10 known paranormal hoaxes

Some of the greatest mystifications in the history of mankind began with one small lie. Theories have the property of bursting like a soap bubble, if no one believes in them. Therefore, mystification exists thanks to trusting people. All of them tend to believe in the inexplicable, worship the otherworldly forces and go about their own fears. These 10 misconceptions will prove to you that one should never underestimate the human capacity for self-deception.

Sisters of Fox

On the night of March 31, April 1, 1848, 14-year-old Maggie Fox and her 11-year-old sister Kate told their parents about the recurring mysterious phenomena in the bedroom. Every night they allegedly heard a strange knock coming from the walls. According to them, this ghost of a man tried to contact them. The news spread like a forest fire in the north of New York State. So the Sisters of Fox laid the foundation for spiritualism and soon acquired a million followers.

Becoming adults, they earned by giving sessions in New York, only now the connection with the spirits evolved and included more complex tricks. However, the glory of the sisters killed Fox. Constant nervous breakdowns forced Maggie to publicly confess to hoaxes. And it all began as an innocent childish prank: deaf jerky knocking was made with the click of the joint of the big toe.

The Amityville Horror

This story is known to all fans of horror, and the phrase "Horror Amityville" has long been a household name. The truth is that in the autumn of 1974, 23-year-old Ronald Defoe quietly and methodically shot his parents and four brothers and sisters peacefully sleeping in their beds. During the interrogations, the criminal confessed that he had been ordered to make this a mysterious voice. In fact, the version with insanity was not confirmed.

A year after the murder, Lutz's family moved into this house: George, Kathy and three young children. For 28 days there were strange paranormal phenomena, poisoning the family life. At this time the house was visited repeatedly by priests, mediums and psychics, they all confirmed the existence of otherworldly forces and, probably, were in collusion with the Lutz family. Several bottles of wine stimulated the imagination of our heroes, and cooperation with the Californian writer helped generously monetize this mystification.

Autopsy

A false film about the dissection of an alien alleged to have fallen into the hands of a UFO crash near Roswell, New Mexico, appeared on the Fox television in 1995 and predictably collected huge ratings. It was made by Ray Santili with his friends in London. But TV viewers and physicians quickly discovered a bunch of blunders, including many historical mismatches, the unprofessionalism of "pathologists" and the artificial nature of the alien body. All this smacked of cheap horror and was quickly withdrawn from the air. In 2006, the author confessed to forgery.

Photo of the Loch Ness Monster

The legend of the monster that inhabits the Loch Ness since the Jurassic period has been inhabited for more than 1500 years. Hunting for a picture of "Nessie" reached its apogee in the 30s of the 20th century. The most famous proof of the existence of a monster is the vague image produced by the surgeon Kenneth Wilson. In fact, the neck and head of the creature was a model built on the basis of a toy submarine by a local hunter and his son.

Time traveler

In the 70s, the legend of the time traveler Rudolf Fentz suddenly appeared in America, which appeared on the street in New York in 1950 straight from 1876. A man from the last century was confused and immediately fell under the wheels of a car. In fact, all the people and events of this "real" story were taken from the little-known story of Jack Finney.

Crop Circles

In the 70's and 80's, such intricate circles formed by lean plants, in large numbers began to observe the inhabitants of the south of Britain. However, these were not traces of extraterrestrials and not the effects of micromixer effects. In 1991, David Chorley and Douglas Bauer confessed in the creation of intricate patterns.

Fijian mermaid

In the 19th century, the so-called popular exhibits at street exhibitions were called. This object was given for the mummified body of a Fijian mermaid, or sea maiden. The counterfeit mummy was made as follows: the trunk of an immature monkey was fastened with the tail of a large fish and covered with papier-mache.

Witch of Salem

The inhabitants of Salem, founded by the Puritans of New England, began a real panic when the daughter and niece of the Reverend Pastor Samuel Parris were struck by a mysterious disease. The ailment caused convulsions and hysterical cries. In the 17th century, the people had strong faith in the devil and demonic forces. As a result, the witch-hunt and the famous lawsuit killed 19 women, another 200 were sent to prison. This was nothing more than a conspiracy of girls who repeated the same "symptoms" for the pastor's relatives.

Shroud of Turin

Many believers praise the Turin Shroud as a fabric, in which Jesus Christ was removed from the cross before he ascended to the heavens. Radiocarbon analysis, conducted by Italian researchers in 2014, showed that it was the "work" of a powerful earthquake. Radiation not only imprinted the image of Christ, but also changed the molecular structure of tissue fibers.

The giant from Cardiff

Stone sculpture, which was presented to people as the remains of a three-meter giant, is one of the most famous hoaxes in history. The idea of its creation belonged to the atheist George Halou, who argued with the priest about the giants who inhabited the Earth in antiquity. Very soon the giant from Cardiff helped to put together his creator a fortune. Crowds of onlookers wanted to look at the "artifact" for only 50 cents.