A Colossal Hoax

Download or read book A Colossal Hoax written by Scott Tribble and published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. This book was released on 2008-12-16 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In October 1869, as America stood on the brink of becoming a thoroughly modern nation, workers unearthed what appeared to be a petrified ten-foot giant on a remote farm in upstate New York. The discovery caused a sensation. Over the next several months, newspapers devoted daily headlines to the story and tens of thousands of Americans—including Oliver Wendell Holmes, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and the great showman P. T. Barnum—flocked to see the giant on exhibition. In the colossus, many saw evidence that their continent, and the tiny hamlet of Cardiff, had ties to Biblical history. American science also weighed in on the discovery, and in doing so revealed its own growing pains, including the shortcomings of traditional education, the weaknesses of archaeological methodology, as well as the vexing presence of amateurs and charlatans within its ranks. A national debate ensued over the giant's origins, and was played out in the daily press. Ultimately, the discovery proved to be an elaborate hoax. Still, the story of the Cardiff Giant reveals many things about America in the post-Civil War years. After four years of destruction on an unimagined scale, Americans had increasingly turned their attention to the renewal of progress. But the story of the Cardiff Giant seemed to shed light on a complicated, mysterious past, and for a time scientists, clergymen, newspaper editors, and ordinary Americans struggled to make sense of it. Hucksters, of course, did their best to take advantage of it. The Cardiff Giant was one of the leading questions of the day, and how citizens answered it said much about Americans in 1869 as well as about America more generally.

Download or read book The Giant and How He Humbugged America written by Jim Murphy and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2013-02-01 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When a 10-foot tall purported "petrified man" is unearthed from a backyard in upstate New York in 1869, the discovery immediately turns into a spectacle of epic proportions. News of the giant spreads like wildfire, and well over a thousand people come to view him in the first five days alone!Everyone has their own idea of his true origin: Is he an ancient member of the local Onandaga Indian tribe? Is he a biblical giant like Goliath? Soon the interests of world-renowned scientists and people from around the globe are piqued as arguments flare over who he is, where he came from, and if he is real--or just a hoax. In a riveting account of how the Cardiff Giant mystery snowballed into one of America’s biggest money-making spectacles--and scams--Jim Murphy masterfully explores the power of 19th-century media and the unexpected ripple effect that a single corrupt mastermind can produce when given a stage.

Download or read book Encyclopedia of Deception written by Timothy R. Levine and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 2014-02-20 with total page 1094 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Encyclopedia of Deception examines lying from multiple perspectives drawn from the disciplines of social psychology, sociology, history, business, political science, cultural anthropology, moral philosophy, theology, law, family studies, evolutionary biology, philosophy, and more. From the “little white lie,” to lying on a resume, to the grandiose lies of presidents, this two-volume reference explores the phenomenon of lying in a multidisciplinary context to elucidate this common aspect of our daily lives. Not only a cultural phenomenon historically, lying is a frequent occurrence in our everyday lives. Research shows that we are likely to lie or intentionally deceive others several times a day or in one out of every four conversations that lasts more than 10 minutes. Key Features: More than 360 authored by key figures in the field are organized A-to-Z in two volumes, which are available in both print and electronic formats. Entries are written in a clear and accessible style that invites readers to explore and reflect on the use of lying and self-deception. Each article concludes with cross references to related entries and further readings. This academic, multi-author reference work will serve as a general, non-technical resource for students and researchers within social and behavioral science programs who seek to better understand the historical role of lying and how it is employed in modern society.

Download or read book The Mound Builder Myth written by Jason Colavito and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2020-02-20 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Say you found that a few dozen people, operating at the highest levels of society, conspired to create a false ancient history of the American continent to promote a religious, white-supremacist agenda in the service of supposedly patriotic ideals. Would you call it fake news? In nineteenth-century America, this was in fact a powerful truth that shaped Manifest Destiny. The Mound Builder Myth is the first book to chronicle the attempt to recast the Native American burial mounds as the work of a lost white race of “true” native Americans. Thomas Jefferson’s pioneering archaeology concluded that the earthen mounds were the work of Native Americans. In the 1894 report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, Cyrus Thomas concurred, drawing on two decades of research. But in the century in between, the lie took hold, with Presidents Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, and Abraham Lincoln adding their approval and the Mormon Church among those benefiting. Jason Colavito traces this monumental deception from the farthest reaches of the frontier to the halls of Congress, mapping a century-long conspiracy to fabricate and promote a false ancient history—and enumerating its devastating consequences for contemporary Native people. Built upon primary sources and first-person accounts, the story that The Mound Builder Myth tells is a forgotten chapter of American history—but one that reads like the Da Vinci Code as it plays out at the upper reaches of government, religion, and science. And as far-fetched as it now might seem that a lost white race once ruled prehistoric America, the damage done by this “ancient” myth has clear echoes in today’s arguments over white nationalism, multiculturalism, “alternative facts,” and the role of science and the control of knowledge in public life.

