WP:List of hoaxes on Wikipedia
{{Short description|Incomplete archives of Wikipedia hoaxes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Warning|image=Stop hand nuvola.svg|text=Please do not attempt to create new hoaxes on Wikipedia; here is why.}}
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File:A photo of the Wikipedia hoax "Bicholim conflict".jpeg]]
This is a list of known historical hoaxes created on the English Wikipedia. It is not for known hoaxes which are notable in their own right, such as the Piltdown Man. Its purpose is to document hoaxes on Wikipedia, in order to improve our understanding of them and our ability to detect them. For the purpose of this list, a hoax is defined as a {{em|clear and deliberate attempt}} to deceptively present false information as fact. Libel, vandalism, and honest factual errors are not considered hoaxes. A hoax is considered notable enough for inclusion in this list if it evaded detection for more than one month or was discussed by reliable sources in the media. This list is incomplete, as many hoaxes remain undiscovered.
Hoaxes can be added to this page if they meet the requirements above. Do not list Wikipedia April Fools' Day pranks or factual articles about encyclopedically notable hoaxes. Start/Deletion date and Length are the dates and approximate time the article was generally visible.
For many of the below hoaxes, you can see an archived version of the deleted article by clicking on its title (see also [{{fullurl:Special:PrefixIndex/{{FULLPAGENAME}}|stripprefix=1}} list of archived hoaxes]). Some also remain available from mirror sites. Any administrator can create an archived version of a hoax upon request by following the instructions below.
{{collapse top|Suggestions to administrators on archiving hoaxes}}
- Restore the original page and its talk page. Immediately remove any deletion templates from the top.
- Move the pages without redirect to Wikipedia:List of hoaxes on Wikipedia/HOAX TITLE and Wikipedia talk:List of hoaxes on Wikipedia/HOAX TITLE.
- Add the template {{tl|hoax demo}} to the top of both pages. This will create a prominent notification that the article is a hoax, and noindex it.
- Place
<nowiki></nowiki>around any explicit categories and/or interwiki links listed on either page, as well as around any metadata templates, such as {{tl|DISPLAYTITLE}}. Comment out any fair use images. - The article may still be in some categories due to the use of templates. Pass the
category=noornocat=trueparameter to the template to remove it. If this does not work, consult the template documentation for the appropriate parameter; if it does not have one, either modify the template to accept this parameter, or simply place<nowiki></nowiki>around the template. The article should now be only in the categories "Noindexed pages" and MediaWiki-generated categories like "Pages with missing files". - {{em|(optional)}} If any of the images originally in the article have been deleted, insert a description of the original image in italics.
- Fully protect both pages indefinitely. This ensures that the integrity of the archived hoaxes is preserved, and that they place no burden on project maintainers.
{{collapse bottom}}
Academic research has investigated the impact and characteristics of Wikipedia hoaxes, and has proposed automated methods for detecting them. Researchers found that the automatic classification system was better at identifying hoaxes on Wikipedia than humans (86% vs. 63% accuracy) and used their algorithm to identify previously undiscovered hoaxes like "Steve Moertel" which went undetected for almost 7 years.{{cite journal |last1=Kumar |first1=Srijan |last2=West |first2=Robert |last3=Leskovec |first3=Jure |date=April 2016 |title=Disinformation on the Web: Impact, Characteristics, and Detection of Wikipedia Hoaxes |url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e8ee/46df8e2116e425abf0cec9604fbf155d4d39.pdf |journal=Proceedings of the 25th International World Wide Web Conference |pages=591–602 |doi=10.1145/2872427.2883085 |s2cid=30068 |access-date=March 14, 2018 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510012137/https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Disinformation-on-the-Web%3A-Impact%2C-Characteristics%2C-Kumar-West/f27848c39e14238e9104b926441c5fc79b84cb4f?p2df |url-status=live }}
One way to identify hoax articles included examining the article structure and content, its mentions in other articles on Wikipedia (i.e., embeddedness), and features of the editor who created the page. Specifically, hoax articles are likely to be longer than a legitimate article, less likely to have links to other Wikipedia articles, references, images, or other "wiki-like" markup, less likely to be mentioned in other Wikipedia articles before its creation, and more likely to be created by a new account with few to no other edits.
While most hoaxes on Wikipedia are short-lived (89% of discovered hoaxes are flagged within one hour of creation and only 1% of hoaxes persist for more than a year), those that make it past this initial screening have an increased probability of continuing to "survive" and remain a part of Wikipedia for much longer (if a hoax survives past its first day, it has an 18% probability of lasting for a year or more). Compared to unsuccessful hoaxes, successful hoaxes that survive for long periods of time are more likely to include some "wiki-like" mark-up and more likely to include links to other articles on Wikipedia.
Compared to legitimate articles, successful hoaxes generally receive less daily traffic, have a longer median article length (134 versus 71 words), and include fewer links to other Wikipedia articles when considering their article length.
Hoax articles
= Extant for 10+ years =
| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em ! style="width:40%;"| Hoax ! style="width:5.5em;"| Length ! style="width:7em;"| Creation date ! style="width:7em;"| Deletion date ! style="width:5.5em;" data-sort-type="number"| Size in bytes{{pb}}(last edit) ! class="unsortable"| Links |
| Donovan Slacks Fictitious British revolutionary created to seemingly promote a low budget film | data-sort-value="1929" | {{A.y|2004|11|2|2024|2|16|round=2}} | November 2, 2004 | February 16, 2024 | 1,478 | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20221229050519/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donovan_Slacks Archived version of the hoax]{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20060913000000/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donovan_Slacks Archive before mention of movie] |
| Kalloor Fictitious village in India, claimed to be a possible death site for Thomas the Apostle; also contained seemingly made-up information on the family name | data-sort-value="1870" | {{A.y|2005|8|31|2024|5|12|round=2}} | {{nowrap|December 13, 2005}} | {{nowrap|May 12, 2024}} | 5,163 | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20240507024400/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalloor Archived version of the hoax] |
| Lincoln Sport A fictitious vehicle supposedly produced by the Lincoln Motor Company. Possibly not a deliberate hoax, but based on a misinterpretation of a body style of the L series or K series that was referred to adjectively as a sports car. | data-sort-value="1816" | {{A.y|2006|4|10|2024|6|5|round=2}} | {{nowrap|April 10, 2006}} | {{nowrap|June 5, 2024}} | ? | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20240604044251/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Sport Archived version of the hoax] |
| Rainbow fish (mythology) Fictitious Hindu myth | data-sort-value="1749" | {{A.y|2005|12|13|2023|6|9|round=2}} | {{nowrap|December 13, 2005}} | {{nowrap|June 9, 2023}} | 1,667 | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20230608103922/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_fish_%28mythology%29 Archived version of the hoax] |
| Jay Orpin Fictitious songwriter and producer; claimed to have worked with famous musical acts including the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Bon Jovi, Britney Spears, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Linkin Park, and numerous others | data-sort-value="1748" | {{A.y|2007|1|2|2024|6|25|round=2}} | {{nowrap|January 2, 2007}} | {{nowrap|June 25, 2024}} | ? | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20240618161157/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Orpin Archived version of the hoax] |
| Method of focal objects Fictitious problem solving strategy | data-sort-value="1742" | {{A.y|2005|4|21|2022|9|23|round=2}} | {{nowrap|April 21, 2005}} | {{nowrap|September 23, 2022}} | 2,528 | Expired PROD{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20220520211125/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_of_focal_objects Archived version of the hoax] |
| Fort Greene, North Carolina Fictitious military installation | data-sort-value="1720" | {{A.y|2007|7|30|2024|11|17|round=2}} | {{nowrap|July 30, 2007}} | {{nowrap|November 17, 2024}} | ? | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20231017000920/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Greene,_North_Carolina Archived version of the hoax] |
| Pratylenchus dulscus Fictitious disease afflicting almond trees | data-sort-value="1639"| {{A.y|2007|6|22|2024|8|22|round=2}} | {{nowrap|June 22, 2007}} | {{nowrap|August 22, 2024}} | 456 | Expired PROD{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20240822025016/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratylenchus_dulscus Archived version of the hoax] |
| The Heat Is On (TV series) Fictitious BBC TV series | data-sort-value="1704" | {{A.y|2005|7|10|2022|7|24|round=2}} | {{nowrap|July 10, 2005}} | {{nowrap|July 24, 2022}} | 1,342 | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20220719042820/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Heat_Is_On_(TV_series) Archived version of the hoax] |
| Harold Standish {{small|and}} The Golden Time Fictitious Canadian author and poet, plus his equally nonexistent book. | data-sort-value="1601"| {{A.y|2008|03|15|2024|10|31|round=2}} | {{nowrap|March 15, 2008}} | {{nowrap|October 31, 2024}} | 8,211 / 2,497 |
| CTB Flying Squad{{pb}}Fictitious unit of mobile security and maintenance personnel set up by the Ceylon Transport Board—actually the end result of taking a metaphor used in a source too literally (Anil Moonesinghe, the 'one man flying squad').
| data-sort-value="1639"| {{A.y|2005|11|28|2022|04|19|round=2}} | {{nowrap|November 28, 2005}} | {{nowrap|April 19, 2022}} | | Expired PROD |
| Dream Craft Fictitious tabletop role-playing game | data-sort-value="1627" | {{A.y|2006|6|4|2022|9|12|round=2}} | {{nowrap|June 4, 2006}} | {{nowrap|September 12, 2022}} | 7,367 | Expired PROD |
| Pan-African pellet compass{{pb}}Fictitious sociopolitical and militaristic concept coined by Kwame Nkrumah
| data-sort-value="1018" |{{A.y|2007|12|30|2024|04|06|round=2}} | {{nowrap|December 30, 2007}} | {{nowrap|April 6, 2024}} | 2,342 | Deleted as G3: blatant hoax{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20240406051827/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-African_pellet_compass Archived version of the hoax] |
| San Anselmo de Canterbury University Fictitious Anglican seminary in Chile. | data-sort-value="1601"| {{A.y|2008|10|03|2025|1|3|round=2}} | {{nowrap|October 3, 2008}} | {{nowrap|January 3, 2025}} | 1,595 |
| Domon group Fictitious research group | data-sort-value="1613" | {{A.y|2007|3|4|2023|4|21|round=2}} | {{nowrap|March 4, 2007}} | {{nowrap|April 21, 2023}} | | Expired PROD{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20220818180801/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domon_group Archived version of the hoax] |
| Eduardo Corrochio{{pb}}Fictitious 1890s New York tap dancer; tap dance as a style did not originate until 1928.
| data-sort-value="1613" | {{A.y|2005|7|10|2021|8|27|round=2}} | {{nowrap|July 10, 2005}} | {{nowrap|August 27, 2021}} | 2,839 |
| Indigo Muldoon{{pb}}Main character in a fictitious series of novels.
| data-sort-value="1610" | {{A.y|2006|2|23|2022|3|31|round=2}} | {{nowrap|February 23, 2006}} | {{nowrap|March 31, 2022}} | 20,538 |
| Jack "Russer" Russell{{pb}}Fictitious 18th century traveler, a "Western Icon" in Japan where his journals are 'pop culture'.
| data-sort-value="1602" | {{A.y|2005|9|11|2021|9|19|round=2}} | {{nowrap|September 11, 2005}} | {{nowrap|September 19, 2021}} | 1,020 |
| Icingtons {{pb}}Fictitious traditional wedding figures made of icing.
| data-sort-value="1602" | {{A.y|2008|6|15|2024|6|22|round=2}} | {{nowrap|June 15, 2008}} | {{nowrap|June 22, 2024}} | 2,339 |
| Thomas Forbes Fictitious English poet | data-sort-value="1600" | {{A.y|2008|02|06|2024|02|06|round=2}} | {{nowrap|February 6, 2008}} | {{nowrap|February 6, 2024}} | 4,825 | Speedy deleted as G3: Blatant hoax{{pb}} |
| Gilled Antelope{{pb}}Fictitious cryptid.
| data-sort-value="1584" | {{A.y|2006|7|22|2022|5|23|round=2}} | {{nowrap|July 22, 2006}} | {{nowrap|May 23, 2022}} | 1,640 | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20210124151007/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilled_Antelope Archived version of the hoax] |
| Kamini Yacht Club Fictitious yacht club on Hydra, Greece | data-sort-value="1523" | {{A.y|2009|8|19|2024|11|09|round=2}} | {{nowrap|August 19, 2009}} | {{nowrap|November 9, 2024}} | ? | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20220123222245/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamini_Yacht_Club Archived version of the hoax] |
| William Henry Farrow{{pb}}Fictitious 19th-century English physician.
| data-sort-value="1495" | {{A.y|2006|12|29|2021|12|9|round=2}} | {{nowrap|December 29, 2006}} | {{nowrap|December 9, 2021}} | 1,640 | Deletion discussion and [https://web.archive.org/web/20211202020337/https://twitter.com/aobate/status/1466101687773503493 hoax admission by creator] |
| Abu-Ali Urbuti{{pb}}Fictitious sheikh, the name is a pun (Sheikh Urbuti = "shake your booty"; cf. Frank Zappa's album title "Sheik Yerbouti").
| data-sort-value="1485" | {{A.y|2006|4|7|2021|2|10|round=2}} | {{nowrap|April 7, 2006}} | {{nowrap|February 10, 2021}} | 2,649 | [https://web.archive.org/web/20210210225713/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu-ali_urbuti Archived version of the hoax] |
| Rough Crossing (TV series){{pb}}Fictitious soap opera.
| data-sort-value="1480" | {{A.y|2007|8|10|2022|5|28|round=2}} | {{nowrap|August 10, 2007}} | {{nowrap|May 28, 2022}} | 2,155 | While the show does have an IMDb page, it seems to be equally fabricated. According to [https://boards.soapoperanetwork.com/topic/29656-rough-crossing-days-of-our-lives-copy-show/ this] forum post, the show claims to have the same characters as Days of Our Lives, albeit played by different actors. |
| Mustelodon{{pb}}Fictitious extinct carnivore genus.
| data-sort-value="1476" | {{A.y|2005|11|9|2020|8|12|round=2}} | {{nowrap|November 9, 2005}} | {{nowrap|August 12, 2020}} | 1,285 | Deletion discussion{{pb}}Discussion on WikiProject Palaeontology |
| HSTR LAN Fictitious computer network technology. The name is a pun; HSTR LAN is short for {{lang|tr|hastır lan}}, which is short for {{lang|tr|hassiktir lan}}, a Turkish interjection typically translated as 'fuck it' or 'holy shit'. The numbers in the article are also a joke: 1.923 gigahertz is a nod to the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey while the rest represents Atatürk's landing day at Samsun on May 19, 1919. | data-sort-value="1471" | {{A.y|2008|11|25|2023|8|13|round=2}} | {{nowrap|November 25, 2008}} | {{nowrap|August 13, 2023}} | 612 | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20161225040155/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSTR_LAN Archived version of the hoax] |
| Arekh{{pb}}Fictitious anti-religion scholar in medieval Persia.
| data-sort-value="1457" | {{A.y|2006|8|8|2021|3|3|round=2}} | {{nowrap|August 8, 2006}} | {{nowrap|March 3, 2021}} | |
| Kamal al-Din al-Nabhani Fictitious Lebanese politician, claimed to be the son of Taqi al-Din al-Nabhani (who actually wrote many of the works the article attributed to Kamal) | data-sort-value="1455" | {{A.y|2010|10|02|2025|4|19|round=2}} | October 2, 2010 | April 19, 2025 | 7,127 | Deleted via WP:PROD (PROD not archived){{pb}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20250126091205/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamal_al-Din_al-Nabhani Archived version of the hoax] |
| The Gates of Saturn{{pb}}Fictitious ITV slapstick television program starring Jim Dale.
| data-sort-value="1449" | {{A.y|2006|2|8|2020|8|7|round=2}} | {{nowrap|February 8, 2006}} | {{nowrap|August 7, 2020}} | 1,373 | Speedy deleted as "G3: Blatant hoax" |
| Morris–Putnam point Fictitious economic concept; hilarious lines missed by 13 later contributors | data-sort-value="1432" | {{A.y|2009|5|8|2023|9|2|round=2}} | {{nowrap|April 8, 2009}} | {{nowrap|September 2, 2023}} | 3,120 | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20230901054651/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris%E2%80%93Putnam_point Archived version of the hoax] |
| Defauly Creek{{pb}}Fictitious creek in British Columbia, Canada.
| data-sort-value="1404" | {{A.y|2006|12|12|2020|12|25|round=2}} | {{nowrap|December 12, 2006}} | {{nowrap|December 25, 2020}} | | [https://web.archive.org/web/20201005111157/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defauly_Creek Archived version of the hoax] |
| Teddy Temish{{pb}}Fictitious U.S. Army corporal accused of Soviet espionage involving Fort Wainwright, Alaska, in 1990. According to the article, the spying evidence was revealed to be a fantasy created by "Temish" himself. A link to this article was added to the Walter Mitty article on [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Walter_Mitty&diff=prev&oldid=281130516&diffmode=source April Fool's Day, 2009], soon after it was created.
| data-sort-value="1400" | {{A.y|2009|3|18|2023|3|20|round=2}} | {{nowrap|March 18, 2009}} | {{nowrap|March 20, 2023}} | 9,710 | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20210905071511/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teddy_Temish Archived version of the hoax] |
| Nuremberg Plate{{pb}}Fictitious torture instrument used during interrogations. Was previously deleted on the German Wikipedia in 2007 for being a hoax.
