Site Map
Hoax Archive: Time Periods
Hoax Archive: Categories
“The Locals”—Humorous Media Hoaxes of the Late 19th Century
The creation of the penny press during the 1830s completely changed the character of the news business. The older six-penny papers had confined themselves to business and political news, but the penny papers discovered that there was a huge market for local news: stories about neighborhood crimes, police reports, social gossip, and human-interest items. As a result, by the 1860s almost every major paper had a reporter specifically assigned to local coverage.
Such reporters were referred to, logically enough, as the "local." The local had to be able to amuse and entertain readers even on days when there wasn't much news to report. This called for the skills of a humorist, so it's no coincidence that many of America's most well-known comedic writers during the nineteenth century got their start as locals, spicing up slow news days with humor, satire, tall tales, and hoaxes.
Three locals working on western papers proved to be particularly adept at their jobs (and particularly adept at hoaxes!). They were Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain), Charles Browne (aka Artemus Ward), and William Wright (aka Dan De Quille).
Such reporters were referred to, logically enough, as the "local." The local had to be able to amuse and entertain readers even on days when there wasn't much news to report. This called for the skills of a humorist, so it's no coincidence that many of America's most well-known comedic writers during the nineteenth century got their start as locals, spicing up slow news days with humor, satire, tall tales, and hoaxes.
Three locals working on western papers proved to be particularly adept at their jobs (and particularly adept at hoaxes!). They were Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain), Charles Browne (aka Artemus Ward), and William Wright (aka Dan De Quille).
Categories: Media Hoaxes, 1869-1913
sub-topics
Solar Armor, 1874 (July 2, 1874)
An article published in 1874 described a man who invented "solar armor." The armor, made of sponges wetted with a special mixture of chemicals, cooled the wearer through evaporation. Unfortunately, the armor worked too well and caused its inventor to freeze to death in the middle of a Nevada desert during the Summer. Accounts of this invention appeared in papers throughout America and Europe. However, the story was the satirical creation of Nevada writer Dan de Quille. More→
The Traveling Stones of Pahranagat Valley, 1867 (October 26, 1867)
Journalist Dan De Quille published an article in the Territorial Enterprise on October 26, 1867, describing some stones with a curious property. Whenever separated from each other, these stones, which he said had recently been discovered in Nevada's Pahranagat Valley, spontaneously moved back together. The article, written in a semi-scientific style, was a joke, but De Quille discovered that a lie once told cannot easily be untold. Years later, despite efforts to expose his own hoax, he was still receiving letters from people wanting to know more details about the traveling stones. More→
The Paulding County Hyena (February 6, 1858)
On February 6, 1858 the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that a ferocious hyena had broken loose from his cage and was at large in Paulding County. It had already been spotted attempting to dig up several graves in search of food, and it had killed a man who tried to capture it.Understandably, readers were concerned. But a few days later, a correction appeared in the paper. There was no hyena. "He is not there now, never was there, and, it is firmly believed, never will be again."
The hyena reporting and correction were the work of Charles F. Browne, a humorist who would later be better known as Artemus Ward. It is not recorded if he was reprimanded in any way for terrifying the readers of the Plain Dealer. More→
Empire City Massacre, 1863 (October 1863)
A news report that appeared in the Territorial Enterprise on October 28, 1863, detailed how advice to invest in San Francisco utilities had resulted in tragedy for one man. According to the story, this man, after losing all his money when his investment went bad, went insane and slaughtered his entire family except for his two young girls who miraculously survived. He then rode into town carrying the “reeking scalp” of his wife and collapsed dead in front of a saloon. The story caused a sensation and was widely reprinted. Readers were simultaneously horrified and captivated by the gruesome news. Almost no one thought that it might be false. But it was. It was the invention of a young reporter named Mark Twain. More→
The Petrified Man, 1862 (October 1862)
On October 4, 1862, Nevada's Territorial Enterprise reported that a petrified man had been found in nearby mountains. The body was said to be in a sitting posture, leaning against a mountainside to which it had become attached. The brief news report eventually appeared in newspapers throughout the world. However, it was pure fiction. It had been written by a young reporter, Samuel Clemens, who would later be better known as Mark Twain. More→
| More from the Hoax Museum Archives: | |||
Submit a Comment
Note: Comments by non-members are all checked by a moderator before appearing on the site. This may take a while.
All text Copyright © 2011 by Alex Boese, except where otherwise indicated. All rights reserved.