November 8, 2022 – Millarville, Alberta
This lithograph appeared in a New York newspaper article in 1835. Readers were told that it was a depiction of life observed on the moon, and 90% of them believed it
The Sun, a New York daily newspaper, published a series of six articles in August 1835, falsely claiming that renowned astronomer Sir John Herschel, had discovered life on the moon. The articles described fantastic creatures and winged man-bats Herschel had purportedly viewed through a powerful telescope situated in South Africa.
Images of Lunarians going about their daily lives accompanied The Sun articles, captivating the public’s imagination.
The Sun circulation increased dramatically as people clamoured for details of life on the moon. Lunarian fever spread across America. Millions were victims of an editor’s elaborate hoax.
Religious groups began raising money, with the objective of sending bibles and missionaries to the moon, to convert a new flock.
For several days, The Sun found itself in the awkward position of having to perpetuate their lies to satisfy the public’s insatiable appetite for lunar news. They solved the problem by concocting another false story. The Sun told their audience that the South African lunar observatory had burned to the ground, making further reports impossible.
The Sun never did admit to the deception. New Yorkers continued to discuss the bogus story for months. Readership remained high as customers awaited further news.
Then, as now, people are willing, even eager, to accept false news no matter how mind-bogglingly absurd it might be. With information coming at us perpetually, from every direction, news sources are willing to publish almost anything to hold the public’s attention.
Publisher’s greed, in tandem with a public bias in favour of credulity, put bat-men on the moon in 1835. The same principals give us dangerous conspiracy theories, and Q-Anon today.
My hope is that the stalwart among us, who continue to use science and reason as guides to discerning truth, will continue to push back against the delusional mob and their dangerous fantasies.
There was a lunar eclipse early this morning. Astronomers predicted the event by means of celestial observation, mathematics, and physics. They correctly calculated that at precisely 3:59am MT, the moon would be fully eclipsed by the earth and would glow a faint red colour, a so-called “blood moon”.
Their predictions were correct and that to me is far more interesting than bat-men …
… riding unicorns on the moon.
A Blood Moon.
(Image stolen from Guy Cowan’s Facebook page, without permission, and without apology.)
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