| data-sort-value="1389" | {{A.y|2007|07|23|2021|06|13|round=2}} | {{nowrap|July 23, 2007}} | {{nowrap|June 13, 2021}} | |
| Stone Ridge, Maryland{{pb}}Fictitious municipality in Maryland.
| data-sort-value="1388" | {{A.y|2007|6|22|2021|5|7|round=2}} | {{nowrap|June 22, 2007}} | {{nowrap|May 7, 2021}} | | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20200609235520/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Ridge,_Maryland Archived version of the hoax] |
| Anthony Lorinthia Geriasarch{{pb}}Fictitious Prussian general.
| data-sort-value="1374" | {{A.y|2010|7|25|2024|04|22|round=2}} | {{nowrap|July 25, 2010}} | {{nowrap|April 21, 2024}} | 1,433 | [https://www.reddit.com/r/confessions/comments/1c8wfvv/i_created_a_fake_wikipedia_with_literally_fake/ Admitted by author on Reddit] |
| Huoheian Fictitious system of aesthetics. | data-sort-value="1370" | {{A.y|2008|10|9|2022|06|21|round=2}} | {{nowrap|October 9, 2008}} | {{nowrap|June 21, 2022}} | 2,931 | Deleted via WP:PROD. |
| Sequenceome{{pb}}Fictitious biology concept, "the totality of polymer sequences on Earth".
| data-sort-value="1366" | {{A.y|2007|12|19|2021|8|17|round=2}} | {{nowrap|December 19, 2007}} | {{nowrap|August 17, 2021}} | 281 | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20210814192359/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequenceome Archived version of the hoax] |
| Bibb County School District vs. Wickman Fictitious Alabama supreme court case | data-sort-value="1360" | {{A.y|2010|01|31|2023|9|9|round=2}} | {{nowrap|January 31, 2010}} | {{nowrap|September 9, 2023}} | | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20150716211426/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibb_County_School_District_vs._Wickman Archived version of the hoax] |
| Joseph G. Williams{{pb}}Fictitious country singer-songwriter.
| data-sort-value="1359" | {{A.y|2007|8|4|2021|3|6|round=2}} | {{nowrap|August 4, 2007}} | {{nowrap|March 6, 2021}} | {{–}} | Speedy deleted as "G3: Blatant hoax"{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20210303015331/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_G._Williams Archived version of the hoax] |
| Karsgaard{{pb}}Fictitious Scottish surname.
| data-sort-value="1345" | {{A.y|2008|2|21|2021|8|2|round=2}} | {{nowrap|February 21, 2008}} | {{nowrap|August 2, 2021}} | | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20210729045025/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karsgaard Archived version of the hoax] |
| Tim Verfaillie{{pb}}Fictitious biography about a Belgian painter, first created on the Dutch-language Wikipedia in 2005 and on English-language Wikipedia in 2006.
| data-sort-value="1334" | {{A.y|2006|6|2|2019|10|6|round=2}} | {{nowrap|June 2, 2006}} | {{nowrap|October 6, 2019}} | 1,010 | Speedy deleted as "G3: Blatant hoax" |
| Whimbling iron{{pb}}Fictitious tool.
| data-sort-value="1334" | {{A.y|2008|3|25|2021|7|29|round=2}} | {{nowrap|March 25, 2008}} | {{nowrap|July 29, 2021}} | | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20210722164903/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whimbling_iron Archived version of the hoax] |
| Eric van Viele{{pb}}Fictitious biography about an actor of the 1922 horror film Nosferatu who supposedly sent death threats to the director. Although the subject might have been a real person, this and other extraordinary claims about him, such as that he was executed, had no sources.
| data-sort-value="1324" | {{A.y|2006|4|4|2019|6|30|round=2}} | {{nowrap|April 4, 2006}} | {{nowrap|June 30, 2019}} | {{–}} | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20190629233925/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_van_Viele Archived version of the hoax] |
| Harivansa{{pb}}Fictitious Portuguese Indian chapel.
| data-sort-value="1320" | {{A.y|2007|10|28|2021|1|10|round=2}} | {{nowrap|October 28, 2007}} | {{nowrap|January 10, 2021}} | {{–}} | [https://web.archive.org/web/20201226231014/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harivansa Archived version of the hoax] |
| Eachy{{pb}}Fictitious monster from the Lake District.
| data-sort-value="1309" | {{A.y|2006|7|12|2019|8|13|round=2}} | {{nowrap|July 12, 2006}} | {{nowrap|August 13, 2019}} | | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://skepticalinquirer.org/2021/12/creating-a-monster-the-case-of-eachy/] |
| Y-Factor{{pb}}Fictitious Cypriot reality TV programme.
| data-sort-value="1299" | {{A.y|2011|10|24|2024|10|23|round=2}} | {{nowrap|October 24, 2011}} | {{nowrap|October 23, 2024}} | | {{Logid|165322214|Speedy deleted}} as "G3: Blatant hoax 'The show had/will have a variety of guest judges including Amy Lee (Evanescence), Simon Cowell, Freddie Mercury and Carrie Underwood' - Freddie died in 1991."{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20230721114707/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y-Factor Archived version of the hoax] |
| Madrigal Shipping Lines{{pb}}Fictitious Australian shipping company.
| data-sort-value="1282" | {{A.y|2008|03|20|2021|1|12|round=2}} | {{nowrap|March 20, 2008}} | {{nowrap|January 12, 2021}} | 4,680 |
| Donald Sawyer{{pb}}Fictitious filmmaker.
| data-sort-value="1280" |{{A.y|2011|04|08|2024|01|24|round=2}} | {{nowrap|April 8, 2011}} | {{nowrap|January 24, 2024}} | | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20230322160713/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Sawyer Archived version of the hoax] |
| Transformatix{{pb}}Fictitious American new wave band.
| data-sort-value="1278" | {{A.y|2008|6|24|2021|4|3|round=2}} | {{nowrap|June 24, 2008}} | {{nowrap|April 3, 2021}} | | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20210327021021/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformatix Archived version of the hoax] |
| JBOB{{pb}}Fictitious acronym for "Just a Bunch Of Bytes", said to be a term used to describe unstructured data that does not have a fixed format.
| data-sort-value="1277" | {{A.y|2008|9|29|2021|7|8|round=2}} | {{nowrap|September 29, 2008}} | {{nowrap|July 8, 2021}} | | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20210329150604/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JBOB Archived version of the hoax] |
| Vivarem{{pb}}Fictitious Sanskrit word supposedly meaning "information."
| data-sort-value="1276" | {{A.y|2006|4|3|2019|1|5|round=2}} | {{nowrap|April 3, 2006}} | {{nowrap|January 5, 2019}} | 542 |
| Nelson Larios{{pb}}Supposedly successful but fictitious Honduran football player.
| data-sort-value="1275" | {{A.y|2008|12|28|2021|9|27|round=2}} | {{nowrap|December 28, 2008}} | {{nowrap|September 27, 2021}} | 2,977 |
| Bont{{pb}}Fictitious ball game, supposedly from France.
| data-sort-value="1269" | {{A.y|2006|8|17|2019|4|27|round=2}} | {{nowrap|August 17, 2006}} | {{nowrap|April 27, 2019}} | 425 |
| Messenger Premier League{{pb}}Fictitious professional table tennis competition in Australia.
| data-sort-value="1268" | {{A.y|2008|9|24|2021|5|30|round=2}} | {{nowrap|September 24, 2008}} | {{nowrap|May 30, 2021}} | 7,540 | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20201109041940/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messenger_Premier_League Archived version of the hoax] |
| Len Bathurst{{pb}}Fictitious association football player
| data-sort-value="1256" | {{A.y|2011|10|15|2024|5|8|round=2}} | {{nowrap|October 15, 2011}} | {{nowrap|May 8, 2024}} | | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20240501133910/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Len_Bathurst Archived version of the hoax] |
| Paul D. Lynn{{pb}}Fictitious Egyptologist
| data-sort-value="1248" | {{A.y|2009|12|29|2022|6|24|round=2}} | {{nowrap|December 29, 2009}} | {{nowrap|June 24, 2022}} | 2,171 | Expired PROD{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20220618043232/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_D._Lynn Archived version of the hoax] |
| Synchronized Football{{pb}}Fictitious variant of association football. The article spuriously claimed it was a popular sport among youth in Norway and also contained a hoax diagram of one of its possible playing fields.
| data-sort-value="1246" | {{A.y|2007|1|7|2019|6|24|round=2}} | {{nowrap|January 7, 2007}} | {{nowrap|June 24, 2019}} | 6,506 | Deletion log{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20190624080431/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronized_Football Archived version of the hoax] |
| Kunlun Mountain Fist Fictitious form of martial arts. | data-sort-value="1241" | {{A.y|2009|11|5|2022|4|3|round=2}} | {{nowrap|November 5, 2009}} | {{nowrap|April 23, 2022}} | | Deleted via WP:PROD. |
| Groove Radio{{pb}}Fictitious British radio station, admitted to have been created by the editor for GCSE coursework in a [https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/comment/26381003#Comment_26381003 2008 forum post]. The article existed as "Grooveradio" until a page move was made in 2019.
| data-sort-value="1234" | {{A.y|2008|4|13|2020|8|14|round=2}} | {{nowrap|April 13, 2008}} | {{nowrap|August 14, 2020}} | 1,037 | [https://web.archive.org/web/20200814000212/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groove_Radio Archived version of the hoax] |
| Bine (mythology){{pb}}Fictitious ancient Akkadian demon claimed to equip demons with wings in preparation for the Second Coming; also claimed to have actually been a mortal carpenter who died and rose again. Despite having no sources, [https://books.google.com/books?id=njDRfG6YVb8C&pg=PA82&dq=Bine+Akkadian+demon&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj2qPy-6ufbAhXj6oMKHQI3DTEQ6AEIJzAA#v=onepage&q=Bine%20Akkadian%20demon&f=false the hoax was included in Theresa Bane's Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures], published by McFarland & Company in 2012.
| data-sort-value="1234" | {{A.y|2005|4|22|2017|8|23|round=2}} | {{nowrap|April 22, 2005}} | {{nowrap|August 23, 2017}} | 1,112 | User talk:Doug Weller/Archive 46#Bine (mythology) hoax article |
| Chu Chi Zui{{pb}}Fictitious Chinese bishop.
| data-sort-value="1230" | {{A.y|2006|4|1|2018|7|21|round=2}} | {{nowrap|April 1, 2006}} | {{nowrap|July 21, 2018}} | 940 |
| The Deadweights{{pb}}Fictitious American punk rock band; was part of a semi-walled garden of hoax articles about the band's alleged discography.
| data-sort-value="1228" | {{A.y|2007|9|16|2019|12|28|round=2}} | {{nowrap|September 16, 2007}} | {{nowrap|December 28, 2019}} | 14,957 |
| Spanish tickler{{pb}}Claimed medieval torture device also allegedly known as a "cat's paw."
| data-sort-value="1221" | {{A.y|2005|12|15|2018|3|2|round=2}} | {{nowrap|December 15, 2005}} | {{nowrap|March 2, 2018}} | 1,398 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia/Spanish_tickler&oldid=828993016 Rationale for deletion] |
| Lollie Alexi Devereaux{{pb}}Fictitious French actor and opera singer.
| data-sort-value="1216" | {{A.y|2008|9|26|2020|11|22|round=2}} | {{nowrap|September 26, 2008}} | {{nowrap|November 22, 2020}} | 2,667 | [https://web.archive.org/web/20161121061453/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lollie_Alexi_Devereaux Archived version of the hoax] |
| Milk Studios{{pb}}Fictitious speciality products retailer in Sweden.
| data-sort-value="1173" | {{A.y|2004|12|7|2016|8|31|round=2}} | {{nowrap|December 7, 2004}} | {{nowrap|August 31, 2016}} | 1,123 | Deletion discussion{{pb}}A number of other organizations appear to exist which share this name but are actual studios or music studios. |
| Global Open University{{pb}}Indian degree mill posing on Wikipedia as a real university.
| data-sort-value="1170" | {{A.y|2008|11|3|2020|7|16|round=2}} | {{nowrap|November 3, 2008}} | {{nowrap|July 16, 2020}} | | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20200710022520/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Open_University Archived version of the hoax] |
| Teddy Dressing{{pb}}Fictitious children's book about dressing.
| data-sort-value="1166" | {{A.y|2008|12|29|2020|8|28|round=2}} | {{nowrap|December 29, 2008}} | {{nowrap|August 28, 2020}} | 1,070 |
| Mauser C6{{pb}}Fictitious firearm produced by Mauser.
| data-sort-value="1156" | {{A.y|2009|11|1|2021|5|24|round=2}} | {{nowrap|November 1, 2009}} | {{nowrap|May 24, 2021}} | |
| George K. Broomhall{{pb}}Fictitious brevet general during the American Civil War who was also credited with the invention of cream soda.
| data-sort-value="1146" | {{A.y|2006|7|21|2018|1|5|round=2}} | {{nowrap|July 21, 2006}} | {{nowrap|January 5, 2018}} | 2,622 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia/George_K._Broomhall Identification of hoax] |
| Codex coemeterium{{pb}}Fictitious 16th-century manuscript.
| data-sort-value="1136" | {{A.y|2012|10|09|2024|02|17|round=2}} | {{nowrap|October 9, 2012}} | {{nowrap|February 17, 2024}} | 1,509 | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20240211030252/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_coemeterium Archived version of the hoax] |
| Ordo Secreta Sapientiae{{pb}}Fictitious 19th-century secret order.
| data-sort-value="1136" | {{A.y|2012|10|09|2024|02|17|round=2}} | {{nowrap|October 9, 2012}} | {{nowrap|February 17, 2024}} | 2,262 | [https://web.archive.org/web/20240217181221/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordo_Secreta_Sapientiae Archived version of the hoax] |
| Mount Kiligantian{{pb}}Fictitious mountain in the Philippines.
| data-sort-value="1125" |{{A.y|2011|06|01|2022|08|30|round=2}} | {{nowrap|June 1, 2011}} | {{nowrap|August 30, 2022}} | 5,175 | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20220824174730/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kiligantian Archived version of the hoax] |
| Lipid therapy{{pb}}Fictitious medical treatment.
| data-sort-value="1114" | {{A.y|2008|9|23|2019|11|13|round=2}} | {{nowrap|September 23, 2008}} | {{nowrap|November 13, 2019}} | | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20191107013401/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipid_therapy Archived version of the hoax] |
| Lake Zamkaft Fictitious religious tradition of a sea that Mohammed crossed while on the Isra and Miraj journey | data-sort-value="1104" | {{A.y|2012|5|16|2023|5|31|round=2}} | {{nowrap|May 16, 2012}} | {{nowrap|May 31, 2023}} | 1,077 | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20230526145032/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Zamkaft Archived version of the hoax] |
| List of Jimmy Lightning episodes List of episodes for a nonexistent animated show on Nickelodeon. Jimmy Lightning is a character in the video game series Peggle. A page for the supposed series itself was never made. | data-sort-value="1103" | {{A.y|2011|4|11|2022|4|22|round=2}} | {{nowrap|April 11, 2011}} | {{nowrap|April 22, 2022}} | 12,751 |[https://web.archive.org/web/20161124123151/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jimmy_Lightning_episodes Archived version of the hoax] |
| Sheer Perfection{{pb}}Purported HBO miniseries, either fictitious or abandoned extremely early in development.
| data-sort-value="1088" | {{A.y|2005|8|31|2016|7|19|round=2}} | {{nowrap|August 31, 2005}} | {{nowrap|July 19, 2016}} | 419 |
| Courts (village){{pb}}Fictitious village in Graubünden, Switzerland.
| data-sort-value="1083" | {{A.y|2009|3|11|2020|1|8|round=2}} | {{nowrap|March 11, 2009}} | {{nowrap|January 8, 2020}} | 450 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Log/delete?page=Courts_(village) Speedy deleted] as "G3: Blatant hoax: per PROD, obvious hoax by indef-blocked sockmaster" |
| Christopher Hamilton{{pb}}Fictitious Anglo-Irish politician and commander.
| data-sort-value="1078" | {{A.y|2010|2|10|2020|11|20|round=2}} | {{nowrap|February 10, 2010}} | {{nowrap|November 20, 2020}} | | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20201111220530/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hamilton Archived version of the hoax] |
| 48 Belgrave Square{{pb}}Real London house falsely alleged to have been owned by fictitious Anglo-Irish politician and commander Christopher Hamilton (see above).
| data-sort-value="1077" | {{A.y|2010|2|10|2020|11|19|round=2}} | {{nowrap|February 10, 2010}} | {{nowrap|November 19, 2020}} | | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20201111220222/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/48_Belgrave_Square Archived version of the hoax] |
| Fuzz (musician){{pb}}Fictitious British musician and film star.
| data-sort-value="1066" |{{A.y|2011|02|09|2021|10|06|round=2}} | {{nowrap|February 9, 2011}} | {{nowrap|October 6, 2021}} | | Speedy deleted as "G3: Blatant hoax"{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20210905000310/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuzz_(musician) Archived version of the hoax] |
| Katherine Y. Qiu Alleged anti-Maoist writer | data-sort-value="1047" | {{A.y|2013|8|1|2024|1|21|round=2}} | {{nowrap|August 1, 2013}} | {{nowrap|January 21, 2024}} | 2,241 | Deletion discussion |
| Tastet{{pb}}Catalan word for 'a small taste of food', apparently created as a marketing ploy for a restaurant in Palamos.
