8 Greatest TV Hoaxes Of All Time

4. The First Ever Television

There was a time before television...who knew? In all seriousness, this hoax must have been absolutely remarkable at the time. It's difficult for us to comprehend a world devoid of all our day to day technologies, but in reality, it wasn't all that long ago. In February of 1880, the Daily Times in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania published an article about an invention by a man named Dr. H. E. Licks. Licks was said to have invented a piece of technology which enabled the transmission of images via telegraph. In essence, a very primitive form of the television. As word of Lick's invention spread, various newspapers around America began to speculate on its possible uses, including its potential benefits to the rail road industry. Interestingly, an immediate connection with the entertainment industry wasn't made. The hoax actually spawned an interesting follow up, too, centred around a device known as a Telephote. The Telephote would allow people who were talking on the phone to see the person they were talking to. In essence, a primitive form of video chat. Again, the invention was later revealed not to be real.