In October 1869, workers digging a well on a farm in Cardiff, New York, struck stone and uncovered what appeared to be a 10-foot-tall petrified human giant. The discovery astounded the nation, drawing thousands of paying visitors convinced they were viewing literal proof of ancient giants mentioned in the Bible. In reality, the giant was an elaborate deception engineered by George Hull, an atheist tobacconist.
Hull had engaged in a heated debate with a revivalist preacher over Genesis 6:4, which stated that 'there were giants in the earth in those days.' Determined to demonstrate how easily religious believers could be tricked, Hull spent nearly $3,000 secretly purchasing a five-ton block of gypsum in Iowa. He had artists carve it into his likeness, aged the stone using acid and pinpricks, and buried it on his cousin's farm.
The hoax was wildly lucrative, generating massive revenue from admission fees. Even after geologists confirmed the giant was a modern carving, public fascination persisted. Showman P.
T. Barnum tried to purchase the giant; when rebuffed, Barnum created his own replica and drew even larger crowds, prompting Hull to try to sue Barnum for copying his fake giant.