| data-sort-value="1041" |{{A.y|2011|09|17|2022|02|12|round=2}} | {{nowrap|September 17, 2011}} | {{nowrap|February 12, 2022}} | | Expired PROD{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20220206221620/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tastet Archived version of the hoax] |
| Sassnitz Campaign Fictitious battle in the Seven Years' War | data-sort-value="1035" | {{A.y|2013|12|21|2024|4|28|round=2}} | {{nowrap|December 21, 2013}} | {{nowrap|April 28, 2024}} | 2,518 | [https://web.archive.org/web/20240428122536/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassnitz_Campaign Archived version of the hoax] |
| Théophile Figeys{{pb}}Alleged major-general in the Belgian army.
| data-sort-value="1030" |{{A.y|2010|2|19|2020|6|8|round=2}} | {{nowrap|February 19, 2010}} | {{nowrap|June 8, 2020}} | 1,245 | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20151223203319/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A9ophile_Figeys Archived version of the hoax] |
| Mount Malaueg{{pb}}Fictitious mountain in the Philippines.
| data-sort-value="1018" |{{A.y|2012|06|29|2022|09|04|round=2}} | {{nowrap|June 29, 2012}} | {{nowrap|September 4, 2022}} | | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20161127013814/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Malaueg Archived version of the hoax] |
| Jack Robichaux Fictitious 19th-century serial rapist in New Orleans. Note: John Robichaux was a different, real, nineteenth-century New Orleans personality. | data-sort-value="1009" | {{A.y|2005|7|31|2015|9|3|round=2}} | {{nowrap|July 31, 2005}} | {{nowrap|September 3, 2015}} | 1,164 | Deletion discussion{{pb}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20060913000000/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Robichaux Archived version of the hoax] [http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/wikipedias-longestrunning-fake-page-has-been-found-after-ten-years--Wkzd8DMFae Article on i100] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206000028/http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/wikipedias-longestrunning-fake-page-has-been-found-after-ten-years--Wkzd8DMFae |date=February 6, 2016 }} |
= Extant for 8–10 years =
| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
! style="width:40%;"|Hoax ! style="width:5.5em;" | Length ! style="width:7em;" | Creation date ! style="width:7em;" | Deletion date ! style="width:5.5em;" | Size in bytes ! class="unsortable" | Links |
| Maddi Fairthorne Fictitious president of the World Bank from 1985 to 1988. In reality, Alden W. Clausen and Barber Conable held the office during that time. | data-sort-value="911.5" | {{A.y|01|09|2006|25|08|2016|round=2}} | September 1, 2006 | August 25, 2016 | | [https://web.archive.org/web/20151004105547/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maddi_Fairthorne Archived version of the hoax] |
| Guillermo Garcia (businessman) Imaginary "highly influential" oil and forestry magnate in 18th-century South America | data-sort-value="910" | {{A.y|17|11|2005|19|09|2015|round=2}} | November 17, 2005 | September 19, 2015 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Guillermo Garcia (businessman) |
| Ageneros Fictitious Aristotlean concept, supposedly meaning "never existed" | data-sort-value="910" | {{A.y|16|09|2012|15|07|2022|round=2}} | September 16, 2012 | July 15, 2022 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Log?type=delete&user=&page=Ageneros&wpdate=&tagfilter=&subtype= Deletion log] |
| Lawrence Douglas Versett Fictitious Albertan homesteader | data-sort-value="909.5" | {{A.y|10|10|2013|28|07|2023|round=2}} | September 1, 2006 | August 25, 2016 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Log?type=delete&user=&page=Lawrence+Douglas+Versett&wpdate=&tagfilter=&subtype=&wpFormIdentifier=logeventslist Deletion log] [https://web.archive.org/web/20210814225129/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Douglas_Versett Archived version of the hoax] |
| Jar'Edo Wens Fictional Australian Aboriginal deity, presumably named after "Jared Owens". | data-sort-value="909" | {{A.y|29|05|2005|03|03|2015|round=2}} | May 29, 2005 | March 3, 2015 | 539 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Jar'Edo Wens. Archives: [https://archive.today/6xwzo English article], [https://archive.today/mVnF8 English article's revision history]. Note also: [https://archive.today/TSMPp French translation], [https://archive.today/WH2M8 Revision history of French article], [https://archive.today/bjiWQ Wikidata entry], [https://archive.today/lJU3M Revision history of Wikidata entry] |
| Pikes on Cliffs Fictional Spanish coastal house, claimed as the 16th-century home of a nonexistent Irish sailor who survived a death sentence from Sir Francis Drake. | data-sort-value="908.5" | {{A.y|17|03|2005|05|12|2014|round=2}} | March 17, 2005 | December 5, 2014 | 936 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pikes_on_Cliffs Pikes on Cliffs deletion log] Archived hoax: [https://web.archive.org/web/20060913000000/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pikes_on_Cliffs] |
| Salvadorian Magpie Fictional bird allegedly found in Jamaica | data-sort-value="908"|{{A.y|07|03|2011|24|11|2020|round=2}} | March 7, 2011 | November 24, 2020 | 1,020 |
| World Laparoscopy Hospital Fictitious Indian hospital, actually an apparent scam | data-sort-value="907" | {{A.y|27|11|2010|28|06|2020|round=2}} | November 27, 2010 | June 28, 2020 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/World Laparoscopy Hospital |
| Gregory Namoff An "internationally known" but nonexistent investment banker, minor Watergate figure, and U.S. Senate candidate. | data-sort-value="906.5" | {{A.y|17|06|2005|13|01|2015|round=2}} | June 17, 2005 | January 13, 2015 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Gregory Namoff [https://web.archive.org/web/20051215000000/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Namoff Archive] |
| Izana Fictional Incan creation myth | data-sort-value="1001" | {{A.y|25|10|2010|11|05|2020|round=2}} | October 25, 2010 | May 11, 2020 | | AFD nomination, [https://web.archive.org/web/20220720035937/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izana archived article] |
| Alan MacMasters Supposed 19th century Scottish inventor of the electric toaster, the name was originally added to the toaster article in February 2012, before being picked up by newspapers later that year, prior to the creation of the article. | data-sort-value="906" | {{A.y|17|02|2013|22|07|2022|round=2}} | February 17, 2013 | July 22, 2022 | | AFD nomination, [https://archive.ph/IL2ay archived article], [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/the-reporters-63622746 news coverage] |
| Double Hour Supposed German and American television show, covering historic events over a two-hour span. | data-sort-value="906" | {{A.y|23|09|2005|04|04|2015|round=2}} | September 23, 2005 | April 4, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Hour_%28TV_series%29 Double Hour (TV series) deletion log] Archived version of hoax: [https://web.archive.org/web/20060913000000/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Hour_(TV_series)] |
| Sean Mann "Allan K. Wood Distinguished Professor of Bioethics and Korean language" at the University of California, Berkeley, with a remarkable but totally fake career as a bioethicist, theologian, and anarchist. | data-sort-value="906" | {{A.y|06|10|2005|05|04|2015|round=2}} | October 6, 2005 | April 5, 2015 | 6,819 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Mann Sean Mann deletion log] |
| Snappy & friends Supposed animated show | data-sort-value="905.5" | {{A.y|06|03|2005|22|08|2014|round=2}} | March 6, 2005 | August 22, 2014 | 958 | |
| Conchobar Mac Con Raoí Fictitious inhabitant of Galway, Ireland who lived (or claimed to live) 280 years from 1300 to 1580. References mentioned an Irish historian as source, but this author's work does not mention the subject. | data-sort-value="1105" | {{A.y|14|12|2009|05|05|2019|round=2}} | December 14, 2009 | May 5, 2019 | 1,427 |
| Blood Eagle (band) Supposed British band | data-sort-value="903.5" | {{A.y|30|12|2005|21|04|2015|round=2}} | December 30, 2005 | April 21, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blood_Eagle_(band)&action=edit&redlink=1 deletion log], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blood_eagle&diff=33263745&oldid=31449605 addition at Blood eagle] |
| Nicholas Burkhart Fictitious 17th-century legislator in the House of Keys on the Isle of Man. | data-sort-value="902" | {{A.y|19|07|2006|26|09|2015|round=2}} | July 19, 2006 | September 26, 2015 | |
| Henry Vaughan Fictitious 18th-century landowner, supposedly killed by a mob and buried at the Radnorshire Arms in Presteigne. | data-sort-value="901.5" | {{A.y|28|10|2005|11|12|2014|round=2}} | October 28, 2005 | December 11, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Vaughan_(1721-1754) Henry Vaughan deletion log] |
| Kelly Bednar Fictitious NFL player. | data-sort-value="901" | {{A.y|29|03|2016|05|04|2025|round=2}} | March 29, 2016 | April 5, 2025 | 2,675 |
| Rich Bradford Supposed New Mexico Lobos football player, falsely listed as an Outland Trophy nominee and credited with a key play in the California Raisin Bowl. | data-sort-value="811.5" | {{A.y|01|05|2007|16|04|2016|round=2}} | May 1, 2007 | April 16, 2016 | 1,277 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Rich Bradford. The author {{user|Mosaicbull}} and his sock {{user|LoboSportsBureau}} created Fumble Rumble and Las Vegas All-Star Classic to support the story and created links in a number of existing articles. Las Vegas All-Star Classic lasted two months and was deleted as a content fork rather than as an hoax. Although it linked to Fumble Rumble no suspicions were aroused. Fumble Rumble was re-created twice and survived for more than a year and was deleted for lack of notability with just a suspicion that it might be an hoax. And although it linked to Rich Bradford suspicions were again not aroused. |
| Hey Everybody Fictional compilation album from Jennifer Love Hewitt. | data-sort-value="811" | {{A.y|05|01|2008|16|12|2016|round=2}} | January 5, 2008 | December 16, 2016 | 2,060 |
| Fretïmio Assocão di Planka Fictitious anti-colonial thinker from Guinea-Bissau and cofounder of the PAIGC. Supposedly looked like Willie J. Hagan. | data-sort-value="811" | {{A.y|19|10|2015|28|09|2024|round=2}} | October 19, 2015 | September 28, 2024 | 2,892 | AFD nomination, [https://web.archive.org/web/20221105165618/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fret%C3%AFmio_Assoc%C3%A3o_di_Planka Archived version] |
| Emilia Dering Long-lived article about a non-existent 19th-century German poet started with the basic "Emilia Dering is a famous poet who was born in Berlin, Germany on April 16, 1885" and immediately given [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia%3AList_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia%2FEmilia_Dering&type=revision&diff=92525125&oldid=92524483 an image] of Mark E. Smith by a single purpose account | data-sort-value="810" | {{A.y|06|12|2006|06|10|2015|round=2}} | December 6, 2006 | October 6, 2015 | 643 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilia_Dering Emilia Dering deletion log]; deleted via A7. On the same day of the article's creation, a person claiming to be the granddaughter of Emilia Dering made a [http://emiliadering.blogspot.com/ blog post with an attributed poem] supposedly by her. |
| Haji Saeed Samadodot Bambaras Fictitious Djiboutian Issa clan leader, and the claimed "right hand side of Haile Sailasse and Djiboutian rebel against the Italians" | data-sort-value="809" | {{A.y|24|12|2012|20|10|2021|round=2}} | December 24, 2012 | October 20, 2021 | | Deletion discussion and [https://web.archive.org/web/20211018152229/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haji_Saeed_Samadodot_Bambaras archive of the article] |
| To the Hills with Thee, Angharrad Nonexistent one-man play set in Wales, the United States, and Vietnam, falsely ascribed to Boyd Clack; cited a fake review by Kenneth Tynan. | data-sort-value="808" | {{A.y|02|12|2006|10|08|2015|round=2}} | December 2, 2006 | August 10, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_the_Hills_with_Thee,_Angharrad Deletion log] |
| Doni Kochev Imaginary 19th-century Bulgarian revolutionary against the Ottoman Empire. | data-sort-value="807" | {{A.y|19|01|2007|31|08|2015|round=2}} | January 19, 2007 | August 31, 2015 | |
| Bodhi stones Supposed mythical stones carved from Mount Meru and distributed among eight elders in eight villages because of their sacred powers; falsely sourced to the Mahabharata before G3 deletion. | data-sort-value="807" | {{A.y|15|08|2006|16|03|2015|round=2}} | August 15, 2006 | March 16, 2015 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Bodhi stones Archived version of hoax: [https://web.archive.org/web/20060913000000/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi_stones] |
| Ali Murad Khan Kalhoro Fictitious leader of the Kalhora tribe from 1880 to 1925. Earlier versions of the article propose that he instead ruled from 1810 to 1875. | data-sort-value="807" | {{A.y|08|07|2013|10|02|2022|round=2}} | July 8, 2013 | February 10, 2022 | |
| Hot mash Fictional variety of casserole, claimed to be a favorite dish of Elvis Presley | data-sort-value="806" | {{A.y|29|01|2016|02|09|2024|round=2}} | January 29, 2016 | September 2, 2024 | | Deleted via PROD |
| Jeffrey Boehm Fictitious British naval officer with supposed feats in battle at Grenada, the Saintes, and Trafalgar. | data-sort-value="806.5" | {{A.y|23|01|2007|11|08|2015|round=2}} | January 23, 2007 | August 11, 2015 | 3,344 |
| Catherine Higgins Nonexistent TV actress, supposedly noted for roles on the imaginary ABC shows Death Reward and Ocatavius Merredrew; G3 deletion. | data-sort-value="806" | {{A.y|19|01|2007|18|07|2015|round=2}} | January 19, 2007 | July 18, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Higgins Catherine Higgins deletion log] Archived version of hoax: [https://web.archive.org/web/20150319211202/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Higgins] |
| Library of Amartya Fictional library. | data-sort-value="805.5" | {{A.y|13|01|2007|04|07|2015|round=2}} | January 13, 2007 | July 4, 2015 | |
| Near Dark (unfinished film) Nonexistent remake, based on claims of a remake that was cancelled in the pre-production stage. | data-sort-value="805.5" | {{A.y|09|08|2007|15|03|2016|round=2}} | August 9, 2007 | March 15, 2016 | 676 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Near Dark (unfinished film). |
| Medio Oriente Fictitious borough of San Juan, Puerto Rico | data-sort-value="903.5" | {{A.y|21|09|2010|16|02|2019|round=2}} | September 21, 2010 | February 16, 2019 | |
| Hugh Bruce Cunningham Supposed Scottish minister noted for a fictitious coat of arms and the rejection of a knighthood from King George III. | data-sort-value="804" | {{A.y|28|03|2007|06|08|2015|round=2}} | March 28, 2007 | August 6, 2015 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Hugh Bruce Cunningham [http://ejje.weblio.jp/content/Hugh+Bruce+Cunningham Archived] at ejje.weblio.jp |
| Collins Slip Nonexistent instruction sheet included with prescription drugs, based on a spurious 1983 accident in Akron, Ohio. | data-sort-value="803.5" | {{A.y|22|11|2006|08|03|2015|round=2}} | November 22, 2006 | March 8, 2015 | |
| Eric Heineman Supposed Czech-American mathematician and electrical engineer with reputed academic career at Charles University and Yale in 19th & early 20th century. | data-sort-value="803" | {{A.y|18|08|2006|29|11|2014|round=2}} | August 18, 2006 | November 29, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Heineman Eric Heineman deletion log] Archived version of hoax: [https://web.archive.org/web/20060913000000/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Heineman] |
| Don Meme A fictitious "mythical, wise guru" in Puebla, Mexico, supposedly the subject of a nonexistent short story collection; also claimed to be a mentor for real-life bands and "an entity that appears as soon as a bohemian party is summoned." Later deleted via G3. | data-sort-value="803" | {{A.y|14|12|2006|21|03|2015|round=2}} | December 14, 2006 | March 21, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Meme Don Meme deletion log] |
| Bessa Vugo Nonexistent molecular biologist and collaborator with Jacques Monrod who "famously" had children eat brussel sprouts, and disproved Fouriers Law for Heat Transfer. | data-sort-value="802.5" | {{A.y|11|10|2006|09|01|2015|round=2}} | October 11, 2006 | January 9, 2015 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Bessa_Vugo Archived version of hoax: [https://web.archive.org/web/20151113075213/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessa_Vugo] |
| Victor Escobar Nonexistent Colombian student at School of the Americas, whose unexplained disappearance supposedly prompted a bill in the United States House of Representatives. | data-sort-value="802.5" | {{A.y|11|10|2006|09|01|2015|round=2}} | October 11, 2006 | January 9, 2015 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Victor Escobar Archived version of hoax: [https://web.archive.org/web/20101103091713/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Escobar] |
| Chaozhouxieye Fabricated Chinese leisurewear company "best known for their plastic open toe slippers or flip-flops" and apparently worn by Jodie Marsh, Ken Dodd, and C+C Music Factory (whose song "Things That Make You Go Hmmm" also allegedly inspired by the company) | data-sort-value="802" | {{A.y|20|08|2007|22|10|2015|round=2}} | August 20, 2007 | October 22, 2015 | 1,138 | |
| Horng fong "Legendary" Vietnamese reptile not mentioned in any sources (including the real sources mentioned in the article). | data-sort-value="802" | {{A.y|02|11|2008|29|12|2016|round=2}} | November 2, 2008 | December 29, 2016 | 2,099 |
| Jairo Valos Rodriguez Invented American yo-yo champion born on August 26, 1989. | data-sort-value="801.5" | {{A.y|24|04|2009|15|06|2017|round=2}} | April 24, 2009 | June 15, 2017 | 2,416 | |
| Ted and the Treble Tones Fake rock band from Fresno, credited with an imaginary 1959 hit that appears nowhere on the Billboard charts. | data-sort-value="801.5" | {{A.y|13|11|2006|01|01|2015|round=2}} | November 13, 2006 | January 1, 2015 | |
| Daniel de Búrca Nonexistent 18th-century Irish philosopher, credited with fake controversial essays that supposedly influenced David Hume. | data-sort-value="801" | {{A.y|16|10|2006|30|11|2014|round=2}} | October 16, 2006 | November 30, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_de_B%C3%BArca Daniel de Búrca deletion log] |
| Gaius Flavius Antoninus Supposed assassin of Julius Caesar, claimed to have later been assassinated himself by a male prostitute hired by Mark Antony | data-sort-value="801" | {{A.y|09|06|2004|13|07|2012|round=2}} | June 9, 2004 | July 13, 2012 | 835 |
| Alyse Squillace Fictitious American children's book author | data-sort-value="800" | {{A.y|06|02|2007|17|02|2015|round=2}} | February 6, 2007 | February 17, 2015 | 1,039 |
| Glamoč Airport Fictitious airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina | data-sort-value="800" | {{A.y|10|02|2013|15|02|2021|round=2}} | February 10, 2013 | February 15, 2021 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Glamoč Airport |
