Introducing: Hoax!

Hi, This Day in History Class listeners! We're excited to share with you a sneak peek at iHeartPodcasts' latest release, Hoax!

Hoax!: Why do so many people believe things that aren’t true? In an era when claims of “fake news” come as naturally as breathing, and social media allows lies to spread and multiply like viruses, the question feels more relevant than ever. From the teenage girls who convinced Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that fairies were real in the 19th century to “Balloon boy” in 2009, Hoax! will explore the most audacious and ambitious tricks in history. Along the way, we’ll uncover the reasons people let themselves be fooled and how we can live our lives and engage with the media with a more critical eye. Co-hosted by Noble Blood’s Dana Schwartz and pop culture writer Lizzie Logan, we’ll bring you stories of pranks and grifts throughout history so big and bold they make us question why we believe what we believe in the first place.

 

Listen to Hoax! on the iHeartRadio App or wherever you get your podcasts!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
In nineteen twenty, a magazine article announced something incredible. Real
fairies had been photographed. Two young girls playing by the
creek near their house in Cottingley, England, had been surrounded
by fairies and had been able to snap pictures to
prove it. That magazine article announcing their discovery it was

(00:22):
written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
If you don't recognize his name, you probably know the
name of his most famous character, Sherlock Holmes. Yes, the
man who invented literature's most brilliant.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
Detective was fooled by.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Two girls into thinking fairies were real.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
The thing which you probably know is that fairies aren't real,
but Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wanted to believe they could be,
and so he found ways to dismiss all of the
logical ways the photos of the Cottingley fairies could have
been faked.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
History is filled with hoaxes, people coming up with scams
and tricks, sometimes for profit but sometimes just for fun.
In an era of misinformation, the ability to think critically
and to understand what's real and what isn't seems more
important than ever.

Speaker 1 (01:10):
Hoax is a new podcast for me Danish Warts The
creator of Noble Blood and me Lizzie Logan.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
Every episode, we'll explore one of the most audacious and
ambitious tricks in history, from the fake Shakespeare's to balloon boys,
all trying to answer the question why we believe what
we believe.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
The first episode of Hoax is available on August fourth.
Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
get your podcasts.