Download or read book The Portal of the Beast written by J. A. Hailey and published by Indiependent Publishing. This book was released on 2024-09-28 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THEIR WORLD HAS BEEN STOLEN! But the virtuals have no idea of what exactly has been done. To find out, Esmeralda, BC and Caesar undertake a mission in the human world - carrying weapons with License To Kill! Despite being desperately concerned for the safety of Sabine and Louis, who have argued their way into this extremely dangerous mission, the virtual operatives have no option but to penetrate the King’s palace in the desert, to get to the bottom of the mystery regarding Sagan and Gales, the human duo inducted into Screenside, and now missing without trace. The plan is a bit complex, as Caesar and his girlfriend, Rosa, move separately, with intent to kidnap and forcibly implant a microchip into a security colonel’s head, to possess him for cover to enter the heavily-guarded palace. These virtual-operated humans now have warrior installs that make them more capable and more dangerous than any human on earth! While they don’t give a damn for the colonel, whose body Caesar will use, their fear is for the safety of Sabine and Louis, in whom Esmeralda and BC move physically, because the humans can die if shot or caught. This is an action-packed adventure, in which three virtuals go deep into danger, fighting and killing their way through to unravel the plot. And it is terrible news. A group of extremely vile humans has acquired eternal life in an isolated and well-protected system. The question is this. How powerful can they become, and which world is going to be their target - the virtual one or the physical one? Or is it going to be both?

Download or read book The Ethical Journalist written by Gene Foreman and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-06-29 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new edition of a well-regarded, student-friendly textbook for journalism ethics has been extensively revised and updated to meet the needs of the 21st century journalist working in the digital age. Educates aspiring journalists on ethical decision-making, with coverage of key applied issues such as the principles of fairness and accuracy, the duty of verification, the role of social media, the problems of plagiarism, fabrication, and conflicts of interest, business issues that affect journalism ethics, and questions relating to source relationships, privacy, and deception in reporting Includes extensive revisions to the majority of chapters, as well as six new “Point of View” essays, eight new case studies, and a full glossary Brings together the authoritative, engaging voice of a veteran journalist, the viewpoints of distinguished scholars and print, broadcast, and digital practitioners, and insights from complex, real-world case studies Supplemented by an annually updated companion website with resources for teachers and students, including: links to current articles discussing the subjects covered in each of the book’s chapters, and a teachers’ guide that offers sample syllabi, discussion guides, PowerPoint slides, sample quiz and exam questions, and links to audiovisual material

Download or read book Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology written by Kenneth L. Feder and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2010-10-11 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a fascinating, encyclopedic antidote for the mysticism and pseudoscience surrounding well-known or highly publicized archaeological and anthropological "discoveries." Archaeology attempts to answer the question "where do we come from?" in the broadest sense possible; as a result, it is a highly interesting topic for all mankind. When did human beings first walk the earth? How did civilization develop? What compelled our human ancestors to build things like the pyramids, the Great Sphinx, or Monk's Mound? This book presents the widely unknown scientific facts behind the most popular and enthralling "mysteries" of our world from an expert archaeological perspective—and lays out the information and research in a manner that is approachable, engaging, and entertaining for any reader. Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology: From Atlantis to the Walam Olum contains detailed and highly descriptive definitions for—and explanations of—terms related to extraordinary claims about human antiquity and its study. Some of the terms in this extensive list of topics relate to archaeological hoaxes. Many of the entries relate to dubious interpretations of the human past; some of the terms relate to far-fetched arguments that actually have produced evidence in support of their veracity.