= Extant for 4–8 years =
| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em ! style="width:40%;"|Hoax ! style="width:5.5em;" | Length ! style="width:7em;" | Creation date ! style="width:7em;" | Deletion date ! style="width:5.5em;" | Size in bytes ! class="unsortable" | Links | ||||||
| The Falsetto Basses Fictitious pop band of the late 1980s, supposedly based in Asheville, North Carolina and credited with two nonexistent hit songs. | data-sort-value="711.99" | {{A.y|2007|04|08|2015|04|03|round=2}} | April 8, 2007 | April 3, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Falsetto_Basses The Falsetto Basses deletion log] | ||||||
| Jan Latalski (Indian historical figure) Fictitious 12th-century Indian person who built Hindu temples; not to be confused with the 15th-century Polish bishop Jan Latalski. | data-sort-value="711.98" | {{A.y|2013|12|5|2021|11|28|round=2}} | December 5, 2013 | November 28, 2021 | | G3 | ||||||
| Deogen Supposed urban legend about a ghost said to haunt the Sonian Forest in Belgium. | data-sort-value="711.92" |{{A.y|2009|12|30|2017|12|02|round=2}} | December 30, 2009 | December 2, 2017 | | Deletion discussion | ||||||
| Scarlett Montanaro Fictitious British singer/actress | data-sort-value="711" | 7 years, | June 27, 2012 | May 29, 2020 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlett_Montanaro Scarlett Montanaro deletion log] | ||||||
| St Angeline Fake wind-powered "submersible research centre" in the Atlantic Ocean west of England, supposedly designed for the study of life support and land reclamation systems. | data-sort-value="710.5" | 7 years, | October 4, 2007 | August 31, 2015 | | ||||||
| Morgan Dee Voon Alleged amateur female scientist and possible mistress of the founder of modern genetics Gregor Mendel | data-sort-value="710.5" | 7 years, | April 7, 2007 | February 23, 2015 | 3,091 | [{{fullurl:Morgan Dee Voon}} Morgan Dee Voon deletion log] | ||||||
| Guy de la Bretaigne Imaginary "critic, dandy, and man of letters" in 19th-century France, supposedly noted for his "studied indifference" and correspondence with Charles Baudelaire. | data-sort-value="709.5" | 7 years, | June 20, 2007 | April 18, 2015 | 3,091 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_de_la_Bretaigne Guy de la Bretaigne deletion log] | ||||||
| Wolsebuse Games Fictitious 1990s video game company | data-sort-value="709.5" | 7 years, | February 10, 2007 | December 5, 2014 | 4,138 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolsebuse_Games Wolsebuse Games deletion log] | ||||||
| The Brothers Wing Invented Florida-based reggae band with a fictitious album | data-sort-value="709" | 7 years, | March 10, 2007 | December 19, 2014 | 2,130 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Brothers_Wing The Brothers Wing deletion log] | ||||||
| PH Games Nonexistent tabletop game manufacturer in India, credited with numerous imaginary titles across multiple platforms. Deleted via prod for being an advertisement, then deleted due to Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/PH Games. | data-sort-value="708.5" | 7 years, | November 6, 2007 | July 25, 2015 | 1,188 | ||||||
| Vic coin Fictitious and/or never-launched blockchain/cryptocurrency. The article very heavily resembled the Bitcoin whitepaper, but closely paraphrased in an ungrammatical and nonsensical way (upon further investigation, this may have been the actual white paper of a different, real project). Prodded and endorsed, then speedied under G12 as a copyvio. | data-sort-value="708.5" | 7 years, | September 27, 2016 | June 12, 2022 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Log/delete&page=Vic_coin Vic coin deletion log] | ||||||
| The Vans Brothers Fictitious mid-2000s New Zealand blues band, with a nonexistent album and record label. | data-sort-value="707" | 7 years, | January 21, 2008 | August 31, 2015 | | ||||||
| Reede-drum Imaginary frame drum from Kyrgyzstan | data-sort-value="707" | 7 years, | December 10, 2007 | July 18, 2015 | 2,130 | ||||||
| TNT television Nonexistent 2001–2002 Australian children's show on Network Ten | data-sort-value="706.5" | 7 years, | January 16, 2008 | August 2, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=TNT_television&oldid=662511538 Last version prior to being tagged as hoax]; [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=TNT_television&action=history Article history]; redirected to TNT (TV channel) after being nominated for G3 deletion. | ||||||
| James Snipplet Nonexistent 19th-century member of Parliament, poet, and songwriter, supposedly noted for his advocacy of Irish tenant farmers' rights; [https://twitter.com/jamessnipplet hoax Twitter account] created for support. | data-sort-value="706" | 7 years, | February 25, 2008 | September 8, 2015 | | ||||||
| Evarts Friedman Imaginary 1910s and 1920s vaudeville promoter, whose supposed career ended in debt, disaster, and conflict with "bailiffs, Mafioso and the Chicago State police." | data-sort-value="705.5" | 7 years, | June 11, 2007 | December 1, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evarts_Friedman Evarts Friedman deletion log] | ||||||
| Mendaxi Fictitious Greek cosmetics company, supposedly backed by Aristotle Onassis and purchased by L'Oreal in 1976. | data-sort-value="705.5" | 7 years, | February 17, 2008 | August 7, 2015 | | ||||||
| Hector Does Nonexistent 1987 animated Conservative Party short films on political topics (e.g., Hector Refuses to Join a Trade Union), apparently derived from Charley Says; supposedly ordered destroyed by Margaret Thatcher. | data-sort-value="704.5" | 7 years, | March 21, 2008 | August 8, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector_Does Hector Does deletion log] | ||||||
| Nihil Pop Organization Supposed counter-cultural organization with branches in the United States, France and Italy; allegedly dedicated to "nihilism through pop culture" by means of art exhibitions, fanzines, and terrorism. | data-sort-value="703" | 7 years, | June 24, 2008 | September 23, 2015 | | ||||||
| Clyde McKnight American rapper; appears to be a real person, however article falsely claimed collaborations with Paris Hilton, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and more. | data-sort-value="702" | 7 years, | November 25, 2012 | January 30, 2020 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Clyde McKnight | ||||||
| rowspan=2 | Chen Fang A Wikipedian noticed in November 2012 that The Harvard Guide to Using Sources [http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k70847&pageid=icb.page346376 said that] "an Expos student who was writing a paper about the limitations of Wikipedia posted a fictional entry for himself, stating that he was the mayor of a small town in China. Four years later, if you type in his name, or if you do a subject search on Wikipedia for mayors of towns in China, you will still find this fictional entry." No longer. | data-sort-value="0" | 6 days | February 11, 2005 | February 17, 2005 | | rowspan=2 | 2005 VfD, Discussion on the Admin noticeboard | ||||||
| data-sort-value="702" | 7 years, 2 months | September 25, 2005 | November 19, 2012 | | ||||||
| Cadamekela and Durkeamynarda Fictitious works attributed to Indian mathematician Brahmagupta. | data-sort-value="701" | 7 years, | June 25, 2007 | July 29, 2014 | | {{diff|Talk:Brahmagupta#Probable_hoax | 619939091|Talk page discussion}} {{diff|Brahmagupta|140446267|139173338|added}}, {{diff|Brahmagupta|618994356 | removed}}; removed from [https://fr.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brahmagupta&diff=118249787&oldid=116900943 French] and [https://hu.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brahmagupta&diff=16464996&oldid=15467589 Hungarian] Wikipedia in September 2015. | ||||
| Siete Viejo (gang) Fictitious street gang allegedly founded by Vietnam War veterans. | data-sort-value="701"|7 years, | August 5, 2011 | September 5, 2018 | | ||||||
| Mr Bennett Goes to Town Nonexistent Nazi propaganda film set in Manchester, supposedly produced in 1937 but never released because of production complaints by Joseph Goebbels. | data-sort-value="701" | 7 years, | March 15, 2008 | April 14, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr_Bennett_Goes_to_Town Mr Bennett Goes to Town deletion log] | ||||||
| Elaine de Francias Supposed illegitimate daughter of Henry II of France; hoax was suspected for years on talk page and taken apart piecemeal before final PROD deletion. | data-sort-value="700.5" | 7 years, | February 28, 2008 | March 20, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_de_Francias Elaine de Francias deletion log] | ||||||
| J.J. Johnson Fictional NFL player with a fabricated career with UCLA, the Kansas City Chiefs, and numerous teams in other leagues | data-sort-value="700.5" | 7 years, | October 25, 2007 | November 15, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._J._Johnson_%28wide_receiver%29 J.J. Johnson deletion log] | ||||||
| Manfred Jung Fictitious French poet, noted for his equally spurious "philosophical or theological" poetry collection Instructions. | data-sort-value="700.2" | 7 years | September 16, 2008 | September 26, 2015 | | ||||||
| Chloroorganic carrier Fictitious term for a group of molecules. Was previously G3 deleted in 2010. | data-sort-value="700.1" | 7 years | December 21, 2014 | December 29, 2021 | | [https://web.archive.org/web/20211223010501/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chloroorganic_carrier archive of the hoax] | ||||||
| Gatsby Major Alleged to be Director of Bureau of Fisheries in 1897. | data-sort-value="611.8" | 6 years, | October 23, 2008 | October 19, 2015 | 1,545 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatsby_Major Gatsby Major deletion log] | ||||||
| Tony's Home Spectacular but false record (#2 on the Billboard charts in 2006, 376,000 sales in first week) for an obscure rap album | data-sort-value="611.5" | 6 years, | September 25, 2008 | September 19, 2015 | 2,396 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony's_Home Tony's Home deletion log] | ||||||
| Olimar The Wondercat Fictional children's television programme. Author later admitted he made it for his cat. | data-sort-value="611" | 6 years, | August 5, 2006 | July 9, 2013 | 2,849 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Olimar The Wondercat [https://web.archive.org/web/20200815071104/https://twitter.com/ProfEdWild/status/355799282189729792 Admission by author (in German)] | ||||||
| European Football Coach of the Season, European Football Coach of the Year Fictitious football awards | data-sort-value="611" | 6 years, | May 30, 2017 / May 26, 2017 | April 19, 2024 | data-sort-value="14605" | 17,928 / 14,605 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/European Football Coach of the Season, Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/European Football Coach of the Year | ||||||
| Steve Moertel Fictitious inventor of a new type of popcorn. | data-sort-value="610.5" | 6 years, | March 12, 2009 | February 3, 2016 | | Hoax discovered by researchers from the University of Maryland and Stanford University as part of an [http://cs.umd.edu/~srijan/pubs/hoax-www16.pdf academic paper]. | ||||||
| George Colby and Colby Pirates A supposed British privateer and profiteer ("Colonial Colonel Cheese Colby"), and his group of pirates, of the French and Indian War (1754–1763) | data-sort-value="610" | 6 years, | August 5, 2006 | June 7, 2013 | 1,406 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/George Colby, [http://books.google.com/books?id=U-RyAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA12&lpg=PA12&dq=george+colby+pirates&source=bl&ots=S7Dh7RiyZv&sig=ht6iuklmRjTL1uVWtp0I60eZLfQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=fuvPUpSlHcO0sASFhoDoCw&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAQB Believed] by at least one book and many people online | ||||||
| Napalm Brain Nonexistent English psychedelic rock band credited with two fictitious albums. | data-sort-value="609.5" | 6 years, | February 19, 2008 | December 10, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napalm_Brain Napalm Brain deletion log] | ||||||
| Daniel Pontillas Supposedly a "gentleman thief, master of disguise, and an amateur detective" in a 1905 short-story collection; partial name-change plagiarism of Arsène Lupin. | data-sort-value="609" | 6 years, | July 5, 2008 | April 9, 2015 | | ||||||
| Murder of Andre Marshall Imaginary murder in Bridgeport, Connecticut. | data-sort-value="609" | 6 years, | November 30, 2006 | August 26, 2013 | 4,653 | ||||||
| Athanasius of Dendrinata Fictional "negotiator and scholar" in Athens during the 2nd century BC | data-sort-value="608" | 6 years, | August 2, 2009 | April 15, 2016 | 709 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Athanasius of Dendrinata via SwisterTwister | ||||||
| Howard's Law Fictitious formula for diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, supposedly identified in 1955 by the equally spurious doctor "Howard Luci-Liu." | data-sort-value="607" | 6 years, | data-sort-value="October 1, 2007" | October 2007 | May 29, 2014 | | ||||||
| Milton Bradley Playmate Supposed 600-cubic-foot computer prototype designed in late 1960s to play various board games using a giant robotic claw arm. | data-sort-value="607" | 6 years, | data-sort-value="January 1, 2008" | January 2008 | August 10, 2014 | | ||||||
| Kings of All Times Nonexistent Yemeni novel, credited to two different dubious authors, about the political and personal challenges of an Estonian and his delusional friend in Yemen. | data-sort-value="606.5" | 6 years, | April 30, 2008 | November 23, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_of_All_Times Kings of All Times deletion log] | ||||||
| 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. | data-sort-value="606" | 6 years, | November 20, 2005 | May 14, 2012 | 380 | ||||||
| O-Ha! Nonexistent sitcom on ABC (now TV5) in the Philippines, with only four episodes from 2006-2007. | data-sort-value="605.5" | 6 years, | October 13, 2008 | April 9, 2015 | | ||||||
| Bonehill international Supposed KGB "department for exportation of revolution," blamed for a nonexistent financial scandal in Latvia. | data-sort-value="604.5" | 6 years, | July 14, 2008 | December 3, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonehill_international Bonehill international deletion log] | ||||||
| Crocodile shears Supposed Medieval torture device | data-sort-value="604.5" | 6 years, | March 20, 2006 | July 30, 2012 | 1,172 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Crocodile shears [http://listverse.com/2009/07/20/top-10-gruesome-medieval-torture-devices/ Named by Listverse as the most gruesome medieval torture device] | ||||||
| Rough Creek Ranch Supposed ranch in Oklahoma which claimed to be "the first parcel to be purchased in a long-term plan to re-establish the equivalent of conditions in Oklahoma which existed prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 16th through 18th centuries." | data-sort-value="603.5" | 6 years, | September 5, 2006 | December 15, 2012 | 546 | ||||||
| Assorted made-up political parties in Kosovo Democrat Republic Party Christian Party of Kosovo Union of Kosovo Party Serbian Union of Kosovo & Metohija Peoples Party of Kosovo | data-sort-value="603" | 6 years, | October 11, 2008 | January 17, 2015 | 416 | ||||||
| The Travails and Tribulations of Geoffrey Peacock Fictional novel alleged to have been written by Huxley, the book was listed on [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aldous_Huxley&diff=193877581&oldid=193623717 Huxley's article] in 2008 and an article on the novel was written in May 2014, prompting its detection. | data-sort-value="603" | 6 years, | February 25, 2008 | May 14, 2014 | 7,203 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/The Travails and Tribulations of Geoffrey Peacock | ||||||
| Hasan Masurica Claimed inventor/engineer who built an airplane out of wood in 1899. | data-sort-value="602" | 6 years, | March 6, 2012 | May 1, 2018 | | ||||||
| Rhys Hopkin Supposed Newcastle Falcons rugby player and politician, with fabricated career as mayor of Durham and a brother claimed to be Labour MP for Wells; deleted via G3. | data-sort-value="601" | 6 years, | June 27, 2009 | August 6, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhys_Hopkin Rhys Hopkin deletion log] | ||||||
| Indian Institute of Ecology and Environment Indian degree mill presented as a legitimate academic institution | data-sort-value="600.5" | 6 years, | June 18, 2014 | June 30, 2020 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Indian Institute of Ecology and Environment | ||||||
| Victoria Jade Meyers Non-existent Australian actress | data-sort-value="600" | 6 years | February 13, 2013 | February 18, 2019 | 1,891 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Victoria Jade Meyers. Article creator previously also created an article on another likely fabricated Australian actress, Cheyenne Carthy, which was quickly caught and deleted. | ||||||
| Kunhar River Spot-Boi Fictitious river in Pakistan | data-sort-value="511.5" | 5 years, | November 18, 2014 | October 31, 2020 | | [https://web.archive.org/web/20201027215750/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunhar_River_Spot-Boi Archived version of the hoax] | ||||||
| Sura of Parthia Fictitious Iranian warrior princess, non-existent daughter of the real Ardavān V, last king of the Parthian empire. Hoax only discovered after both fooling a senior academic and also inspiring another woman to change her name in honour of this imaginary princess. | data-sort-value="511" | 5 years, | June 3, 2012 | May 3, 2018 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Sura of Parthia Archived version of hoax: [https://web.archive.org/web/20161114170441/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sura_of_Parthia] | ||||||
| WWVS-LP Fictitious American TV station | data-sort-value="511" | 5 years, | October 4, 2014 | September 2, 2020 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/WWVS-LP | ||||||
| Saint Ofelia Alleged Danish Catholic saint and disciple of Saint Ansgar | data-sort-value="510" | 5 years, | June 8, 2008 | April 14, 2014 | 521 | ||||||
| Mark L. Smith (musician) Fictitious American pianist | data-sort-value="510" | 5 years, | March 15, 2015 | January 19, 2021 | | [https://web.archive.org/web/20210119144436/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_L._Smith_%28musician%29 Archived version of the hoax] | ||||||
| Operation Pax Romana Fictitious Nazi program to expand the Holocaust in Romania, directed by a fake "Colonel Johannes Jodl" before his supposed escape to Brazil; hoax was revealed in a 2010 edit but self-reverted and survived five more years. | data-sort-value="510" | 5 years, | May 26, 2009 | March 29, 2015 | | ||||||
| Gold Tea Supposed brand of tea from the Confederate States of America. Originally an unsourced stub, it was later expanded to claim that gold flakes were put into the tea for smuggling to the north. | data-sort-value="509" | 5 years, | May 17, 2005 | February 16, 2011 | 1,163 | ||||||
| Unit 773 Imaginary Japanese biological weapons unit in the imaginary Chinese city of "Songo", created by a banned user | data-sort-value="509" | 5 years, | October 7, 2006 | July 3, 2012 | 805 | Unit 731 is a similar actual article | ||||||
