The Derbyshire Fairy
The story:
An article appeared online called “Do Fairies Live at the Bottom of Your Garden?” and contained:
Pictures of what appeared to be a mummified fairy
An explanation of how it was found
A dog walker in Derbyshire, England, discovered the small mummified body at Firestone Hill
Claims that the body had been x-rayed and studied by forensic experts
The skeleton was “identical to that of a child” according to the article, but the bones were hollow, like a bird’s
Who was fooled?
Unknown, though the website that hosted the article reached 20,000 hits in just 24 hours
After the hoax was revealed, the man behind the prank, Dan Baines, said that it had taken him four hours a day for several days to answer all the emails related to the fairy
When?
2007
The truth:
The fairy was created by Dan Baines, a magician who also made props for other magicians
He created the story of the dog walker finding the fairy, and the forensic inspection
He published the article to his website a few days before April 1, 2007 (April Fool’s Day)
While the internet is full of fascinating information, stories, and pictures, it’s important to remember that not all of them are true. Whether they’re stories that simply got out of hand, or deliberate untruths created by pranksters, the web is an ideal place to spread hoaxes (as well as bust them).
I love it how Freepers are so sure that they know how to avoid be punked. Your assumption, that I and others who casually follow Q are easily fooled, ignores some simple truths.
1. Sometimes the world is round, not flat. (get it?)
2. Information is always good.
3. Discernment is always good.
4. Censorship is always bad.
5. Q is not the issue here. The issue is deplatforming.