgians, but isn't it cheating to list the Kings of Belgium as being "famous?" Cause they are only famous if you live in Belgium. And maybe not even then, who knows?
Posted by Heather  in  USA  on  Thu May 11, 2006  at  06:35 AM
Remember, they're not French fries; they are BELGIUM FRIES!!
Posted by BruceWayne  in  Gotham City  on  Sun Dec 10, 2006  at  09:07 PM
Kim Clijsters
Justine Henin-Hardenne
Anyone ever heard of them?

Rubens, Van Dyck, Van Eyck brothers, Magritte, Ensor, ...
Posted by robert.wood  in  Hasselt, Belgium  on  Wed Dec 20, 2006  at  01:07 PM
Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxophone
Posted by tip  on  Sat Mar 31, 2007  at  05:28 AM
Indeed, there are not that much famous Belgians out there. And most of them are dead. But a short list: In music we have Jacques Brel, in sports we have Justine Henin (worlds current n° 1 in tennis), Kim Clijsters (tennis) and Tom Boonen (cycling) to name a few, in art there are many famous old painters: Breughel, Rubens, Magritte, Van Dyck, ... and there is Hergé (the creator of tintin). But unfortunately it's a very modest list.

... but there are some!
Posted by Tim Aerts  in  Belgium  on  Sun Apr 01, 2007  at  11:43 PM
"If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064471/
Posted by Attila  in  the desert  on  Mon Apr 02, 2007  at  01:52 AM
Give belgium to us! XD
Posted by Lisa  in  The Netherlands  on  Tue Apr 01, 2008  at  02:08 AM
uhh, but that has actually been an issue in Belgium a few months ago (2008).

Whoever came up with the joke must have had a gift.

btw, belgian olympic medal winners:
Etienne De Wilde,
Matthew Gilmore,
Filip Meirhaege,
Els Callens,
Dominique Van Roost and
Ann Simons.

(personally I live in the Netherlands)
Posted by thingypostmakerblabla  on  Wed Apr 16, 2008  at  02:36 PM
Page 1 of 1 pages

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