Wikipedia:List of hoaxes on Wikipedia

This is a list of historical hoaxes on Wikipedia. It is considered a hoax if it was a clear or blatant attempt to make up something, as opposed to libel, vandalism or a factual error. It is considered notable if it evaded detection for more than one month or was discussed by reliable sources in the media.

A hoax can be added to this page if it meets the requirements above. Sort by the length of time that the hoax page was visible in mainspace. Do not list Wikipedia April Fools' Day pranks, or factual articles about encyclopedic notable hoaxes.

Do not attempt to create new hoaxes on Wikipedia. Here's why.

Hoax	Length	Dates	Links
Tillery Band that supposedly perished in an airplane crash on December 12, 1956 en route to a "Lester Concert Hall", which also does not exist.	6 years, 5 months, 24 days	20 November 2005 — 14 May 2012	Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Tillery
Allegation that Brierfield, Lancashire, with its smoking mills, was Tolkien's inspiration for the evil land of Mordor.	6 years, 13 days	8 March 2006 – 21 March 2012	[1] [2]
K890 (G3 blatant hoax), a fictitious submachine gun	5 years, 3 months, 9 days	22 November 2006 – 1 March 2012	Included in book by Source Wikipedia
Reich Corps of the Trombone (G3 blatant hoax) fictitious Nazi organization of trombonists created by Joseph Goebbels for propaganda purposes	5 years, 2 months, 2 days	29 January 2006 - 31 March 2011	[3][4][5][6][7]
Fictitious claim about Oscar Wilde added to List of Latin Phrases	5 years, 2 months	19 September 2005 - 26 November 2010	Story and explanation
Fictitious clitoris research	5 years, 1 month	26 October 2001 – 26 July 2006 / 4 December 2006	Discussion
Hinckley Band of Thieves (AfD)	4 years, 9½ months	31 August 2005 – 16 June 2010
Joseph Warshaw (AfD) "one of the least Known Highwayman": speedily deleted, then {{hoax}} tagged and prodded when recreated the day it was started, but it took more than four years until it was deleted once more	4 years, 9 months	17 February 2006 – 3 December 2010	Mirror
Argusto Emfazie (AfD)	4 years, 6 months	25 February 2002 – 5 October 2006
Reference to "glucojasinogen" in diabetic neuropathy	4 years, 4 months, 22 days	7 October 2007 - 29 February 2012	original edit appears word for word in S.V. Tembhurne and D.M. Sakarkar (2010-06). "Influence of Murraya koenigii on experimental model of diabetes and progression of neuropathic pain". Res Pharm Sci. 5 (1): 41–47. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3093092/.  and Talha Jawaid, Ashok K Shakya, Mehnaz Kamal, and Sarfaraz Hussain (2008-06). "Amitriptyline and Sertraline in Diabetic Neuropathy: A Comparative View". International Journal of Health Research 1 (2): 73-78. http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ijhr/article/viewFile/47918/34287. .