| Nevsky (Russian mafia) Alleged organized crime family in Russia and the United States; supposedly reduced drastically through "constant wars with rival criminal families." | data-sort-value= "508.5" | 5 years, | July 6, 2009 | March 31, 2015 | 3,024 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevsky_%28Russian_mafia%29 Nevsky (Russian mafia) deletion log] | ||||||
| Victor Cannella Alleged Italian piano and xylophone player; claimed to have played the instrument in the short Baseball Bugs. Hoax spread to IMDb and some Warner Bros. fan communities, but extensive research through the course of the AFD declared him to be a hoax. | data-sort-value= "508.5" | 5 years, | July 14, 2016 | March 28, 2022 | 327 | ||||||
| Gideon Planke Fictitious 17th-century witch-finder active in Shropshire, supposedly the subject of a 19th-century poem used to "enforce good behaviour on unruly children before bedtime." | data-sort-value="507" | 5 years, | September 8, 2009 | April 20, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gideon_Planke Gideon Planke deletion log] | ||||||
| La Croix du Sanguine Rouge A supposed novel by a non-existent French writer that was released in French and English. | data-sort-value="507" | 5 years, | March 6, 2010 | October 3, 2015 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/La Croix du Sanguine Rouge | ||||||
| Japan Television Service Nonexistent TV network broadcasting in both Japan and the United Kingdom. | data-sort-value="506.5" | 5 years, | February 7, 2010 | September 3, 2015 | | ||||||
| Katiba Ketubah Fictitious reality TV series | data-sort-value="506" | 5 years, | December 6, 2014 | June 10, 2020 | | [https://web.archive.org/web/20200608231953/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katiba_Ketubah Archived version of the hoax] | ||||||
| George P. Burdell Various fictitious additions in articles on a race car driver, a record producer, a West African Colonial figure. Part of a group of seven long lasting vandalisms. | data-sort-value="506" | 5 years, | June 28, 2009 | December 23, 2014 | | {{diff|Bob Kennett|299075972 | Addition}}, {{diff|Bob Kennett|639372980 | Removal}} {{diff|Comfortably Uncomfortable|299076221 | Addition}}, {{diff|Comfortably Uncomfortable|639372519 | Removal}} {{diff|Damel|299076324 | Addition}}, {{diff|Damel|639101586 | Removal}} |
| Digital Lady Nonexistent San Francisco rock band that supposedly included the brother of the White House press secretary and used acoustic guitars and kitchen utensils to simulate the Moog synthesizer. Survived more than five years before G3 deletion. | data-sort-value="506" | 5 years, | data-sort-value="December 1, 2008" | December 2008 | July 12, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Lady Digital Lady deletion log] | ||||||
| Bicholim conflict Fictitious conflict between the Portuguese rulers of Goa and the Maratha Empire which supposedly took place from mid-1640 to early 1641. It was assessed as a good article in September 2007, but failed a featured article nomination the next month as page numbers were not provided for references. {{user|ShelfSkewed}} investigated these references in 2012 and found that the main works cited do not actually exist. One of the longest and most elaborate hoax articles on Wikipedia. Probably the only one to have been assessed as a good article. | data-sort-value="505.5" | 5 years, | July 4, 2007 | December 29, 2012 | 33,577 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Bicholim conflict | ||||||
| Joswig syndrome Fake hereditary disease, supposedly identified by "H. Joswig M.D." in 1882; cited made-up reference from United States National Library of Medicine. | data-sort-value="505.5" | 5 years, | June 24, 2009 | December 18, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joswig_syndrome Joswig syndrome deletion log]. [http://www.abebooks.com/9786200789457/Joswig-Syndrome-angelus-jerold-editor-6200789452/plp Archived] by Abebooks.com | ||||||
| Majeed Pejajj Fictitious Muslim cleric | data-sort-value="505.5" | 5 years, | April 8, 2007 | September 21, 2012 | 1,110 | ||||||
| Lloyd 2: Growing Up Nonexistent 2003 film, supposedly a sequel to 2001's Lloyd. | data-sort-value="504" | 5 years, | May 6, 2010 | September 10, 2015 | | ||||||
| Midnight in Oklahoma Supposed alternative rock-country band with seven fictitious albums | data-sort-value="504" | 5 years, | April 26, 2009 | August 27, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_in_Oklahoma Midnight in Oklahoma deletion log] | ||||||
| Corey Petryschuk Supposed football player and famous musician | data-sort-value="504" | 5 years, | October 9, 2010 | January 30, 2015 | 6,445 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corey Petryschuk Corey Petryschuk deletion log] | ||||||
| K890 (G3) Fictitious submachine gun. | data-sort-value="503.5" | 5 years, | November 22, 2006 | March 1, 2012 | 1,614 | Included in [http://www.betterworldbooks.com/submachine-guns-id-1156870763.aspx book] by Source Wikipedia | ||||||
| Antón de Palategui Fictitious 16th century conquistador and poet. | data-sort-value="503.5" | 5 years, | December 4, 2008 | March 17, 2014 | 6,194 | deleted by PROD | ||||||
| Ashira, Bari Fictitious village in Somalia | data-sort-value="503" | 5 years, | January 27, 2019 | April 18, 2024 | 2,003 | | ||||||
| Bobohetti Made-up Indian dish "consisting mainly of bay leaves and bamboo shoots," supposedly popular at fast food restaurants in Europe. | data-sort-value="502.5" | 5 years, | May 13, 2010 | July 28, 2015 | | ||||||
| Limping duck Nonexistent and highly unconventional form of wushu | data-sort-value="502.5" | 5 years, | August 3, 2009 | October 15, 2014 | | ||||||
| Chad Berryman Imaginary baseball catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies during World War II | data-sort-value="502" | 5 years, | August 4, 2010 | October 13, 2015 | | ||||||
| Ganguly–Durjoy Trophy Fictitious cricket trophy | data-sort-value="502" | 5 years, | March 31, 2017 | May 30, 2022 | 3,719 | | ||||||
| Reich Corps of the Trombone (G3) Fictitious Nazi organization of trombonists created by Joseph Goebbels for propaganda purposes | data-sort-value="502" | 5 years, | January 29, 2006 | March 31, 2011 | 3,389 | [http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=2061638&cid=35673726 Confession on Slashdot] [http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=160625 Axis History Forum] [https://web.archive.org/web/20110726122324/http://ookaboo.com/o/pictures/topic/13134337/Reich_Corps_of_the_Trombone image at ookaboo] | ||||||
| Elijah Joel Smith A fictitious British athlete, educator, and hero of both World Wars supposedly executed in Denmark by the SS for helping Jews escape the Holocaust. | data-sort-value="502" |5 years, | September 24, 2009 | November 24, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elijah_Joel_Smith Elijah Joel Smith deletion log] | ||||||
| Ernest Luxembourg Wright Fictitious Massachusetts poet and writer of the early 20th century; deleted via G3 | data-sort-value="501.5" | 5 years, | June 1, 2010 | July 18, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Luxembourg_Wright Ernest Luxembourg Wright deletion log] | ||||||
| Ooranayakanvalasu Nonexistent village in Indian state of Tamil Nadu | data-sort-value="501" | 5 years, | November 9, 2009 | December 9, 2014 | | ||||||
| A Condor's Fire: a novel Nonexistent, anagram-based novel ascribed to "Richie F'lin" and set in Colorado. Hoax cited made-up reviews from the New York Times Book Review and a fake biography from Oxford University Press. | data-sort-value="500" | 5 years, | July 26, 2009 | August 18, 2014 | | G3 deletion: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Condor%27s_Fire:_a_novel A Condor's Fire deletion log] | ||||||
| Childhood Retournade Nonexistent 1980s experimental French film, attributed to the invented filmmaker "Je Suis." | data-sort-value="500" | 5 years, | November 20, 2009 | December 12, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childhood_Retournade Childhood Retournade deletion log] | ||||||
| The Restless Nevers Fictitious Washington band with false claims of touring with Kajagoogoo in the 1990s. Article was deleted (A7) in August 2009, but resurfaced the same day and survived five years. | data-sort-value="500" | 5 years, | August 1, 2009 | August 22, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Restless_Nevers The Restless Nevers deletion log] | ||||||
| The Derby Series of The Table A series of horse races in Kentucky and Tennessee | data-sort-value="410" | 4 years, 10 months | May 12, 2011 | March 16, 2016 | 3,230 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:RHaworth&oldid=710322799#The_Derby_Series_of_The_Table Spotted] by SwisterTwister | ||||||
| Hinckley Band of Thieves
| data-sort-value="409.5" | 4 years, | August 31, 2005 | June 16, 2010 | 664 | ||||||
| Joseph Warshaw "one of the least Known Highwayman": speedily deleted, then {{tl|hoax}} [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia/Joseph_Warshaw&diff=39954875&oldid=39953856 tagged] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia/Joseph_Warshaw&diff=40815622&oldid=39954875 prodded] when recreated the day it was started, but it took more than four years until it was deleted once more | data-sort-value="409.5" | 4 years, | February 17, 2006 | December 3, 2010 | 1,057 | ||||||
| Disney's Wide World of Sports Challenge A hoax page for a non-existent Disney sports challenge. | data-sort-value="409.5" | 4 years, | April 1, 2010 | January 25, 2015 | 2,509 | | ||||||
| Warren Chaney Series of articles written about Warren Chaney, filled with small deceptions and embellishments, and in the case of at least one article (Magic Mansion), outright fabrications. | data-sort-value="409" | 4 years, | March 11, 2011 | December 13, 2015 | 52,209 | A technical overview of the process (including links to the AfDs) can be found here and a narrative overview here. This was also listed at [https://web.archive.org/web/20170203044308/http://gawker.com/the-10-best-articles-wikipedia-deleted-this-week-1749445064 Gawker] as one of "The 10 Best Articles Wikipedia Deleted This Week" | ||||||
| Bandicoda seed Seed of a fictitious tree species (Bandicoda genrea), supposedly found in Zimbabwe and the English town of Barnsley. | data-sort-value="409" | 4 years, | April 29, 2010 | February 1, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandicoda_seed Bandicoda seed deletion log] | ||||||
| E'tedalion Party Fictional Iranian political party | data-sort-value="408.5" | 4 years, | February 12, 2010 | October 25, 2014 | 1,247 | | ||||||
| Never Be Alone (series) Fictional Philippine TV series | data-sort-value="408" | 4 years, | September 19, 2016 | June 1, 2021 | | ||||||
| Sam Sackey Fictional 1980s soccer star for Ghana | data-sort-value="408" | 4 years, | March 20, 2010 | November 24, 2014 | | ||||||
| Gottfried Eschenbach Non-existent German "composer, conductor and virtuoso violist" | data-sort-value="408" | 4 years, | January 10, 2010 | September 10, 2014 | | ||||||
| Blue Blue Sky Nonexistent 1998 film, winner of the imaginary "Andrew Smith award for Best Musical Comedy" and nominee for two "Dutch Acknowledgement movie awards." | data-sort-value="407.5" | 4 years, | August 31, 2010 | April 18, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Blue_Sky Blue Blue Sky deletion log] | ||||||
| Argusto Emfazie Fictitious American occultist | data-sort-value="407.5" | 4 years, | February 25, 2002 | October 5, 2006 | 5,080 | ||||||
| V-Jay's Verghjesles Fictitious "micro-processor controlled surround sound amplifier"; listed nonexistent parts and specifications from Texas Instruments and other actual companies. | data-sort-value="407" | 4 years, | January 24, 2011 | September 1, 2015 | | ||||||
| Hilfiger High School
| data-sort-value="406.5" | 4 years, | July 14, 2008 | February 4, 2013 | 1,371 | ||||||
| Cranmore chase Nonexistent race involving Victorian-era runners hired by local landowners to deliver titles to land in India. | data-sort-value="405.5" | 4 years, | July 15, 2010 | December 29, 2014 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Cranmore chase | ||||||
| EuroNation 1 London Fabricated European singing competition | data-sort-value="404.5" | 4 years, 5 months | May 16, 2011 | October 22, 2015 | 1,630 | | ||||||
| Ebenezer Crummett 18th-century American soldier, falsely credited with saving the Marquis de Lafayette and challenging Alexander Hamilton to a duel. | data-sort-value="404.5" | 4 years, | August 24, 2010 | January 22, 2015 | | ||||||
| The Rock Gang Made-up 1980s Swedish rock band with several fictitious albums, noted for using a vacuum cleaner as a saxophone; deleted via G3. | data-sort-value="403" | 4 years, | data-sort-value="June 1, 2011" | June 2011 | September 5, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rock_Gang The Rock Gang deletion log] | ||||||
| Fredrick Joseph Logan Fictitious 19th-century graphic designer, credited with the equally fake "Logan's Law" regulating maximum widths of business logos in advertising. | data-sort-value="402.5" | 4 years, | June 8, 2011 | August 30, 2015 | | ||||||
| Manão Fictitious mountain village in Portugal | data-sort-value="402.5" | 4 years, | April 30, 2007 | July 14, 2011 | 845 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia/Man%C3%A3o&oldid=438609255 PROD deleted] | ||||||
| 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. There was also a real football player by that name with the USC Trojans who played from 2007 through 2011. | data-sort-value="402.5" | 4 years, | November 5, 2006 | January 23, 2011 | 2,520 | See also Martin I. Coleman | ||||||
| De Beaumont-Spain baronets
| data-sort-value="401.5" | 4 years, | July 15, 2017 | September 3, 2021 | | ||||||
| Jesse Aaron Richardson Reputed author of the spurious Rotten Apple graphic novel series about a New York bounty hunter's journey into "organized crime, drug dealing, corruption, private investigation, cults, serials [sic] killers, unlicensed boxing, treasure hunting, hired assassinations, and more." | data-sort-value="401.5" | 4 years, | October 7, 2010 | November 26, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Aaron_Richardson Jesse Aaron Richardson deletion log] | ||||||
| The Vanderdark Morgue Fictitious morgue and family created to promote a local Kentucky Halloween attraction | data-sort-value="401" | 4 years, | July 26, 2011 | August 25, 2015 | 17,133 | ||||||
| Bryan J. Baldelli Non-existent American baseball player | data-sort-value="400" | 4 years | February 26, 2008 | February 28, 2012 | 1,977 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Bryan J. Baldelli. Listed at [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bryan_(given_name)&diff=next&oldid=361625152 Bryan (given name)] in good faith. Also listed on German Wikipedia under [http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baldelli&stable=0&shownotice=1 Baldelli] until deletion in August 2014. |
= Extant for 1–4 years =
| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
! style="width:40%;"|Hoax ! style="width:5.5em;" | Length ! style="width:7em;" | Creation date ! style="width:7em;" | Deletion date ! style="width:5.5em;" | Size in bytes ! class="unsortable" | Links | ||
| Wollen-Blohm Prize Made-up $10,000 annual award for achievements in philanthropy and economics, attributed to an "unidentified Singaporean patron of the arts." | data-sort-value="311.5" | 3 years, | October 14, 2011 | September 30, 2015 | | ||
| Imhyre Kértez Fictitious Hungarian actor at the National Theatre in Warsaw, supposedly a victim of the Nazi invasion in World War II. | data-sort-value="310.5" | 3 years, | November 7, 2011 | September 25, 2015 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Imhyre Kértez | ||
| Colin Kennedy Fictitious American Old West criminal who supposedly murdered John Sutter's brother in San Francisco on April 9, 1853 | data-sort-value="310" | 3 years, | April 8, 2009 | February 7, 2013 | 4,563 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia/Colin_Kennedy&oldid=535803462 Prod deleted]; see [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia_talk:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia&diff=535807491&oldid=535758885] | ||
| Altamont Lamina Fictitious British spy in both world wars, supposedly called "The Silent Blade" for his "above-average skills in sneaking, spying, and assassinating." | data-sort-value="310" | 3 years, | February 18, 2011 | December 17, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altamont_Lamina Altamont Lamina deletion log] | ||
| Zechariah Seal Fictitious emblem | data-sort-value="309.5" | 3 years, | October 24, 2015 | August 17, 2018 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Zechariah Seal | ||
| Sshiaga-llat Made-up mythological force of chaos, supposedly adored by "ancient different people from the Sumerians to the Asturians" | data-sort-value="309.5" | 3 years, | January 28, 2011 | November 19, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sshiaga-llat Sshiaga-llat deletion log] | ||
| Monte Carlo polarization Fictitious business theory algorithm | data-sort-value="309.5" | 3 years, | March 13, 2017 | December 28, 2020 | | | ||
| Phoedelia "The ecclesiastical name for one of the stoppers which accompany the cruets used in [Christian] liturgical rites" that no one but the article creator had ever heard of. | data-sort-value="309.5" | 3 years, | October 31, 2009 | August 12, 2013 | 506 | Discovery and discussion. [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cruet&diff=prev&oldid=323244460 Added] to cruet the next day, [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bung&diff=prev&oldid=423835670 added] to bung in 2011. It was widely believed by [http://rostcollectionsandkeepsakes.weebly.com/1/post/2012/10/from-water-and-wine-to-oil-and-vinegar-the-evolution-of-the-cruet.html people] on the Internet, including [http://www.auction-net.co.uk/viewAuction.php?id=1244&offset=200&PHPSESSID=be750cd0edd8afe303106eb0bcb1d8ef multiple] [http://auctions.canadaspace.com/detail_product/281122295728/cruet_caster/ auctioners]. Note that Phoedelia is a real girl's name. | ||
| Jean Moufot Fictitious French philosopher and mathematician. Article first appeared on nl.wikipedia, then translated versions subsequently appeared in French, German and English Wikipedias. Hoax was first discovered by the German Wiki and deleted across the wikis within a week. | data-sort-value="309.5" | 3 years, | September 24, 2004 | July 16, 2008 | 2,298 | [http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overleg_gebruiker:Dinx#Jean_Fran.C3.A7ois_Moufot discussion] on nl.wikipedia, [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:L%C3%B6schkandidaten/14._Juli_2008#Jean_Fran.C3.A7ois_Moufot_.28schnellgel.C3.B6scht.29 discussion] on de.wikipedia, [http://www.dinx.nl/euclid/moufot.html mirror] with links to discussion | ||
| Bunaka (G3) Non-existent Indonesian island | data-sort-value="309" | 3 years, | March 18, 2007 | December 20, 2010 | 5,440 | ||
| Charles E. Whitmeyer Fictitious North Carolina politician, undertaker, and inventor of the child leash | data-sort-value="309" | 3 years, | March 13, 2007 | December 16, 2010 | 4,270 | | ||
| Bucharest Film Festival A hoax created to support an article on Yuri Gadyukin. | data-sort-value="309" | 3 years, | June 16, 2009 | March 12, 2013 | 3,394 | ||
