The Museum of Hoaxes

Did you know there’s a Museum of Hoaxes? I discovered it after Travel Channel revealed the top six most jaw-dropping Loch Ness Monster scandals of all time. Specifically, it had to do with one of Travel Channel’s hoax reveals about Nessie and the Nazi’s.

Nessie’s Part in World War II

Apparently, German High Command ordered bombs dropped into Loch Ness, hoping the death of Nessie would hurt British morale. The Italian magazine Popolo D’Italia reported that the creature was killed in a direct hit in a German bomb raid in 1940.

But on the flip side, British authorities told British prisoners of war that the Loch Ness monster was in good health to keep their spirits up throughout the war.

I wanted to know if the Germans had ever bombed Loch Ness. That was something we hadn’t heard when we jaunted to Scotland and Loch Ness.

I also wanted to know more about this hoax, and that’s how I discovered the Museum of Hoaxes.

The Museum

Source: hoaxes.org

Because it sums itself up so perfectly on its About page, I’ll share that:

The Museum of Hoaxes was established in 1997. It explores deception, mischief, and misinformation throughout history, playing host to a variety of humbugs and hoodwinks — from ancient fakery all the way up to modern schemes, dupes, and dodges that circulate online.

In addition to the About page in the menu, there’s also “Explore” and “Hoaxes in History” tabs, both with drop downs to direct to specific sections within the museum.

Under the Explore section you’ll find Hoax Photos, April Fool’s Day, Categories and a More link that will take you to all of the Hoaxes by Category listings.

Categories

You can’t have Loch Ness Monster hoaxes without ones about Bigfoot too, right? You’ll find it as a sub-category under the broader Cryptozoology one.

But let me ask you, what do you think of when you hear the word hoaxes?

I always think of the paranormal, but hoaxes aren’t limited to that are they? (The museum has a section on Paranormal Hoaxes, by the way, with subcategories for Crop Circles, Ghost Hoaxes and Predicting the Future.)

But it’s bigger than that. There are more hoaxes than I ever dreamed imaginable. Everything from Advertising and Architecture to Exploration and Travel, Literary Hoaxes, Television Hoaxes and lots (lots!) more in between.

How to Visit

Where is the Museum of Hoaxes located?

Keeping in the spirit of their focus, that’s a bit of a joke too. Here’s the info they shared under “Finding Us” on their About page:

We’re based in San Diego, California. If you’re in the downtown area, get on i-5 north and keep driving until you see a giant floating jackalope off to your right. You can’t miss it! If you reach LA, you’ve gone too far. Turn around and try again. Just remember that the giant floating jackalope will now be on your left-hand side.

But then it goes on to say:

We’re open to visitors 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Come visit us. We’ll be waiting for you!

So, to visit –anytime you want, day or night– jaunt on over to their website: http://hoaxes.org/.