Post Quiz - Real or Fake? (Two-Century Edition): Answers
Created | Updated Sep 10, 2017
Sifting 'news' is harder than it looks.
Real or Fake? (Two-Century Edition): Answers
The real problem with telling fact from fake is that reality so often is weirder than newspaper editors' imaginations. See if you agree. Here are the answers.
- British Officer Sends Bags of American Scalps to King George, Letter Intercepted – Bogus. Ben Franklin made it up as a satire in 1782, but it got circulated as real. (No, we're not getting any smarter.)
- Letter from an Officer of High Rank: We Have Totally Defeated Buonaparte's Army – Real. The Guardian had the scoop in 1815.
- Dewey Defeats Truman! – Bogus. The Chicago Tribune really fell down on the job in 1948.
- Kennedy Slain on Dallas Street – Real, unfortunately. The headline everywhere in 1963.
- Inhabitants of the Moon – Bogus. The New York Sun was having everyone on in 1835.
- Soviet Fires Earth Satellite into Space: It Is Circling the Earth at 18,000 MPH – Real. Scared the socks off Washington in 1957, and started the Space Race.
- Great Chinese Wall Doomed! China Seeks World Trade! – Bogus. This was a fun newspaper hoax in 1899.
- Nixon Plans Visit to China – Real. To everyone's surprise in 1971, except Kissinger's. (He brokered the deal.)
- NASA Warns Nibiru Is Heading for Earth! – Bogus. No, no, and no, say NASA experts in 2017.
- Comet Scientist Apologises for Offensive Shirt – Real. Alas, this was true in 2014. Rosetta landed on a comet, and all anybody could talk about was a nerd and his tacky shirt. When will we learn? If you want space progress, you have to put up with geeks.
Know any good headlines? Share them below.