| 3G Boyz Completely fabricated contents created by manager to support new band. | data-sort-value="309" | 3 years, | December 27, 2009 | October 16, 2013 | 3,540 | Prod | ||
| Housecoat 3 Nonexistent 1987 American romantic comedy; cited a fabricated review by Leonard Maltin. | data-sort-value="309" | 3 years, | December 2, 2011 | September 10, 2015 | 2,352 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia%3AList_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia%2FHousecoat_3&type=revision&diff=680297809&oldid=665861110 Spotted] and tagged for speedy | ||
| Cancun Broadcasting Company Hoax Mexican broadcaster, with "drama, children, news, sports, game shows, entertainment, high definition and more." | data-sort-value="309" | 3 years, | October 29, 2011 | July 31, 2015 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Cancun Broadcasting Company | ||
| Eric the sheep Nonexistent graphic novel about the adventures of a super-intelligent Welsh sheep | data-sort-value="308.5" | 3 years, | February 19, 2011 | November 7, 2014 | | Speedy deletion [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_the_sheep Deletion log] | ||
| High Fenton Fictitious English village in County Durham, reputedly noted for an unusual engagement custom involving cheese; deleted via G3. | data-sort-value="308.5" | 3 years, | September 22, 2012 | June 5, 2016 | | ||
| Jûtien-Gustave DuRoi and Sallah Ukhmed Fictitious husband-and-wife writers, with a list of works that was expanded over time | data-sort-value="308" | 3 years, | June 9, 2006 | data-sort-value="February 7, 2010" | February 7, 2010 (DuRoi) | 1,970 and 1,161 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Jûtien-Gustave DuRoi | ||
| Eurygaster confidens Nonexistent bug species; deleted via G3. | data-sort-value="308" | 3 years, | September 29, 2013 | May 26, 2017 | | ||
| Loretta Scott Crew Fictitious inventor of S'mores, where it was also reported. Has been incorrectly included in printed books and numerous websites. | data-sort-value="307.4" | 3 years, | July 1, 2009 | February 13, 2013 | | ||
| Another Demonstration of the Cliff-Guibert Fire Hose Reel, Showing a Young Girl Coming from an Office, Detaching Hose, Running with It 60 Feet, and Playing a Stream, All Inside of 30 Seconds Made-up short silent film from 1900 from IMDb. | data-sort-value="307.3" | 3 years, | May 19, 2013 | January 10, 2017 | 946 | This one is IMDb's fault; this hoax was made on their site in ~2003 or so, and it was probably mirrored onto Wikipedia in good faith. After some pestering, IMDb eventually agreed to delete their entry as well. | ||
| Grâce à feu et aux flammes Nonexistent composition by Claude Debussy, supposedly discovered under floorboards in his house; deleted via G3. | data-sort-value="307" | 3 years, | September 5, 2011 | April 10, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%A2ce_%C3%A0_feu_et_aux_flammes Grâce à feu et aux flammes deletion log] | ||
| Yuri Gadyukin Fictitious Soviet filmmaker defected to the UK and murdered there in 1960 at the age of 28. Apparently, was created to support a low-budget movie. | data-sort-value="307" | 3 years, | August 3, 2009 | March 6, 2013 | 8,304 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Yuri Gadyukin; [http://www.dailydot.com/entertainment/wikipedia-hoax-yuri-gadyukin-nitrate-movie/ explanation of history and purpose] | ||
| Shantal Méndez 4-time Grammy Winner, or so the article said of this hypothetical singer | data-sort-value="307" | 3 years, | September 27, 2007 | May 3, 2011 | 5,332 | ||
| Saint Elizabeth College Fictitious liberal arts college in Youngstown, Ohio, supposedly with 3,500 students, 30 programs, 116 years of history, yet zero record of its existence. | data-sort-value="306" | 3 years, | August 3, 2011 | February 9, 2015 | | G3 deletion ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Elizabeth_College Deletion log]) | ||
| Okeke Okonjo Fictitious politician in Lesotho, article cites various sources that do not mention this person. | data-sort-value="306" | 3 years, | April 18, 2013 | November 16, 2016 | 2,899 | | ||
| Brahmanical See
| data-sort-value="305.5" | 3 years, | August 4, 2004 | January 21, 2008 | 2,230 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Brahmanical See, [http://wikipediareview.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=15472&view=findpost&p=75220 Mirror and discussion at WR] | ||
| Upton H. Pennyworth ([https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia/Upton_H._Pennyworth&oldid=414645078 Prod]) (G3 speedy deletion) Fictitious British explorer | data-sort-value="305.5" | 3 years, | September 7, 2007 | February 18, 2011 | 938 | ||
| Pierre Dupont Fictitious 19th-century French painter; several spurious references, including at least one PDF file in a self-published "journal," created to support hoax. | data-sort-value="305" | 3 years, | December 3, 2012 | May 14, 2016 | | ||
| Ceasar McKenzie Fictitious point guard for the NBA's New Orleans Hornets, claimed to be the 2005 Rookie of the Year instead of Emeka Okafor | data-sort-value="305" | 3 years, | June 22, 2011 | November 26, 2014 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceasar_McKenzie Ceasar McKenzie deletion log] | ||
| Sarah River List of rivers of New Zealand was vandalized changing "Saxon" to "Sarah", and was later turned into an article by bot | data-sort-value="304" | 3 years, | May 18, 2006 | September 13, 2009 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_rivers_of_New_Zealand&diff=next&oldid=53363831 original vandalism], Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Sarah River, article now at Saxon River | ||
| Pilot Season, a non-existent film directed by Kevin Smith
| data-sort-value="303.5" | 3 years, | April 14, 2011 | August 28, 2014 | 938 | ||
| Trundu An ancient tribe belonging to the Trund civilisation | data-sort-value="303.5" | 3 years, | May 22, 2006 | September 7, 2009 | 1,042 | ||
| Por muerte del fantasma de Montero Families Hoax online novela | data-sort-value="303.5" | 3 years, | May 6, 2012 | August 26, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Por_muerte_del_fantasma_de_Montero_Families Deletion log] | ||
| Philodoppides Fake ancient Greek poet | data-sort-value="303.5" | 3 years, | May 11, 2020 | August 28, 2023 | | ||
| Sei Wee Lim Supposedly an Olympic swimmer from Brunei | data-sort-value="303" | 3 years, | September 15, 2006 | December 16, 2009 | | ||
| Morton Schwartz Supposedly a B-movie actor | data-sort-value="303" | 3 years, | May 4, 2007 | July 27, 2010 | 1,270 | ||
| Flerte Fatal (band) Imaginary Brazilian band, with elaborate set of accompanying articles on albums | data-sort-value="302" | 3 years, | March 19, 2015 | May 20, 2018 | | ||
| Clem and Lachlan's Adventures Imaginary Australian ABC teen drama from 2006 to 2012 | data-sort-value="302" | 3 years, | May 27, 2012 | August 1, 2015 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Clem and Lachlan's Adventures | ||
| Fredric Croix and Quickslide Rick Two supposed 1920s Michigan Blues Musicians | data-sort-value="302" | 3 years, | February 9, 2008 | April 15, 2011 | 2,314 | WP:Articles for deletion/Fredric Croix and Quickslide Rick | ||
| Tors Peerson Fictitious Australian food manufacturer | data-sort-value="302" | 3 years, | July 16, 2017 | September 13, 2020 | | Deletion discussion | ||
| Kevin Musker Name-change plagiarism of "Charles Ferguson Smith", suspected for 3 years but retained | data-sort-value="301.5" | 3 years, | February 24, 2006 | April 13, 2009 | 4,333 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Kevin Musker, [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charles_Ferguson_Smith&oldid=38146759 Revision of Charles Ferguson Smith article was based on] | ||
| James Geiss Fictitious English whaler | data-sort-value="300" | 3 years | June 29, 2006 | June 30, 2009 | 2,015 | ||
| Jack Stacey Supposed character ("Chief Resident") during eighth season of ER. | data-sort-value="211" | 2 years, | October 3, 2012 | September 3, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Log&logid=68792837 Jack Stacey deletion log] | ||
| Soyombo Revival Society Fictitious Mongolian secret society | data-sort-value="211" | 2 years, | February 22, 2017 | January 24, 2020 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Soyombo Revival Society | ||
| Slow Blind Driveway Fictitious blues musician | data-sort-value="209.5" | 2 years, | November 16, 2006 | August 26, 2009 | 5,705 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Slow Blind Driveway | ||
| Mittapalli Nonexistent Indian village, based on old revision of Bandarlapalle | data-sort-value="209" | 2 years, | July 23, 2010 | April 27, 2013 | 1,034 | ||
| Ocular citrosis A fictional type of eye infection resulting from periodic exposure to acidic substances. Created on 1st April and referred to in other disease articles a few weeks later. | data-sort-value="209" | 2 years, | April 1, 2010 | January 7, 2013 | 2,757 | ||
| 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 | data-sort-value="209" | 2 years, | May 29, 2007 | February 25, 2010 | 1,636 | ||
| Richard Hopkins (chess player) and Ruy Lopez, Hopkins Gambit Fictitious chess player and the opening chess moves allegedly named after him. | data-sort-value="208.5" | 2 years, | December 28, 2010 | September 22, 2013 | 10,882 and 4,219 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Richard Hopkins (chess player) | ||
| Lewis William Walt Fictitious marriage and child added to bio. | data-sort-value="208.5" | 2 years, | April 8, 2013 | January 16, 2016 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lewis_William_Walt&diff=prev&oldid=549308874 Added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lewis_William_Walt&diff=prev&oldid=700148588 removed] | ||
| Ruy Lopez, Marshall Attack, Rombaua Trap Fictitious chess trap | data-sort-value="208" | 2 years, | January 7, 2011 | September 9, 2013 | 3,964 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Ruy Lopez, Marshall Attack, Rombaua Trap | ||
| Jason Donoghue Actor that allegedly had roles in Hollyoaks and Outlander. | data-sort-value="208" | 2 years, | December 29, 2013 | September 14, 2016 | 6,036 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Jason Donoghue (2nd nomination) | ||
| The Tarsus Club and Murray Chance Articles on a fictitious club and individual created as guerrilla marketing for the film The Conspiracy | data-sort-value="207.5" | 2 years, | December 17, 2010 | August 10, 2013 | | Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/IncidentArchive807#Elaborate hoax articles | ||
| Operation Gray Cloud A suppposed operation conducted by US forces during the Vietnam War, which was actually a description of the plot to the film Operation Dumbo Drop | data-sort-value="207" | 2 years, | January 1, 2012 | August 13, 2014 | | {{diff|Role of the United States in the Vietnam War|469068267 | Added}} to the article, Role of the United States in the Vietnam War {{diff|Role of the United States in the Vietnam War|621091647 | Removed}} |
| Olle Halvorssen Suppposedly a 9th century Danish king that should have been the first king of a (completely unknown) petty kingdom centered around Århus and "Sønnestrom" (also a hoax). His son Haakon Ollenson should allegedly have conquered the major part of Denmark in the beginning of the 10th century with the exception of the island of Funen. | data-sort-value="207" | 2 years, | February 6, 2017 | September 12, 2019 | 3,465 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olle_Halvorssen Deletion log] | ||
| Rudolph's Greatest Adventures Fictitious Rankin/Bass Productions special | data-sort-value="207" | 2 years, | December 7, 2012 | July 12, 2015 | 3,727 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Rudolph's Greatest Adventures | ||
| Paul Berowne and McIver-Berowne baronets
| data-sort-value="207" | 2 years, | December 3, 2012 | July 7, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia%3AReference_desk%2FHumanities&type=revision&diff=670358727&oldid=670356258 Discussion at Reference Desk/Humanities] | ||
| Charles Krum & Krum Corporate Alleged businessman and his London-based company | data-sort-value="206.5" | 2 years, | February 28, 2013 | September 16, 2015 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Krum Corporate (nomination for both articles and tagged for speedy deletion G3) | ||
| data-sort-value="Cohen-Cruse" | The "Cohen-Cruse Ruse" an elaborate set of hoax articles and edits over many articles including the fictitious people Baron Cruse-Cohen, Jean Alexandre Cohen, Jonathan Cohen, Sir David Cohen, and Stephen B. Jacobsohn, and several fictitious synagogues including Beth Sadeh Synagogue and Sephardic Temple Adat David. A small project was formed to hunt down all the various edits involved. | data-sort-value="205.5" | 2 years, | May 1, 2009 | October 15, 2011 | | User:Vivisel/cohen cruse ruse, Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Baron Cruse-Cohen, Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Stephen B. Jacobsohn, [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Salisbury,_North_Carolina&diff=prev&oldid=327645283 additions to Salisbury, North Carolina], etc. | ||
| Wichita Glade, Florida Fictitious community in the U.S. state of Florida | data-sort-value="205" | 2 years, | June 7, 2014 | December 1, 2016 | 587 | ||
| Balboa Creole French Fictitious highly endangered French-based creole language, supposedly spoken exclusively by about 20 people on Balboa Island in Newport Beach, an extremely wealthy suburban town in Orange County, California. | data-sort-value="205" | 2 years, | April 3, 2010 | September 10, 2012 | 2,875 | [http://www.weirdworm.com/seven-languages-that-are-about-to-die/ Blogpost referencing Balboa Creole French as one of "Seven Languages That Are About To Die"] | ||
| Trembulo Fictitious musical instrument | data-sort-value="205" | 2 years, | data-sort-value="July 26, 2010" | July 26, 2010 | data-sort-value="June 16, 2016" | December 27, 2012 | 4,656 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Trembulo, Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Trembulo (2nd nomination) | ||
| Rothmanhaus Fictitious hotel in Naumburg, Germany. Allegedly the place of death for "wildly popular" ice hockey player Leopold Nosske, who was also fictional. | data-sort-value="205" | 2 years, | April 29, 2015 | October 2, 2017 | 1,265 | ||
| Långrocken Fictitious Swedish serial rapist in 1893, allegedly searched by undercover policemen in women's clothes | data-sort-value="204.5" | 2 years, | July 24, 2005 | December 8, 2007 | 1,576 | ||
| Peace breaker's muzzle Fictitious torture device | data-sort-value="204.5" | 2 years, | August 2, 2004 | December 10, 2006 | 934 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Peace breaker's muzzle, [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Torture&diff=5011227&oldid=4966064 added to Torture article], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Torture&diff=prev&oldid=93396952 removed] | ||
| Functional temporalism Postmodern anthropological theory | data-sort-value="204" | 2 years, | August 8, 2007 | December 7, 2009 | 1,563 | ||
| Sean MacLeod Fictional comedian | data-sort-value="204" | 2 years, | September 9, 2006 | January 8, 2009 | 4,077 | ||
| Be A Star (UK TV series) Fictitious UK talent show | data-sort-value="204" | 2 years, | January 21, 2017 | May 17, 2019 | 11,974 | ||
| Wander Donkey Fictitious adventure game for the Nintendo DS | data-sort-value="203.5" | 2 years, | May 15, 2007 | September 5, 2009 | 4,283 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Wander Donkey, [https://web.archive.org/web/20120226234928/http://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/showpost.php?p=118549&postcount=46 archived forum confession from September 3, 2009] | ||
| Thomas Stokes Fictitious English player in the Football League with clubs including Yeovil Town, Grays Athletic, and Southend United. | data-sort-value="203" | 2 years, | January 14, 2014 | April 21, 2016 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Thomas Stokes (2nd nomination) | ||
| Genck Azonho Fictitious Argentinean writer and social reformer of the 1970s, noted for his "extreme moralistic and ascetic views." | data-sort-value="203" | 2 years, | April 12, 2013 | July 18, 2015 | | ||
| Parfact A secret language of Worcestershire teenagers | data-sort-value="203" | 2 years, | November 8, 2006 | February 1, 2009 | 7,124 | ||
| Monvilla Non-existent Shropshire village. | data-sort-value="202.5" | 2 years, | January 3, 2006 | March 21, 2008 | 577 | ||
| Nueces de la Perez Fictitious 18th-century Spanish mission near the site of present-day Corpus Christi, Texas | data-sort-value="202" | 2 years, | November 7, 2012 | January 14, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nueces_de_la_Perez Nueces de la Perez deletion log] | ||
| Matthew Lyons Texas frontiersman and CSA cavalry soldier | data-sort-value="202" | 2 years, | February 18, 2008 | April 19, 2010 | 4,156 | ||
| Fadl Attraction Fictitious Canadian male porn star | data-sort-value="202" | 2 years, | November 4, 2007 | January 10, 2010 | 1,199 | ||
| Cindy and the Halo Boy Nonexistent direct-to-DVD movie, supposedly starring Haylie Duff and Frankie Muniz and added to Duff's page. | data-sort-value="201.5" | 2 years, | March 15, 2007 | May 8, 2009 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Haylie_Duff&diff=115718008&oldid=115422210 Added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Haylie_Duff&diff=288593265&oldid=287886636 removed]; admitted in a 2015 Gawker.com [http://internet.gawker.com/the-nine-best-hoaxes-to-have-hit-wikipedia-1692639072 post] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328205706/http://internet.gawker.com/the-nine-best-hoaxes-to-have-hit-wikipedia-1692639072 |date=March 28, 2015 }}. | ||
| Curtis James Real high-school runner with spectacular fictitious professional career | data-sort-value="201.5" | 2 years, | October 4, 2008 | November 18, 2010 | 40,549 | ||
| The Siccness Network Fictional animated television show that ran on BET | data-sort-value="201" | 2 years, | September 4, 2013 | October 13, 2015 | 9,891 | ||
| Shai Bernstein Fictitious Jewish-Russian thinker—Bernstein was actually a student in Houston | data-sort-value="200.5" | 2 years, | September 1, 2007 | September 16, 2009 | 5,352 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Shai Bernstein, had a Hebrew translation | ||
| Morris Guggenheim Fictitious son of Solomon R. Guggenheim, who supposedly married a member of the British royal family and became mayor of Charleston, South Carolina. | data-sort-value="200" | 2 years | August 18, 2013 | August 21, 2015 | | ||
| Moroccans with Disabilities Act of 1992 "Copied from a [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Americans_with_Disabilities_Act_of_1990&oldid=312829621 past revision] of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 article". | data-sort-value="200" | 2 years | September 10, 2009 | September 13, 2011 | 22,359 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Moroccans with Disabilities Act of 1992 | ||
| Murexia xenochromus Fictitious marsupial from New Guinea | data-sort-value="111" | 1 year, | February 6, 2021 | January 29, 2023 | | ||
