[Other Lunar Discoveries of Mr. Herschel]

These rare hand-tinted lithographs by Italian artist Leopoldo Galluzzo illustrate what became known as "The Great Moon Hoax of 1835." In what was intended as a satirical newspaper article, New York Sun newspaper writer Richard Adams Locke boldly claimed that famed British astronomer Sir John Herschel had discovered life on the moon. This incredible news story, which ran over several issues, detailed a fantastic and lush lunar landscape inhabited by bipedal beavers, single horned bison, and winged extraterrestrials with an advanced civilization. Locke's satirical story lampooned religious theories of extraterrestrial life (the "plurality of worlds" question was hotly debated at the time). It was, however, widely believed to be true and even inspired calls for balloon travels to the moon for exploration and missionary work. The story quickly spread, in spite of its being fictional, and by 1836 had found its way around the globe through international newspapers, and into the public's imagination.