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There was a time when people had to travel all around the world just to see what it looks like. This changed when the first camera was introduced, and people started taking pictures. Don't get me wrong, it is one of the most brilliant inventions ever, and it makes everyone's life much more colorful. I mean, just scroll through your Facebook or Instagram profile and imagine these apps without any photos. I know, it would be way too boring!
However, there is one problem with all the photographs around the world - people love to share fake photos. Most of the time it is only some sick joke; however, sometimes it might serve as a weapon of propaganda. One thing's for sure - most people still believe whatever they see on the internet (I know, it's crazy!), so internet trolls will never stop fooling us. And we all know what a little tool called Photoshop could do.
I bet that you’ve all experienced what it feels like to meet your Tinder date for the first time and realize their photos were completely fake (it's terrible, huh?). Let's just focus on the most iconic images throughout the history that fooled even the best of us! I must admit, I still fall for these cheap photos from time to time.
Giant Skeleton
This photo of the giant skeletons was a real revelation in the early 2000s. People from all over the world shared this unbelievable photo and said that giant humans who lived thousands of years ago were incredibly strong. "They were very tall, big and very powerful, and they could put their arms around a tree trunk and uproot it," reported the Hindu Voice monthly. The magazine also added "the discovery was made by National Geographic Team (India Division) with support from the Indian Army since the area comes under the jurisdiction of the Army." I still don't understand how people believed all this crap, but they did.
What was the motivation behind this picture? Well, expert David Mikkelson, said: "It wasn't probably any different than the motivation for engaging in a game of ringing someone's doorbell and running away—because it's an easy way to have a laugh at someone else's expense." Yes, never believe what you read on the internet.
Angolan Witch Spider
Well, I bet we are all happy to learn that this photo is fake! I mean, if it was real, I think I’d take a rocket to space and start my life somewhere on Mars or that new Galaxy with the planets that are like ours.
Originally, the man who shared this photo said that it is the largest subspecies of spiders, known as the Angolan witch spider. This creepy monster came to Texas from South America and ate dogs, cats, and other huge domestic animals. It took at least a couple of gun shots to kill this Angolan witch spider, so you can only imagine how powerful this insect was.
Anyway, people from Texas, have you ever seen one of these spiders in your neighborhood? Of course, you didn't unless you also want to spread the hoax of giant insects taking over the planet. I am glad to announce that it is a fake photo and the only place where we can see spiders like this one is in movies like Eight Legged Freaks.
The World's Largest Dog
I am sure you’ve seen Hercules, the world's largest dog, before. This dog became a viral sensation when his owner shared this picture, in which we can see how Hercules is walking next to a horse. Animal lovers from all over the world went crazy, and Hercules became the most famous dog on the internet in no time. Sadly, it was all based on lies. You see, Hercules was just an average-sized dog; however, his owner saw an opportunity to fool around with naive people and used Photoshop to make Hercules look like a freaking monster. I won't lie; I fell for this joke. I believed that Hercules was the world's largest dog up until today. If you are wondering, it broke my heart because I am an animal lover and I always wanted to meet Hercules.
There is also a cat version of Hercules, named Snowball. Snowball was also a sensation on the internet ten years ago, and you might want to Google her image because she looks hilarious.
Leo The Lion From MGM
Leo the Lion is one of the most iconic animals in history. He is the mascot for the Hollywood film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and I bet that you have seen this lion thousands of times before. However, have you ever wondered how they filmed Leo the lion roaring on-screen?
Well, this photo went viral a while ago. People claimed that it was taken on MGM's set, during the filming sequence with Leo the lion. A lot of activists went crazy and blamed MGM for cruel behavior with animals. However, I must assure you that it is all fake. As you can see on the right side of the photo, the lion was laying on the x-ray machine before his surgery. Some troll on the internet was smart enough to Photoshop the x-ray machine to look like the stand of MGM. As usual, people fell for this cheap trick.
Kilauea Mermaid
The Kilauea mermaid shocked everyone in the world. People believed in miracles for a moment. The original story stated that waves washed the mermaid up on a beach in Hawaii, and when locals found her, she was already dead. Of course, the guy who found the Kilauea mermaid sent her to a secret laboratory in Australia for further exploration.
While the world was waiting for any news about the dead mermaid, some smart people started their private investigation. They found out that it was not a real mermaid, but just a work of art created by Juan Cabana. Well, I must say that Juan totally fooled me and I mean it as a compliment. If I were a movie director, I would hire Juan Cabana right away.
The Simpsons Predicting Pokémon Go
Do you remember how fast Pokémon Go went viral in 2016? It was the biggest game, and people predicted that it would change the world in one way or another. Of course, all the hype ended in a couple of months and only the most passionate geeks still play Pokémon Go today.
However, during the hype of Pokémon Go, this photo started circulating over the internet. It first appeared on Reddit, where one user stated that The Simpsons predicted Pokémon Go long before the game came out. Of course, it went viral, and people lost their minds. Comments such as "Creators of The Simpsons are geniuses from the future," took over the internet again (remember when The Simpsons predicted Trump's victory?). Sadly, I must tell you that this photo is a hoax. There was only a left hand in the original photo from the episode "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation," and someone just used Photoshop to manipulate the right hand into the picture.
Seconds Before 9/11
9/11 is the biggest terrorist attack in the history of the US. So many different and controversial stories surround this tragic event, and there are even some people who believe the US government is responsible for 9/11. I know, it sounds crazy, so let's not dwell on it.
This photo appeared on the internet a few days after 9/11. The owner of this photo claimed that the guy in the picture was some accidental tourist, who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Strangely, people believed that the plane you see in the back of the photo was one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center. I know, it is crazy, especially when you realize that it was impossible for the camera to survive the crash. On top of that, there are like a million other mistakes in this photo. However, as I said — people believe everything that's on the internet.
Photo From Mars
Even though this photo is completely fake, it still looks spectacular. I would give a lot to experience this kind of beauty in real life.
Anyway, let's focus on the photo. When it first started circulating on the internet, people believed that NASA took the photo. Those three bright dots in the sky were supposed to be Earth, Venus, and Jupiter. Of course, it sounds romantic, and people totally fell for this lie. They started sharing this photo all over social media, and in no time the whole world knew how Earth looks from Mars. Sadly, many specialists analyzed this suspicious picture and found that it was indeed fake. If you zoom in this photo on the left down corner, you will see two letters "NE." Specialists explained that those letters indicate the use of planetarium software, which meant that it was not NASA who made the picture, but some random guy on the internet. What can I say? He fooled us all for a moment.
The Loch Ness Monster
Well, this is probably the most iconic fake photo ever. Robert Kenneth Wilson took this photo, and The Daily Mail published his "findings" in 1934, claiming that he had captured a monster swimming in the Loch Ness lake in Scotland. Of course, people did not have the technology required to check if this photo was real, so they believed it. I mean, it was published by The Daily Mail, one of the most prestigious British newspapers. It enormously boosted tourism in Scotland as everyone wanted to meet the Loch Ness Monster.
It is not a big surprise that no one had ever met Nessie until this day, even though the Loch Ness lake is relatively small. I mean, how in the world could people believe that a huge monster could hide in a small lake for ages without being noticed? Well, I guess people just don't want to think about reality if the imaginary world suits them. So, even today masses of tourists go to the Loch Ness lake with a dream of finding Nessie.
The Derbyshire Fairy
Let's continue with imaginary creatures. How many fairies and monsters will we need to "find" before people realize that they don't exist (or they just hate to take photos)?
This photo was shared by Dan Baines on April Fool's Day in 2007. He claimed that he had found the corpse of a fairy while walking in Derbyshire. Dan went even further with his prank and put the corpse for sale on eBay. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but remember that people buy imaginary friends on eBay, so selling a fairy is not so bad after all. And Dan indeed received 40 bids and sold the Derbyshire Fairy for over $300. Isn't that crazy? On top of that, Dan Baines didn't even try to fool the world. However, people decided to believe that this fairy was real even when they knew it was fake.
Neil Armstrong On The Moon
I just had to put this photo on the list. Of course, we are not sure if it is fake or not, but there are way too many conspiracy theories circulating on the internet to ignore this photo. Many people around the world believe that Neil Armstrong never landed on the Moon and this picture was NASA's hoax to fool the Russians. To be honest; I am not sure what would be more spectacular - the fact that NASA managed to fool the world and make Russia waste their money on space exploring, or the fact that Neil Armstrong actually landed on the Moon. Either way, we must always stay skeptical about this photo. Don't get me wrong, I am leaning towards the original version that Neil landed on the Moon and had his amazing photo session, but how can we ever know for sure? So, if you ever go to the Moon, please let me know if the US flag is still there.
Alan Rickman Never Even Read Harry Potter
The world lost a true hero the day Alan Rickman died. He was a magnificent actor, best known for his role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies. Instantly after his death, this picture started circulating on the internet.
"When I'm 80 years old and sitting in my rocking chair, I'll be reading Harry Potter. And my family will say to me, 'After all this time?' And I will say, 'Always.'" I understand why the fans wanted to believe that Alan Rickman had said those lines. I mean, if it were true, it would be the most romantic quote ever. Sadly, folks, Alan Rickman never said anything like that. He never even read Harry Potter. The author of this quote is some Reddit user, who is a hardcore fan of Harry Potter. I know, the truth is quite unflattering, but we cannot spend our lives living in lies, can we?
Giant Squid
The creators of fake photos have a fetish for large animals. I mean, we have already seen a huge freaky spider and Hercules, the world's largest dog. Now, let me introduce you to the 160-foot-long giant squid, which was allegedly washed up on the beach of Santa Monica. Naturally, this squid became a sensation on social media - some people were fascinated; others were freaking out. Sadly, this hype was soon smashed by the Internet's detectives, who, after hours of investigations, stated that this photo is fake. And they were right.
I can reassure you that the largest giant squid ever recorded was only 43 feet long. Yes, it is almost four times smaller than the one in the picture. So, you can sleep tight tonight, knowing that giant squids are not yet one of the many problems humans must face.
College Of Architecture And Planning
I take my hat off to the creator of this picture. It is brilliant, ironic, and damn funny! I mean, if most of the "criminals" on this list faked the photos to intimidate and scare other people, then the creator of this photo aimed for the opposite; he wanted to make people laugh.
Of course, there is enough space on the wall of College of Architecture and Planning, to write its name aesthetically. I mean, could anyone believe that professionals, who teach students how to build stuff, would let themselves make such an obvious mistake? It would be way too tragic even for our messed up world. That said, many people believed and still believe that this photo is real and such a disastrous college exists.
Bigfoot In The Woods
Oh, could this list be complete without a photo of Bigfoot? I mean, it is probably the greatest myth of all and some people even spend their lives searching for proofs that Bigfoot exists. I don't want to sound mean, but those people should consider doing something of greater value with their lives. On the other hand, people who believe in Bigfoot and other monsters, are necessary for the internet to survive.
This particular photo shows how Bigfoot (it's actually a man in a fluffy costume), is walking in the woods. Yes, it is a little creepy, and the quality of the photo is great compared to other blurry images of the imaginary monsters. Still, it only took a couple of days for people to understand that this photo is fake.
Sources: dailymail, snopes, nationalgeographic
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