“Life is hard; it’s harder if you’re stupid.”
— John Wayne
The Princess Bride Hoax: William Goldman’s Missing Reunion Scene
William Goldman invented an author, an entire literary history, and a missing reunion scene in The Princess Bride. Thousands of readers wrote to his publisher requesting it. The response became an even more elaborate practical joke.
How a Priest Named Ronald Knox Destroyed Big Ben on the Radio—and Accidentally Terrified Britain
In 1926, Catholic priest Ronald Knox announced on BBC radio that communist revolutionaries had destroyed Big Ben, demolished Parliament, and blown up the Savoy Hotel. Some listeners believed him, despite the broadcast being introduced as fiction. Twelve years before Orson Welles frightened Americans with Martians, a British priest accidentally demonstrated the extraordinary power of fake…
The Great Lafayette: The Magician Whose Greatest Trick Came After Death
In 1911, the Great Lafayette died in a devastating Edinburgh theater fire. Authorities identified his body, cremated it, and considered the matter settled. Then another corpse appeared wearing his distinctive rings. With a body double, a beloved dog, a real lion, and one extraordinarily unfortunate case of mistaken identity, the famous magician managed his strangest…
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