Martin Coleman (American football) The story of a non-existent American football player who played for Clemson, Pitt, and the Oakland Raiders. It was recreated several days after deletion and lasted for nearly another month before being deleted again.	4 years, 2½ months	5 November 2006 – 23 January 2011	See also Martin I. Coleman
Bryan J. Baldelli (AfD) Non-existent American baseball player	4 years 2 days	26 February 2008 – 28 February 2012	Listed at Bryan (given name) in good faith
Jean François Moufot Fictitious French philosopher. Article first appeared on nl.wikipedia, then translated versions subsequently appeared in French, German and English Wikipedias. Hoax was discovered by Dutch Wiki and deleted across the wikis in two days.	3 years, 10 months	24 September 2004 - 16 July 2008	discussion on nl.wikipedia, discussion on de.wikipedia, discussion on de.wikipedia, mirror with links to discussion
Bunaka (G3) Non-existent Indonesian island	3 years, 9 months	18 March 2007 – 20 December 2010	discussion
Jûtien-Gustave DuRoi and Sallah Ukhmed (AfD) Fictitious husband-and-wife writers, with a list of works that was expanded over time	3 years, 8 months (DuRoi)	9 June 2006 – 7 February 2010 (DuRoi)
Brahmanical See (AfD)	Nearly 3½ years	4 August 2004 – 21 January 2008	Mirror and discussion at WR
Upton H. Pennyworth (Prod) (G3 speedy deletion) Fictitious British explorer	3 years, 5 months	7 September 2007 - 18 February 2011	discussion
Sarah River (AfD) Created as a spurious redlink on List of rivers of New Zealand and later turned into an article by bot	3 years, 4 months	18 May 2006 – 13 September 2009	Mirror
Monarch (butterfly) as Canada's national insect	3 years, 3½ months	9 December 2004 – 26 March 2008	Mirror
Trundu (AfD) An ancient tribe belonging to the Trund civilisation	3 years, 3½ months	22 May 2006 - 7 September 2009	Mirror
See Wee Lim Supposedly an Olympic swimmer from Brunei	3 years, 3 months	15 September 2006 - 16 December 2009	Mirror
Kevin Musker (AfD) Name-change plagiarism of "Charles Ferguson Smith", suspected for 3 years but retained	3 years, 1½ months	24 February 2006 – 13 April 2009	Mirror at Smith
James Geiss (AfD) Fictitious English whaler	3 years	29 June 2006 – 30 June 2009
Slow Blind Driveway fictitious blues musician	2 years, 9 months	16 November 2006 - 26 August 2009	WP:BJAODN
Vitus Sebastian Barbaro fictitious member of a real Venetian family	repeatedly added to real articles by numerous sockpuppets: Wikipedia:Requests for checkuser/Case/Societyfinalclubs, Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Mctrain/Archive	29 May 2007 - 25 February 2010	User:Barneca/watch/societyfinalclubs
19th-century invention of the hair iron attributed to fictitious persons, "Erica Feldman" (changed from Madam C. J. Walker) and another name (apparently a classmate) on English and Simple English Wikipedia. Both names are now widely credited on the Internet (as well as in one book) with the invention of the hair straightener [8][9][10][11][12]	2 years, 6 months	14 August 2006 – 15 September 2009	Erica Feldman, I. G., [13], [14], discussion at Wikipedia Review
Fictitious "further reading" on bullshit	2 years, 4½ months	23 November 2007 – 8 April 2010	added, deleted
Långrocken (AfD) Fictitious Swedish serial rapist in 1893, allegedly searched by undercover policemen in women’s clothes	2 years, 4½ months	24 July 2005 – 8 December 2007
Functional Temporalism (AfD) Postmodern Anthropological Theory	2 years, 4 months	8 August 2007 - 7 December 2009
Sean MacLeod (AfD)	2 years, 4 months	9 September 2006 – 8 January 2009	Mirror
