Bat People, Lunar Beavers & Human Skin Books

Freak Family Favorites: Bat People, Moon Hoaxes, and Museums That Shouldn't Exist This Freak Family Favorites episode comes straight from the recommendations of the Freak Family, and it's packed with the kind of stories that remind us why history is often stranger than fiction. First, Kat unpacks one of the greatest media hoaxes ever printed: The Great Moon Hoax of 1835. Newspapers convinced thousands of readers that a giant telescope had discovered life on the Moon—including winged bat people, intelligent beavers that built villages, strange temples, and an entire lunar civilization. It spread across America and Europe before anyone stopped to ask whether any of it was actually true. Then Jethro takes a tour through some of the world's most bizarre museum exhibits. From Galileo's preserved middle finger and Thomas Edison's supposed last breath to necropants, human-skin books, serial killer relics, and anatomical displays that blur the line between science and the macabre, these are museums unlike any you've ever visited. If you've ever wondered how easily people can be fooled—or why museums sometimes keep the strangest souvenirs imaginable—this Freak Family favorite belongs at the top of your playlist. In this episode: The Great Moon Hoax of 1835 Bat people, lunar beavers, and the newspaper story that fooled the world Sir John Herschel's unwitting role in history's most famous astronomy hoax Edgar Allan Poe's unexpected connection to the scandal The world's strangest museum exhibits Galileo's middle finger, Thomas Edison's last breath, necropants, human-skin books, and more Weird history, oddities, curiosities, and unbelievable true stories Perfect for fans of: Weird history, historical hoaxes, Edgar Allan Poe, astronomy, museums, macabre history, curiosities, folklore, and the strange true stories that make the world wonderfully weird. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices