10 Famous Photographs That Fooled Everyone

8. The Cottingley Fairies

The Cottingley Fairies appeared in five photos taken by cousins Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright, in 1917. For a time, the images were thought to be evidence of the existence of fairies, primarily thanks to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's belief that they were genuine. The photos were widely reported on in national media, leading to a public reaction that seemed split down the middle, with a reported value of around 50% of people believing they were proof of fairies. Doyle even sent the photos over to Kodak, with the conclusion that they "showed no signs of being faked."

Interest in the Cottingley Fairies eventually waned, until Frances and Elsie publically admitted in the 1983 that the photos were fake. The 'fairies' were actually just cardboard cut-outs of copied illustrations, and the girls claimed to have been too embarrassed to own up to their deception after fooling the much-admired Doyle.