Fictitious Illyrian gods	2 years, 4 months	27 October 2005 – 18 February 2008	Mirror, discussion
Wander Donkey (AFD/CSD)	2 years, 4 months	May 2007 – 5 September 2009	IdleThumbs podcast - discussion starts at 40:20
Characterisation of Shane (name) signifying a violent individual	2 years, 4 months	21 Dec 2007 – 12 April 2010	added, deleted, believed by [15] and [16]
Parfact (AfD) A secret language of Worcestershire teenagers	2 years, 3 months	8 November 2006 – 1 February 2009
Monvilla (AfD) non-existent Shropshire village	2 years, 2 months	3 January 2006 – 21 March 2008
Matthew Lyons (AfD) Texas frontiersman and CSA cavalry soldier	2 years, 2 months	18 February 2008 – 19 April 2010
Fadl Attraction (AfD) "Canadian male porn star" that "just screamed "LOOK HERE! THIS IS A HOAX" for two years"	2 years, 2 months	4 November 2007 – 10 January 2010	Mirror
Curtis James (AfD) Real high-school runner with spectacular fictitious professional career	2 years, 1 month	4 October 2008 - 18 November 2010
Shai Bernstein (AfD) Fictitious Jewish-Russian thinker	2 years, 1 week	6 Sep 2007 – 16 Sep 2009	Mirror, Hebrew translation
Moroccans with Disabilities Act of 1992 (AfD) "Obviously copied from a past revision of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 article".	2 years	10 September 2009 – 13 September 2011
Dušan Jocić (AfD)	23 months	August 2005 – July 2007	Mirror, WP:BJAODN
Taylor Mowry	23 months	December 2009 – November 2011	Fictitious actor
Lustfaust hoax	21 months	15 October 2005 – 14 July 2007	Mirror
Involvement of Brian Reddyb in Rednex And other edits by Brian Reddyb	Up to 20½ months	17 October 2005 – 3 July 2007	Mirror
Marathonius Granthius (G3) Fake Roman soldier	20½ months	21 August 2006 – 2 May 2008
European Tennis Club of Culture (PROD)	20 months	November 2005 – July 2007
Æblerød (CSD)	20 months	12 January 2004 – 8 September 2005	Summary, discussion
Battle of Stuart's Pond (AfD)	19½ months	29 May 2008 – 18 January 2010
Baldock Beer Disaster (AfD) Was listed on Did You Know?	19+ months	November 2005 – July 2007	Did You Know entry
Zobin Baygan (AfD)	19 months	April 2007 – 13 November 2008
Traffic cones called "kafele boothe cones"	1 year 7 months 20 days 39 minutes	03:40, 4 October 2010 to 04:19, 24 May 2012‎	[17] [18]
Maria Portaro (G3) fictitious marine biologist with "500 published papers"	19 months	3 March 2008 – 3 October 2009
Oyster Injustice (AfD)	19 months	6 July 2007 – 4 February 2009
Earl of Aldbury (G3) non-existent 17th-century peer	18½ months	13 May 2009 – 3 December 2010
Talinsfadasporia (G3) fictitious Indian town, mostly cut and pasted from Dibrugarh	17½ months	31 May 2009 – 20 Nov 2010
Dexter, New York On two distinct times, someone claimed the developer the town was named after was someone different, once without capitalization. This was picked up by other resources on the town.	17 months	23 February 2007 - 17 January 2008; 1 February 2009 - 30 July 2010
Fake Tristan material Sir Tristan as an "overweight knight"	16 months, 16 days	September 2, 2004 – February 20, 2006	Added, removed
Anaxiphales (AfD) presocratic philosopher	16½ months	12 February 2005 – 28 June 2006	Mirror
Ingrid Vakaslavik (AfD)	15+ months	Feb 2009 – 31 May 2010
Crowborough Caves (AfD) With "Dr. SP Leo Logist"	15 months	8 April 2007 – 27 July 2008	Website Pun on speleologist
Duñak, a fictitious man-eating tree. Inspired several pieces of artwork and literature, including a novel.	15 months	26 October 2008 – 2 February 2010	Mirror
Emerson LaSalle (AfD)	15 months	27 November 2007 – 27 February 2009
Freedom Channing (AfD) Fictitious conductor of the "Underground Railroad"	14½ months	11 July 2005 – 8 October 2006
