5 Unbelievable Historical Hoaxes That People Actually Believed

The Feejee Mermaid

Also known as the Fiji Mermaid, this has been an extremely long-lasting hoax. A creation born of myths and fairy tales from around the world, the promise of a mermaid sighting has lured many a customer to view these fictional creatures. Inaccurate scientific drawings of animals were very common before the advent of photography so its no wonder that this particular hoax came about during a time of poor documentation. Records exist of European mermaid displays dating back to the 1700s, but it wasn’t until an enterprising American had “proof” that this hoax made headlines.

As part of a long tradition in Japan, mermaids figures were skillfully created for religious and display purposes. In 1822 a fisherman named Samuel Barrett Eades bought a traditional Japanese “mermaid” at great expense, hoping to exhibit the specimen and get rich. While Eades did exhibit the mermaid, he did not find his fortune and after his death his son sold it to Moses Kimball who in turn leased it to P.T. Barnum.

Barnum hired a “scientist” to play the part of the astounded discoverer and in 1842 the story was hyped in newspapersas an amazing sight to behold. Barnum, ever the entrepreneur, played the public well, releasing idealized images of the traditional European mermaid to the press. What people saw when the exhibit opened in New York, however, was anything but beautiful. Crowds observed a small, desiccated corpse, a grotesque and unusual marriage of fantasy and taxidermy.

There are many incarnations of this fabricated sea creature, some have a wooden body or even a preserved monkey as the top half of the mermaid. Reproductions in this style are still being made today. It’s hard to believe that a cobbled-together taxidermy could be mistaken for an actual specimen, but it was the great hope of seeing a myth come to life that allowed Barnum to sell so many tickets. Though the Barnum’s original is thought to have eventually been destroyed in a museum fire, the Feejee Mermaid was on exhibit for almost two decades after her first U.S. appearance.

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