In 1835, a New York newspaper convinced thousands of readers that the moon teemed with bat-winged humanoids, walking beavers, and unicorns, creating the most successful media hoax in American history. For six extraordinary days, the impossible became accepted fact, revealing disturbing truths about what people desperately wanted to believe.
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IN THIS EPISODE: The summer of 1835 hung heavy over New York City. Just months earlier, race riots had torn through the streets, leaving buildings burned and communities shattered. The air still crackled with tension when a small newspaper called The Sun began printing what would become the most successful media deception in American history. For six days that August, a penny newspaper became the most-read publication in the world, convincing thousands that the moon teemed with unicorns, bipedal beavers, and winged humanoids who built temples to unknown gods.
SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…
The Great Moon Hoax of 1835: https://weirddarkness.com/1835-moon-hoax/
Did Stanley Kubrick Fake The Moon Landing: https://weirddarkness.com/?s=moon+landing
=====(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: August 25, 2025
EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/1835MoonHoax
#GreatMoonHoax #MoonHoax1835 #ManBats #VespertilioHomo #NewYorkSun #RichardAdamsLocke #SirJohnHerschel #NewspaperHoax #19thCenturyHoax #PennyPress #FakeNewsHistory #MoonCreatures #BikedalBeavers #LunarDiscoveries #MediaDeception #JournalismHistory #EdgarAllanPoe #PTBarnum #ValeOfTheTriads #ValleyOfTheUnicorn #TelescopeHoax #EdinburghJournalOfScience #HistoricalHoaxes #MediaHistory #1835History #AmericanHistory #VintageHoax #WeirdHistory #HistoricalDeception #NewspaperScandal
ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.
NOTE: Some of this content may have been created with assistance from AI tools, but it has been reviewed, edited, narrated, produced, and approved by Darren Marlar, creator and host of Weird Darkness — who, despite popular conspiracy theories, is NOT an AI voice.
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