Amorica (legend) (AfD) Given its own article for 8 months rather than deletion	14 months	9 November 2004 / 24 May 2005 – 22 January 2006
Francis Bunbury (PROD) Non-existent architect; names in article taken from The Importance of Being Earnest.	14 months	24 October 2009 – 26 December 2010
Joshua G. Cantor-Stone (G4) Ficticious Jewish WWII naval aviator and hero	13 months	22 February 2009 – 11 April 2010	Temporary google cache
Fictitious sons of Aaron Nada and Abidjan	13 months	16 March 2008 – 26 April 2009	Mirror at Aaron
Magnesium lasering (AfD) Article about a nonsense science practice.	13 months	14 May 2009 - 13 June 2010
Earl of Iford (AfD) Partial name-change plagiarism of Earl of Shaftesbury	13 months	13 April 2008 – 11 May 2009
Federlandese (coin) "Had this "coin" been real, it would have pre-dated the oldest known Scandinavian coins by perhaps ~800 years, so we would have heard of it elsewhere. Also, people in Scandinavia didn't have a monetary economy 2100 years ago."	12½ months	2 December 2009 – 22 December 2010	[19]
Eric Radloff (AfD)	12 months	5 July 2004 – 23 August 2005
Ladedaism (AfD)	12 months	7 July 2005 – 19 July 2006
The Bierrum Effect (AfD)	12 months	3 Sep 2008 – 7 Sep 2009
James and the Pontoons (AfD) Fake rock band	12 months	20 July 2007 – 21 July 2008
Aliquota (CSD)	12 months	19 October 2006 – 11 October 2007
Hevstäf (AfD)Not a Czech village	12 months	12 October 2006 – 15 October 2007
Oliver Bayley (CSD)	11 months	2 January 2005 – 15 December 2005
The birthplace and childhood home of swimmer Michael Phelps was anonymously changed from a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland, to a Utah location.	11 months	13 October 2009 – 22 September 2010	Added: 1 2 Removed and corrected: 1 2
Franz Josef Weern (AfD)	11 months	November 2005 / 25 January 2007 – 29 December 2007	Weern at Answers Weernbolle at Answers
Tiberius Lowang (AfD) Fictitious Abo-Teni history And several others	11 months	21 June 2005 – 16 May 2006	Mirror Lowang at Biocrawler
Under Surfing (AfD)	10½ months	9 June 2008 – 25 April 2009
World Tag Fighting Society (AfD)	10½ months	9 June 2008 – 24 April 2009
Fermat differentiation ‎(PROD)	10½ months	13 Feb 2009–2 Jan 2010
La'kalai language and Aru'kiruna Pacific islanders	10 months	4-5 March 2009–9 Jan 2010
Porchesia (CSD) An island that never existed	10 months	22 November 2005 – 30 September 2006	Resurrected and refined on Uncyclopedia.
In the Night Garden Cameron O'Donovan added as actor for 'Makka Pakka'	10 months	12 June 2007 – 7 May 2008	Talk:In the Night Garden#Lol, i fooled everyone
Ox of Boll (AfD)	10 months	28 October 2005 – 29 August 2006	Pun on bollox
Principality of Estland (AfD)	10 months	2 January 2007 – 4 November 2007	Mirror
Stewart Lee "In 1992, Lee was briefly part of the team writing the first Robin Askwith "Confessions of..." movie for 15 years. However due to financial problems the movie was scrapped and his script has never seen light of day". A typo was fixed but this unsourced "fact" was not removed until it was highlighted by the comedy website Chortle	10 months	25 April 2011 - 23 February 2012	[20]
Plano Mall (AfD)	9½ months	20 August 2009 – 2 June 2010
Omar Q. Beckins (AfD)	9½ months	15 April 2005 – 1 February 2006
Climbing jack (AfD) Probably an April Fools' joke	9 months	1 April 2005 – 5 January 2006
Lukatwi (G3) fictitious music genre	9 months	4 Oct 2010 – 13 July 2011
Cayley-Newbirth operation matrix (VfD)	8 months	4 April 2004 – 22 December 2004	Pun on birth, operation, matrix
Fungu'lu (CSD) Fictitious span (length) entry	8 months	7 April 2005 – 15 December 2005	Mirror, discussion