| Taylor Mowry Fictitious actor; based closely on an [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tristan_Wilds&oldid=329293308 old revision] of Tristan Wilds | data-sort-value="111" | 1 year, | December 15, 2009 | November 15, 2011 | 4,118 | | ||
| The Lying Student Fictitious Czech satirical poem stated to have been written in 1914 | data-sort-value="111" | 1 year, | January 23, 2015 | December 28, 2016 | 4,291 | Failed verification as noted by anon editor at Talk:The Lying Student. This article was nevertheless featured on the main page under DYK | ||
| Canyon View Junior High School Fictitious school in Edmonton, Alberta | data-sort-value="111" | 1 year, | December 15, 2009 | November 15, 2011 | 5,222 | | ||
| Jeanette Magel Fictitious British High Court judge | data-sort-value="110" | 1 year, | February 3, 2019 | December 14, 2020 | | [https://web.archive.org/web/20201214220756/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanette_Magel Archived version of the hoax] | ||
| Five Star Generals Fictitious rock band from Buffalo, New York | data-sort-value="110" | 1 year, | June 1, 2013 | April 12, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Star_Generals Five Star Generals deletion log] | ||
| Haď Čarém Nonexistent 10th-century Hungarian Muslim merchant and economist, supposedly cited as an "incipient anti-colonialist and anti-slavery advocate" in later Communist theory. | data-sort-value="110" | 1 year, | March 27, 2013 | January 29, 2015 | 14,303 | [{{fullurl:Haď_Čarém}} Haď Čarém deletion log] | ||
| Brazilian copperfish Nonexistent fish of the family Characidae, supposedly native to the waters near Rio de Janeiro and forming a "vital part of Brazilian culture and cuisine." | data-sort-value="109.5" | 1 year, | March 3, 2007 | December 18, 2008 | | ||
| Noah Chazzman Name-change plagiarism of Steven Pinker | data-sort-value="109" | 1 year, | January 17, 2011 | October 23, 2012 | | | ||
| Juan Gadiel Rosado Colón Name-change plagiarism of Don Francisco | data-sort-value="109" | 1 year, | April 22, 2013 | January 27, 2015 | | ||
| Marathonius Granthius (G3) Fake Roman soldier | data-sort-value="108.5" | 1 year, | August 21, 2006 | May 2, 2008 | 5,337 | Discovered when blanked by an IP who [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia/Marathonius_Granthius&diff=209725409&oldid=209724849 warned that it was a hoax] | ||
| European Tennis Club of Culture ([https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia/European_Tennis_Club_of_Culture&oldid=145249275 PROD])
| data-sort-value="108" | 1 year, | November 15, 2005 | July 15, 2007 | 889 | Noticed [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia_talk:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia/European_Tennis_Club_of_Culture&oldid=119749800 in April 2007] on talk page | ||
| Baldock Beer Disaster Was listed on Did You Know? | data-sort-value="108" | 1 year, | November 15, 2005 | July 15, 2007 | 2,636 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Baldock Beer Disaster | ||
| Æblerød (CSD) Fictional Danish municipality | data-sort-value="108" | 1 year, | January 12, 2004 | September 8, 2005 | 358 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Municipalities_of_Denmark&diff=22852102&oldid=22826239 Removal from municipalities list], discussion, featured in Danish newspaper Politiken (December 5th, 2006) | ||
| Battle of Stuart's Pond
| data-sort-value="107.5" | 1 year, | May 29, 2008 | January 18, 2010 | 2,131 | ||
| Maria Portaro (G3) Fictitious marine biologist with "500 published papers" | data-sort-value="107" | 1 year, | March 3, 2008 | October 3, 2009 | 1,618 | | ||
| Dhanunjaya Rao Web developer who poached the career of Ravi Teja | data-sort-value="107" | 1 year, | October 7, 2015 | May 20, 2017 | | ||
| Oyster Injustice Fictitious financial disaster affecting Chesapeake Bay fishermen | data-sort-value="107" | 1 year, | July 6, 2007 | February 4, 2009 | 2,139 | ||
| Earl of Aldbury (G3) Non-existent 17th-century peer. | data-sort-value="106.5" | 1 year, | May 13, 2009 | December 3, 2010 | 471 | | ||
| Herzthiolate heptahydrolysic acid Hoax genetic molecule with an invalid chemical formula ({{chem|Na|O|2|H|8|9|Mg|4|S|2|Ci|2}} {{chem|Al|2|Si|2|He|4|Fe|2|Ca|N|2|C}}), supposedly found in the imaginary "Stenaphyllzone (Plasma life-form)" and sebum. | data-sort-value="106.5" | 1 year, | February 27, 2014 | September 14, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herzthiolate_heptahydrolysic_acid Deletion log] | ||
| Quaff distillery Made-up name for the still genuinely constructed by mutineers from HMS Bounty on Pitcairn Island in the 1790s. Drink was supposedly also called "quaff" and supposedly gave its name to a enduring worldwide drinking club. | data-sort-value="106" | 1 year, | December 30, 2013 | June 15, 2015 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Quaff distillery. Found its way into [http://www.outofjoint.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Pitcairn-Education-Pack.pdf Pitcairn Education Work Pack] produced to accompany the 2014 play Pitcairn | ||
| Ciarán Dunphy Fabricated 19th century Irish author, a "member of Sinn Féin during the Irish War of Independence" and a "significant public political figure, as well as one of the chief chroniclers of Irish nationalism in literature". | data-sort-value="106" | 1 year, | January 26, 2014 | October 22, 2015 | 9,888 | | ||
| Talinsfadasporia (G3) Fictitious Indian town, mostly cut and pasted from Dibrugarh | data-sort-value="105.5" | 1 year, | May 31, 2009 | November 20, 2010 | 6,703 | | ||
| Mrs Brown: The Musicals Fake musical comedy series based on Mrs. Brown's Boys, supposedly featuring Broadway songs and broadcast on RTÉ One and BBC One; deleted via A11. | data-sort-value="104.5" | 1 year, | November 23, 2013 | April 18, 2015 | | ||
| Anaxiphales Fictitious presocratic philosopher | data-sort-value="104.5" | 1 year, | February 12, 2005 | June 28, 2006 | 4,384 | ||
| Count Wladmir Shchwekochov Imaginary 19th-century Russian nobleman, supposedly owner of an estate with "over 300 acres of forest, 5 lakes, a waterfall, 2 farms, a mine, and a 40 bedroom palace with a malachite and gold-plated ballroom." | data-sort-value="104.5" | 1 year, | March 10, 2015 | July 24, 2016 | | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Count Wladmir Shchwekochov | ||
| Elizabethan Lizard Fictitious punk rock band from Minnesota; G3 deletion | data-sort-value="104" | 1 year, | November 8, 2013 | March 13, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabethan_Lizard Elizabethan Lizard deletion log] | ||
| Ingrid Vakaslavik Fictitious tap dancer from Russia | data-sort-value="103.5" | 1 year, | February 15, 2009 | May 31, 2010 | 993 | ||
| Crowborough Caves With "Dr. SP Leo Logist" | data-sort-value="103" | 1 year, | April 8, 2007 | July 27, 2008 | 516 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Crowborough Caves. Pun on speleologist. Their [http://www.crowborough-caves.org.uk/ hoax website] now links back to this page. [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia_talk%3AList_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia%2FCrowborough_Caves&diff=227200937&oldid=227197846 First detected by an anon] who called it "a well known 'fun' story / hoax". | ||
| Emerson LaSalle Fictitious author | data-sort-value="103" | 1 year, | November 27, 2007 | February 27, 2009 | 3,298 | After the deletion discussion had started, the original author [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia/Emerson_LaSalle&oldid=273674315 rewrote the article] to describe the subject as fictional (as well as to criticize the deletion), but it was still deleted. | ||
| Freedom Channing Fictitious "conductor" of the Underground Railroad | data-sort-value="103" | 1 year, | July 11, 2005 | October 8, 2006 | 1,056 | ||
| Nippon Super Rugby League Fictitious rugby competition, created along with the equally spurious [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2016_Rugby_League_Asian_Series&action=history 2016 Rugby League Asian Series]; included made-up teams such as "Saitama Hippopotamus" and "Yohokama S.Yamaga." | data-sort-value="102.5" | 1 year, | March 6, 2015 | May 30, 2016 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nippon_Super_Rugby_League Nippon Super Rugby League deletion log] | ||
| Amorica (legend) Given its own article for 8 months rather than deletion | data-sort-value="110.5" | 1 year, | data-sort-value="November 9, 2004" | November 9, 2004 | January 22, 2006 | 1,031 | ||
| Plathubis the grey fox Made-up hunting myth from Latvia about an amphibious, rain-bringing fox, designed "to warn impetuous young men not to kill animals for fun"; deleted via G3. | data-sort-value="102" | 1 year, | February 8, 2014 | April 20, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plathubis_the_grey_fox Plathubis the grey fox deletion log] | ||
| Vengeance On Elm Street Nonexistent "upcoming" sequel to the Nightmare on Elm Street series; deleted via G3. | data-sort-value="102" | 1 year, | January 21, 2014 | March 28, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vengeance_On_Elm_Street Vengeance On Elm Street deletion log] | ||
| Francis Bunbury ([https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia/Francis_Bunbury&oldid=403230882 PROD]) Non-existent architect; names in article taken from The Importance of Being Earnest. | data-sort-value="102" | 1 year, | October 24, 2009 | December 26, 2010 | 2,320 | First [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia/Francis_Bunbury&diff=393288173&oldid=369089534 noted] by an anon October 2010 | ||
| Unbeatables Nonexistent children's show set in Russia, broadcast on the equally fictitious network Bamboo TV. | data-sort-value="102" | 1 year, | February 14, 2015 | April 13, 2016 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unbeatables Unbeatables deletion log] | ||
| Jason Waterfalls Imaginary British football player whose name happened to match a frequently misheard lyric in the song Waterfalls by TLC. Created by a single-purpose account overwriting an existing redirect. | data-sort-value="102" | 1 year, | November 7, 2015 | January 4, 2017 | | Speedy deletion per WP:G3: blatant hoax. [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=delete&page=Jason+Waterfalls Log] | ||
| Joshua G. Cantor-Stone (G4) Fictitious Jewish WWII naval aviator and hero | data-sort-value="101.5" | 1 year, | February 22, 2009 | April 11, 2010 | 6,564 | ||
| Amberlihisar Fictitious fortress in Turkey |data-sort-value="101.5" | 1 year, |January 1, 2023 |February 24, 2024 | | ||
| Eric Radloff Fictitious singer-songwriter | data-sort-value="101.5" | 1 year, | July 5, 2004 | August 23, 2005 | 2,015 | ||
| Little Adventures of Bruno Supposed animated television series by Mitchell Hurwitz that would be a followup of sorts to Sit Down, Shut Up | data-sort-value="101" | 1 years | October 17, 2013 | November 22, 2014 | 5,976 | Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Little Adventures of Bruno | ||
| Magnesium lasering Article about a fictional scientific practice. | data-sort-value="101" | 1 year, | May 14, 2009 | June 13, 2010 | 890 | ||
| Earl of Iford Partial name-change plagiarism of Earl of Shaftesbury | data-sort-value="101" | 1 year, | April 13, 2008 | May 11, 2009 | 2,276 | ||
| 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." | data-sort-value="100.5" | 1 year, | December 2, 2009 | December 22, 2010 | 693 | ||
| Ladedaism Invented social/artistic movement | data-sort-value="100.5" | 1 year, | July 7, 2005 | July 19, 2006 | | ||
| Nam Nguyễn Thành Fictitious international soccer player for Vietnam, supposedly recommended by Barry Hayles | data-sort-value="100" | 1 year | February 19, 2014 | February 25, 2015 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nam_Nguy%E1%BB%85n_Th%C3%A0nh Nam Nguyễn Thành deletion log] | ||
| Vanda Varvara Fictitious painter. One of the longest and most elaborate hoax articles on Wikipedia. | data-sort-value="100" | 1 year | January 26, 2012 | January 29, 2013 | 28,171 | ||
| Odin's Globe Fictitious Norse mythological artifact of diverse powers ("protection, luck, minor telepathy, slow or speed up time, willpower, support, empathy, understanding, wits, health"); falsely sourced to a nonexistent poem, "Loki's Lunar Lover." | data-sort-value="100" | 1 year | April 6, 2014 | April 12, 2015 | | ||
| The Bierrum Effect Fictitious biological effect occurring in isolated environments | data-sort-value="100" | 1 year | September 3, 2008 | September 7, 2009 | 3,299 | ||
| St Forbadil Fake 7th-century Bishop of Mercia and Celtic saint, depicted with the head of a dog and credited with the miraculous invention of beer; possibly created to supply a backstory for a brewery. Deleted via G3. | data-sort-value="100" | 1 year | August 20, 2015 | August 24, 2016 | | ||
| James and the Pontoons Fake rock band | data-sort-value="100" | 1 year | July 20, 2007 | July 21, 2008 | 5,947 | ||
| Hevstäf Fictitious Czech village | data-sort-value="100" | 1 year | October 12, 2006 | October 15, 2007 | 4,822 | ||
| Deportation of Chinese in the Soviet Union Direct translation of the corresponding article from the Chinese Wikipedia, which was once a featured article there. It was later discovered in June 2022 that the original Chinese Wikipedia article contained misinformation, with the print media citations in the article being used fraudulently, and was part of a widespread sitewide collection of hoaxes created by a single user which spanned at least 206 articles on the Chinese Wikipedia and took place over a timespan of 10 years. During the AfD process on the English Wikipedia, a fact-check of the article content was undertaken; dubious content was removed, while information that could be verified via alternative sourcing was salvaged. | Extant (not deleted) | December 7, 2019 | June 27, 2022 (date salvaged) | 42,389 | WP:ANI thread: "An urgent report about a user:折毛's hoaxes" |
= Extant for less than 1 year =
{{hatnote|This section lists hoaxes covered for at least one month but less than one year. See Wikipedia:List of hoaxes on Wikipedia/Less than one year for the full list. This section should list only hoaxes covered in independent third-party sources. Short-lived hoaxes are innumerable and so we do not normally track them — they can be found by searching deletion logs for "hoax".}}
| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
! Hoax ! style="width:2em;" | Length ! style="width:2em;" | Creation date ! style="width:2em;" | Deletion date ! style="width:2em;" | Size in bytes ! class="unsortable" | Links |
| Siege of Borovsk Direct translation of the [https://web.archive.org/web/20220615104852/https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8D%9A%E7%BD%97%E5%A4%AB%E6%96%AF%E5%85%8B%E5%9B%B4%E5%9F%8E%E6%88%98 corresponding article] from Chinese Wikipedia, which was later discovered to be a hoax in June 2022, and subsequently speedy deleted. See "Deportation of Chinese in the Soviet Union" above for more information. | data-sort-value="223" | 7 months | November 5, 2021 | June 16, 2022 | | Speedy deletion per WP:G3: blatant hoax. [https://web.archive.org/web/20220612155151/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Borovsk Wayback Archive from June 12, 2022] |
| John Seigenthaler Sr. Real journalist who had a hoax article in 2005 claiming he was a suspect in the assassination of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. | data-sort-value="134" | 4½ months | May 26, 2005 | October 7, 2005 | | The subject of the Wikipedia Seigenthaler biography incident. Widely reported in the press and led to the introduction of the Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons policy. |
| Edward Owens hoax Article concerning late 1800's Chesapeake Bay oyster fisherman who turned to piracy created as a part of an internet hoax performed by students enrolled in a George Mason University class entitled "Lying about History". | data-sort-value="30" | 30 days | November 18, 2008 | December 18, 2008 | | After several mainstream news sources reported on the internet meme, students came forward to admit the deception.{{cite journal |url=http://chronicle.com/article/Teaching-by-Lying-Professor/1420 |title=Teaching by Lying: Professor Unveils 'Last Pirate' Hoax |journal=The Chronicle of Higher Education |last=Howard |first=Jennifer |date=December 18, 2008 |url-access=subscription |access-date=March 19, 2015 |archive-date=May 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120520131404/http://chronicle.com/article/Teaching-by-Lying-Professor/1420 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Matheson |first=Whitney |url=http://blogs.usatoday.com/popcandy/2008/12/ahoy-delve-into.html |title=Pop Candy blog |work=USAToday.com |date=December 4, 2008 |access-date=March 19, 2015 |archive-date=December 5, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205232921/http://blogs.usatoday.com/popcandy/2008/12/ahoy-delve-into.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=http://bavatuesdays.com/the-last-american-pirate |title=The Last American Pirate |date=December 4, 2008 |access-date=March 19, 2015 |archive-date=October 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019110857/http://bavatuesdays.com/the-last-american-pirate/ |url-status=live }} Survived [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_Owens_hoax&diff=258866434&oldid=258865742 speedy deletion], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_Owens_hoax&diff=next&oldid=258895569 proposed deletion] and two AFDs (1, 2) as a well documented hoax, before being incorporated as a part of an article on George Mason University hoaxes. |
| 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 | data-sort-value="21" | 21 days | October 5, 2005 | October 26, 2005 | | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alan_Mcilwraith&oldid=25205873 The hoax version] |
| Upper Peninsula War {{small|Account of a fictional conflict in 1843 between the State of Michigan and Canada over a disputed territorial line in the Upper Peninsula and subsequent secession attempt by the governor of Michigan.}} | data-sort-value="13" | 13 days | May 2, 2007 | May 15, 2007 | 24,553 |
| rowspan=3 | Helen Anne Petrie, Strutt Family Trust South African painter whose falsified biography was seeded on the internet in an apparent attempt to increase the value of artwork. Related names included [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Dricherby&oldid=323005799 Sebastian L.S Schwagele], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Dricherby&oldid=323005799 Fan Moniz] and PR by a [http://www.a1articles.com/article_1065741_13.html Marlene Duval], User:Marlene Duval | data-sort-value="0.0037" | 37 minutes | June 19, 2007 | June 19, 2007 | 17,873 | rowspan=3 | Afd discussion, Afd discussion, SSI report, [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Village_pump/Archive/2009/10#Helen_Anne_Petrie Commons Village Pump] |
| data-sort-value="8" | 8 days
| May 1, 2009 | May 9, 2009 | 3,455 |
| data-sort-value="2" | 2 days
| October 29, 2009 | October 31, 2009 | |
False statements in articles
Besides entire articles, there have also been false statements that were added to otherwise authentic pages. Please note that some of the entries here are possibly not hoaxes. Hoaxes require proof of an intentional attempt to mislead. Many false statements can be a result of a mistake or might represent cases where the person who added them believed in claims made.
