People traveling through the west by train in the 1800s expected shootouts and danger and cowboys. The citizens of Palisade gave it to them.&nbsp; Sources: "Westward Hoax: The Secret History of Palisade, Nevada," Very Special Episodes. Fakes, Frauds &amp; Other Malarkey by Kathryn Lindskoog. "Mark Twain's Nevada Newspaper Hoaxes" Andrew R. Giarrelli. Mark Twain's writing for the Territorial Enterprise (1851-1865)See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Salvator Mundi

Why do so many people believe things that aren&rsquo;t true? In an era when claims of &ldquo;fake news&rdquo; come as natural as breathing, and social media allows lies to spread and multiply like viruses, the question feels more relevant than ever. From the teenage girls who convinced Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that fairies were real in the 19th century to&nbsp;&ldquo;Balloon boy&rdquo; in 2009, Hoax! will explore the most audacious and ambitious tricks in history. And along the way, we&rsquo;ll uncover the reasons people let themselves be fooled, and how we can live our lives and engage with the media with a more critical eye. Co-hosted by Noble Blood&rsquo;s Dana Schwartz and pop culture writer Lizzie Logan, we&rsquo;ll bring you stories of pranks and grifts throughout history so big and bold they make us question why we believe what we believe in the first place.
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**New episodes every other week**