Hoax! | E1 | Cottingley Fairies

Noble Blood

iHeartPodcasts and Grim & Mild

Society & Culture, History

4.8 • 13.5K Ratings

🗓️ 4 August 2025

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1917, two young cousins returned from the creek behind their house with thrilling news: they had photographed fairies! Their parents were skeptical, but soon the photos of the "Cottingley Fairies" were circulated, eventually finding a champion in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Sources:
‘Fairies Photographed: An Epoch-Making Event.’ Strand Magazine, 1920
'The Coming of the Fairies' by Arthur Conan Doyle (London: Hodder & Stoughton)
‘That Astonishing Affair of the Cottingley Fairies,' by G. Crawley. British Journal of Photography
https://journal.sciencemuseum.ac.uk/article/power-at-play-in-paranormal-history/
https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/father-and-son-who-believed-faeries

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to Hoax, a production of IHeart Podcasts.
0:06.1	Folks, it's a hoax.
0:08.6	How come no one ever sees believe me when I swear I never was to see them.
0:15.8	I'm left wondering.
0:20.5	Welcome to Hoax, a new podcast.
0:22.7	Or is it?
0:23.4	It is.
0:24.1	Every episode, we sort through the lies we wish were true, and truths sound like lies.
0:28.9	This is not just another scam and scandal podcast.
0:32.2	Oh, no.
0:32.9	These are stories of pranks and grifts throughout history so big and bold, they make us question why we believe.
0:39.4	I'm the ghost of Dana Schwartz. And I'm the evil twin of Lizzie Logan. Welcome to the show.
0:44.2	Lizzie, I am so excited that we're doing this podcast. I'm thrilled. It's like the highlight of my
0:49.9	schedule. Same. And also just an opportunity to talk about one of my favorite things, which is
0:55.1	historical hoaxes. So just a bit about what this show is, if you're just joining us, which
0:59.7	everyone is, because it's our first episode. If you've been here before, how? Time travel? I guess.
1:04.9	Future hosts. This show is going to be me, Danish Schwartz, and Lizzie Logan, talking through historical and modern hoaxes.
1:14.7	Every episode will focus on a new hoax.
1:18.1	I'm Dana.
1:19.3	I'm a writer and a podcaster.
1:21.3	I host the podcast Noble Blood, which is about Royals throughout history, also with IHeartRadio and the podcast, very special episodes.
1:28.9	I've also written six books. I occasionally write television. I just love researching weird
	...

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