Łiesand Dunin (AFD) Ficitious Polish author and naturalist	8 months	Septermber 2009 – 7 May 2010	"Lies and done in". Cached
Dugenbed (AfD)	7½ months	30 July 2009 – 20 March 2010
Vadym Meshkurinho (AfD)	7½ months	28 July 2008 – 13 March 2009
Quazer Beast (AfD)	7 months	3 October 2005 – 17 May 2006	WP:BEAST
Comprehensive Corporate Power (VfD) previously survived a VfD, embarrassingly	7 months	22 April 2004 – 25 November 2004	Userfication
Tuba (mythology) (AfD) Fictitious mythical Mongolian animal	7 months	May 2006 – December 2006
Harrald Impchkin (AfD) Fictitious mayor of Baltimore, also incorporated into List of mayors of Baltimore, Maryland[21] and Template:BaltimoreMayors[22]	7 months	2 July 2009 – 29 January 2010
Lachlan Crompton syndrome (G3) Fake medical condition	7 months	9 August 2009 – 13 March 2010	Mirror
Pretraumatic stress disorder (G1) Fake medical condition	Nearly 7 months	17 October 2007 – 10 May 2008
Leibniz differential and Leibniz function	6½ months	February 5, 2009 - August 17, 2009
Cytaria (G3)	6 months	January 2009 – June 2009
Death bird (AfD) Fictitious mythical Aztec creature	6 months	15 October 2007 – 23 April 2008
Raconteur, Pennsylvania (CSD) Fictional town	6 months	24 December 2006 – 28 April 2007 14 May 2007 – 13 July 2007	Pun on raconteur
Helleneologism (G7)	6 months	2 October 2006 – 1 April 2007	Userfication
Demomotus (VfD)	5 months	4 May 2004 – 12 October 2004
Indochine as household appliance	5 months	29 October 2003 – 30 March 2004	Mirror
Top of the Klass with Mylene Klass (AfD) Included an account of a fictitious scandal involving a real person; references were added to several other articles [23][24][25][26]	4½ months	28 April 2010 – 18 September 2010	Mirror, Discussion at Bother's Bar
Fictitious Yves Gérard biography	4½ months	31 December 2007 – 19 May 2008	Mirror, discussion
Sean Koo (CSD)	4½ months	8 November 2005 – 27 March 2006
Establishment of Juba, Sudan, by Greeks	4½ months	30 September 2005 – 16 February 2006	Summary
John Seigenthaler Sr. hoax	4 months	26 May 2005 – 22 September 2005
Edits by Roylee (RFC)	~4 months	December 2004 – April 2005
Uqbar hoax	3½ months	6 November 2003 – 23 February 2004	Mirror
Hannah Quick Article with fake references by MadameYLion (talk · contribs) about a fictitious female pirate.	3 months 10 days	14 July 2010 - 24 October 2010
Samantha Wreschner Article with fake references by MadameYLion (talk · contribs) about a fictitious female serial killer.	3 months 9 days	15 July 2010 - 24 October 2010
Edits by Wonderfool (AN)	~3 months	August 2005 – November 2005
Fictitious limelight etymology	3 months	26 January 2005 – 22 April 2005	Mirror
Saint Wallace (G3) Name-change plagiarism of Saint Christopher	Almost 3 months	28 Jan 2009 – 24 April 2009
Gurjit Gill (PROD) Came from Articles for Creation	Almost 3 months	February 2008 – 28 April 2008
Weasel Thomas (PROD) Returned after a pathetic AfD	Almost 3 months	December 2007 – 27 February 2008
The Ley of Lothwell and Lupocaan (AfD) Fictitious Old English poem. Two versions of the text were also included.	Almost 3 months	December 7, 2005 – March 3, 2006
Navarro's Original Taco Filling (AfD) Fictitious food and company	2½ months	2 August 2006 – 23 October 2006
Township of Asstree, Alabama (AfD) Fictional township	2½ months	25 July 2006 – 12 October 2006	Asstree, Alabama (G1)
Fictitious Llanddewi Rhydderch history Original article lasting 3 months	2½ months	2 July 2007 – 15 September 2007	Mirror
Another David Rockefeller, Jr. Readded 3rd time by "Davidjrrockefeller"	Almost 2½ months	28 December 2008 – 17 March 2009	Mirror at Sr. Mirror at Jr.
