Five books on history’s most devious swindles, from Hitler’s diaries to Instagram scammers
, and have long been, a credulous bunch. In 1844 Edgar Allan Poe published an article in theabout a man who had flown across the Atlantic in a balloon. Two days later the newspaper fessed up , but not until its offices had been besieged by people wanting to know more. In 2009 a similarly inflated story—which caused American news networks to scramble their reporters— was released by a couple from Colorado who said that their six-year-old son was in a giant balloon soaring 7,000 feet into the air.
After the second world war some of Europe’s most distinguished families found themselves destitute. That is how Elmyr de Hory, a Hungarian aristocrat, ended up touring the galleries of America, selling works by Matisse, Modigliani, Picasso and Renoir. Or so he claimed. In fact de Hory had forged the pictures. His stories of life in Paris in the 1920s, and his personal relationships with some of the artists he faked, gave him an air of authenticity that helped him to fool the art world.
Modern techniques of image manipulation have turned the public into sceptics. But in the early 20th century seeing was believing. In 1917 two girls in Yorkshire, in northern England, borrowed a camera and went to play in the garden. When the pictures they took were developed, they showed the girls surrounded by small, sprite-like creatures. They became known as the Cottingley fairies, after the village in which the images were taken.
Arthur Conan Doyle appears in another of the 20th century’s murkiest hoaxes. In 1912, at a meeting of the Geological Society of London, Charles Dawson, an amateur archaeologist, presented fragments of a skull that he claimed was the missing evolutionary link between apes and humans. He found them in a gravel pit in Piltdown, in southern England. The jaw was almost indistinguishable from that of a chimpanzee.
Anna Sorokin is among the most charismatic of contemporary scammers. Ms Sorokin, who was born in Russia, created an alter ego in the form of Anna Delvey, a wealthy socialite. After moving to New York, between 2013 and 2017 she defrauded banks, hotels and people who thought they were her friends of hundreds of thousands of dollars. By convincing them that she was fabulously rich, she found it easy to get others to bankroll her lifestyle.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Five belly fat busting foods that boost calorie burning and reduce cravingsExcess belly fat can be hugely harming to your health, increasing the risk of various conditions including heart disease, diabetes and liver problems.
Read more »
Woman stranded in Australian bush for five days survives by drinking wineLillian Ip, 48, had set off on holiday and was driving through dense brushland when she hit a dead end and realised she had taken a wrong turn. But while trying to turn around her car became bogged in mud. With no mobile coverage, she was unable to call for help.
Read more »
Five things to know about keeping yourself protected in the sunThe vast majority of skin cancer cases are preventable
Read more »
'It's been an honour': Glasgow shop to close after five yearsA Glasgow shop is closing for good after five years.
Read more »
Woman stranded in Australian bush survives by drinking wine for five daysA woman who was lost and alone in the dense Australian bushland for five days survived on a bottle of wine and some lollipops 🍷 🍭
Read more »
Taylor Swift's ex Joe Alwyn has last laugh as he rakes in five-figure sumIT must have been hard for Brit actor Joe Alwyn to see Taylor Swift, his ex-lover of six years, move on with new man Matty Healy. But Joe will have the last laugh, as he is set to continue profitin…
Read more »