The 'Alan MacMasters’ toaster hoax
The anatomy of a Wikipedia hoax about the inventor of the electrical toaster
Trending · BBC World Service
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Show Notes
For more than a decade, he tricked the world into believing a Scottish scientist called Alan MacMasters invented the electric toaster in 1893. At the heart of this web of fantasy was a Wikipedia article that fooled dozens of journalists, public officials, and even primary school teachers. But how did this hoaxer get away with it for so long? And how did an eagle-eyed 15-year-old eventually manage to expose his deception?
Presenter: Marco Silva Editor: Flora Carmichael