1894 Viral Fake Photo: 86lb Potato

The Mammoth Potato Hoax of Loveland, Colorado, 1894—Joseph B. Swan was a proud potato farmer who claimed to have grown a potato that was 13 pounds and 8 ounces.  W.L. Thorndyke, editor of the Loveland Reporter, came up with an idea to help Swan promote his potatoes at an 1894 street fair. They created this trick photograph of a huge potato.  This may have become the first viral fake photograph, though it was soon declared to be fraudulent.

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