The Balloon-Hoax
by Edgar Allan Poe
"Balloon Deception" is the name used for a newspaper article written by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1844. Initially presented as a true story, he detailed the journey of the European Monk Mason in the Atlantic Ocean in just three days in a hot air balloon. It was later revealed as a hoax, and the story was retracted two days later. Poe himself describes the enthusiasm caused by his story: He claims that the construction of the Sun was "surrounded" by people who wanted copies of the newspaper. I have never witnessed such a great excitement to take over the newspaper," he wrote. The influence of history reflects the admiration of the period for progress.