Belton Knapp"The origin of Belton Knapp is lost in mystery" - small wonder, as this hamlet near Cheltenham was a fiction	Almost 2½ months	7 May 2009 – 19 July 2009	Mirror
Teothuauci (AfD)	2 months	9 June 2005 – 18 August 2005	Pun on TEOTWAWKI
Battle of Exakameron (AfD)	Almost 2 months	14 February 2010 – 11 April 2010	Supposed battle in East Africa
Nicktoons: Pacmarangs (PROD) Jetix Le Shorts (PROD) Nicktoons: Dark Snap (PROD) The Puppet and the Hare (PROD)	Up to 1½ months	7 March 2008 – 28 April 2008
Claim that Margaret Thatcher is fictitious Even while ostensibly labeled as a hoax	1½ months	8 May 2008 – 26 June 2008	Mirror
Wakstbaak Saakkinkrak (G3)	1½ months	29 August 2008 – 15 October 2008	Pun on waxed back, sack, and crack
Senate Document No. 43 (AfD)	1½ months	15 May 2006 – 30 June 2006
Tuatafa Hori (G4) Fictitious princess of Sigave	Recreated several times	20 April 2006 – 10 October 2006	Hori at Learning Calendar
Hannibal Fogg Creation of an article with faked references, as well as methodical insertion of Hannibal Fogg name in other Wikipedia articles by BarnardKnox (talk · contribs) (there is a fake Hannibal Fogg Society online, registered to Jason Webster and Tahir Shah according to Whois)	1½ months	27 August 2009 – 12 October 2009	Discussion on Durova's talk page Article on mirrorsites, archive Hannibal Fogg Watch (case documentation and background)
Stephen G. Breyers	1 month	2 February 2010 – 7 March 2010	Mirror
Edward Owens (hoax) A hoax article written by university students as a class project, revealed as a hoax a month later and retained on Wikipedia after two deletion debates with no consensus at to whether is was a notable hoax	1 month	18 November 2008 – 18 December 2008	The hoax version
Alan Mcilwraith A "Walter Mitty" character who faked a bio of his supposed military record on Wikipedia. It initially lasted three weeks before being deleted at AfD. It was recreated three times but deleted within a day each time, but then the story hit the headlines in April 2006 and the article was recreated to be about him as a hoaxer	21 days	5 October 2005 – 26 October 2005	The hoax version
Ronnie Hazlehurst Erroneous information (alleging that he had co-written a pop hit for band S Club 7) inserted into this article led to several news outlets repeating it in his obituary following his death, which in turn lead to verifiable citations. The incident was widely reported in the UK meta-media, in particular by Private Eye & Have I Got News for You (the latter featuring the editor of the former as a regular panellist.	10 days	20 September 2007 – 1 October 2007	The incorrect information talk page discussing the issue
Falsified quotes by Maurice Jarre Went viral in mainstream media after his death	24 hours	30 March 2009 – 31 March 2009	Mirror Discussion at Irish Times
Helen Anne Petrie South African painter whose falsified biography was seeded on the internet in an apparent attempt to increase the value of artwork. Appeared again as Strutt Family Trust. Related names included Sebastian L.S Schwagele, Fan Moniz and PR by a Marlene Duval, User:Marlene Duval	various	June 2007 May 1 - 9 2009 October 29-31 2009	Afd discussion, Afd discussion, SSI report, village pump London Times article South African Art Times article
Roger Vinson Addition that the individual was an amateur taxidermist who mounted bear heads above the door of his courtroom. The hoax information became known when Rush Limbaugh misused it on his radio program.	1 day	13 September 2010 - 14 September 2010	Huffington Post New York Times Wall Street Journal Pensacola News Journal

See also

• List of hoaxes, articles which factually describe encyclopedically notable hoaxes
• Category:Wikipedia suspected hoax articles
• Wikipedia:April fools, Wikipedia hoaxes related to April Fools' Day

Uncategorized

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