The Victorian Hoax That Fooled Sherlock

Two young cousins once convinced the world that fairies were real by using simple cardboard cutouts. Their prank successfully fooled Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the famous creator of Sherlock Holmes.

In 1917, Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths staged photos with paper fairies to avoid getting in trouble for playing by a creek. When the prints reached Arthur Conan Doyle, he became a devoted believer, using them to argue for the existence of the supernatural. It took over sixty years for the women to finally admit the images were nothing more than a childish trick. Their simple act serves as a fascinating reminder of how even the most logical minds can be blinded by what they want to believe.