Classification of hoaxes:
- Type 1 (Admission of hoax)
- Type 2a (Obvious hoax due to elaborateness)
- Type 2b (Obvious hoax due to pattern of vandalism by the account which added it)
- Type 3 (Possible hoax but with room for doubt)
- Type 4 (False or unreferenced and dubious statement that may or may not be a hoax as it could arguably have been added as a mistake or in good faith)
= Extant for 20+ years =
| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em ! style="width:20%;"| Claim ! style="width:2em;"| Length ! style="width:2em;"| Insertion date ! style="width:2em;"| Removal date ! style="width:20%;"| Links ! style="width:20%;"| Error type |
| Claim that the victim cannibalized by Armin Meiwes had "Armando" as third name
| data-sort-value="2004" | 20 years, | 19 October 2004 | 13 February 2025 | Type 3 (unsourced and an unlikely name for a German of that age, likely a joke edit from an IP for which no other edits are known). Since its addition the claim seems to have made it into various otherwise largely reliable sources, see discussion. |
= Extant for 10–20 years =
| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em ! style="width:20%;"| Claim ! style="width:2em;"| Length ! style="width:2em;"| Insertion date ! style="width:2em;"| Removal date ! style="width:20%;"| Links ! style="width:20%;"| Error type |
| Claim of a 1725 French scientific expedition to Clipperton Island
| data-sort-value="1903" | 19 years, | December 21, 2003 | April 5, 2023 | Added, Cite added, Removed | Type 4 (False or unreferenced and dubious statement that may or may not be a hoax as it could arguably have been added as a mistake or in good faith). Claim added in December 2003 during an expansion of the article. A citation needed tag was added in January 2018. In July 2020 an (unfortunately unreliable) source was added. Since 2003, the claim has been widely repeated online and in print. A review in April 2023 found no sources predating 2003 for a 1725 French expedition; instead, there are numerous reliable sources for the first recorded landing on the island occurring in 1825. |
| Claims about the etymology of Mont Ventoux
| data-sort-value="1808" | 18 years, | April 10, 2005 | December 7, 2023 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mont_Ventoux&diff=prev&oldid=12261157 Added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mont_Ventoux&diff=prev&oldid=1188858102 Removed] | Type 4 (False or unreferenced and dubious statement that may or may not be a hoax as it could arguably have been added as a mistake or in good faith). Claim added in April 2005 in the early days of the article. A dubious tag was added in November 2020, along with [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Mont_Ventoux&diff=prev&oldid=988898320 detailed discussion on the talk page]. The [https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Ventoux#Toponymie French version of the article] describes the claims as implausible. Likely came from an unreliable source or a misinterpretation of a source. |
| Claim about a point in the Saya de Malha Bank called "Poydenot Rock"
| data-sort-value="1804" | 18 years, | November 13, 2005 | March 5, 2024 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saya_de_Malha_Bank&diff=prev&oldid=28229468 Added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saya_de_Malha_Bank&diff=prev&oldid=1212089745 Removed] | Type 4 (False or unreferenced and dubious statement that may or may not be a hoax as it could arguably have been added as a mistake or in good faith). Claim added in November 2005 with a mystical source of "Indian Ocean Pilot" listed in the edit summary. Since then, a few academic and governmental publications have mentioned the point (see [https://lighthouse-foundation.org/Binaries/Binary1070/Saya-de-Malha-report-final.pdf Vortsepneva 2008], [https://www.ajol.info/index.php/wiojms/article/view/209266/215646 Ramah et al. 2021], and [https://msi.nga.mil/api/publications/download?key=16694491/SFH00000/Pub171bk.pdf National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency 2020]). Ramah et al. cite [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967063713001052 New et al. 2013], which makes no mention of it. Vortsepneva 2008 clearly just copy-pasted from Wikipedia. Otherwise no discernible evidence this place is real, or if it is, that this is its name. |
| Claim that Jefferson-Pilot Communications founded WJPR-TV in Lynchburg, Virginia, in WFXR
| data-sort-value="1611" | 16 years, | March 30, 2006 | February 22, 2023 | Type 4 (False or unreferenced and dubious statement that may or may not be a hoax as it could arguably have been added as a mistake or in good faith). Claim added in March 2006 in the early days of the article. It was not debunked until an overhaul in February 2023. The original permit owner for WJPR was a James Price, though he sold the station during launch. The article as it stood when the hoax was added was riddled with incorrect dates and facts for related station WFXR; every date in that revision is wrong. |
| Claim that the middle name of Polish poet Cyprian Norwid was Konstanty
| data-sort-value="1610" | 16 years, | November 13, 2006 | September 12, 2023 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?diff=87536350 Added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cyprian_Norwid&diff=prev&oldid=1175006216 Removed] | Type 2a (Obvious hoax due to elaborateness). Claim added by an IP, not confirmed by any source. Hard to imagine it was a mistake. |
| Claim that Harrison Ford moved to Los Angeles in 1964 to pursue radio work
| data-sort-value="1602" | 16 years, | November 3, 2007 | January 22, 2024 | Type 3 (Possible hoax but with room for doubt) or Type 1 (Admission of hoax) if the Tumblr post does not refer to some other hoax. Claim added by an IP, not confirmed by any source per Talk:Harrison Ford/Archive 2#Radio voice-over career attempt. Hard to imagine it was a mistake, especially given a [https://www.tumblr.com/maspers/740373085939777536/one-of-my-college-professors-dont-ever-use Tumblr post] by someone who claims to be her student.Full cite in footnote, in case of link rot: {{cite web |author1=@maspers |date=January 23, 2024 |url=https://www.tumblr.com/maspers/740373085939777536/one-of-my-college-professors-dont-ever-use |via=Tumblr |title=One of my college professors: "Don't ever use Wikipedia..." |access-date=January 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240129092034/https://www.tumblr.com/maspers/740373085939777536/one-of-my-college-professors-dont-ever-use |archive-date=January 29, 2024 |url-status=live |quote=One of my college professors: "Don't ever use Wikipedia for school assignments and professional works. [...] "Many years ago a friend and I put a lie about Harrison Ford on Wikipedia and it's still there. People think it's true, to the point that it's been put into official print biographies about him. [...] "No, I'm not taking it down" [...] the factoid is no longer there, presumably removed by one of my classmates}} [bold original]. |
| Claim that the white elephant gift exchange was popularized by Cornell University founder, Ezra Cornell, in the 1820's.
| data-sort-value="1511" | 15 years, | December 10, 2008 | December 6, 2024 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White_elephant_gift_exchange&oldid=257091750 Added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White_elephant_gift_exchange&oldid=1261543984 Removed] | Type 2a (Obvious hoax due to elaborateness). Claim added by an IP with no previous editing history. The claim cited three sources, one of which appears to be wholly fabricated. Another cited source was a book review, and two of the three cited sources were published in academic journals behind expensive paywalls-- making attempts to debunk the false claim difficult. |
| Claim that the screaming piha is known as the "Pwe-pwe Yoh" by the Cofán people of Ecuador
| data-sort-value="1508" | 15 years, | August 18, 2007 | April 30, 2023 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Screaming_piha&diff=prev&oldid=152114772 Added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Screaming_piha&diff=prev&oldid=1152491591 Removed] | Type 3 (Possible hoax but with room for doubt). Added by an IP with only 3 edits, all on the same day, and all about screaming pihas. Later, on March 10, 2012, another unreferenced and dubious name from a different indigenous language (Secoya) was added. This was also removed on April 30, 2023. |
| Claim that the publishers of Richard Feynman's Lectures on Physics thought that putting Chladni patterns on the cover would send dangerous "rock and roll and drug" messages
| data-sort-value="1505" | 15 years, | February 21, 2007 | July 23, 2022 | Type 3 (Possible hoax but with room for doubt). Added by an IP that traces back to a K-12 school system, so kids goofing off looks likely. Toned down, but not removed, in June 2012. Slipped through GA review and promotion to FA. |
| Claim that the three episodes of the documentary series Walking with Monsters had the titles "Water Dwellers", "Reptile's Beginnings", and "Clash of Titans"
| data-sort-value="1409" | 14 years, | October 22, 2009 | August 24, 2024 | Type 4 (False or unreferenced and dubious statement that may or may not be a hoax as it could arguably have been added as a mistake or in good faith). The claim was added by an editor in October 2009 without any citations. The edit was later debunked and removed in August 2024, when it was discovered that the episode titles were not present in TV guides or official episode listings until these edits were made. |
| Claim that the United States used $3 million in gold as a down payment when financing the Louisiana Purchase
| data-sort-value="1409" | 14 years, | November 16, 2007 | August 18, 2022 | Added, Cited, Copy edit, Removed | Type 4 (False or unreferenced and dubious statement that may or may not be a hoax as it could arguably have been added as a mistake or in good faith). The claim was added, unsourced, by an IP editor in November 2007. At the time of the insertion, only the use of bonds to finance the purchase was mentioned. (A wave of vandalism in March 2007 had blanked a prior, less detailed financing section (Added; Blanked), which wasn't recreated until August 2007.) At the time, most of the article was sourced to a single general history book. It's possible the IP editor knew bonds were issued for only a portion of the sale price and made an assumption about the remainder. In 2010, an editor reworked the bonds portion of the paragraph, adding a source, but left the statement about gold in place. In 2014, a copy edit extended the mention of shipping gold based on the same source. As part of a reworking of the section in 2022, an attempt to verify the down payment in gold claim discovered it to be false and the claim was replaced with proper information about financing the deal through a mix of debt assumption and bonds. |
| Claim that World War II legally ended in 1990/1991 with the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany
| data-sort-value="1406" | 14 years, | April 7, 2008 | October 18, 2022 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Military_history&oldid=1118786185#Hoax_about_the_end_of_WW2? Discussion on Wikiproject Military History] |
| Claim that there had been a proposal to put a spire atop the Louvre Pyramid "to simplify window washing".
| data-sort-value="1400" | 14 years | June 11, 2007 | May 31, 2021 | Type 4 (False or unreferenced and dubious statement that may or may not be a hoax as it could arguably have been added as a mistake or in good faith). The claim was added by a sockpuppet of a banned user in 2007 with a suspicious edit summary and built-in {{tl|cn}} tag. The claim remained in the article, always tagged as unsourced, for over a decade, being removed just shy of the 14-year mark in 2021. The only references on the Web to a spire on the Louvre Pyramid are passing references on blogs, all postdating the claim's addition to the article. |
| Claim that Chola Navy is an independent fighting force of the Cholas with elaborate description such as technology, organization, administration, type of vessels and weapons.
| data-sort-value="1306" | 13 years, | December 25, 2008 | June 29, 2022 |[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chola_Navy&diff=1095356748&oldid=260037948 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chola_Navy&diff=1095633264&oldid=1095632608 removed] | Type 2a (Obvious hoax due to elaborateness). Imported from draft space with many unreferenced parts. The article grew more elaborate over the years with many references added after its creation. A part was identified as a hoax by [https://www.reddit.com/r/badhistory/comments/ucxaey/the_thirisadai_an_ahistorical_age_of_empires_ii/ a Reddit user] after a made up ship known as the "Thirisadai" was added into Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. They identified several problems such as using fake sources and misattributed sources, lacking additional references for comparison, and using a fraudulent image as its support. After gradual rechecking and verification of the sources, many parts of the article have been identified as fraud and consequently deleted. |
| Claim that a 10 metre fibreglass Zulu boat was discovered in a hotel beer cellar in the Scottish Highland village of Tomintoul.
| data-sort-value="1304" | 13 years, | August 8, 2006 | December 9, 2019 |[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tomintoul&diff=68442792&oldid=65363223 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tomintoul&diff=930012402&oldid=930012180 removed] | Type 2a (Obvious hoax due to elaborateness). Unreferenced section added by an IP to an article when at the time said article had no references. The hoax was finally removed when it was mistakenly identified as plagiarising the [https://www.scotland.org.uk/item/tomintoul-visitor-guide Travel Scotland] tourist site, who had in fact taken their colourful piece of local history from Wikipedia (see Wikipedia:CITOGENESIS). No reliable sources for this claim have been found so far. |
| Claim that, according to "old Elizabethan texts" and the historian S. Joy, Mary Seymour definitely lived past the age of 10.
| data-sort-value="1301" |13 years, | March 14, 2010 | May 12, 2023 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Seymour&diff=prev&oldid=349724045 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Seymour&diff=next&oldid=349724045 removed], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Seymour&diff=next&oldid=349852248 added again], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Seymour&diff=598591685&oldid=594473472 tagged as uncited], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Seymour&diff=1154422452&oldid=1153703512 removed a second time] | Type 2a (Obvious hoax due to elaborateness). A historian S. Joy probably never existed, and neither did the old Elizabethan texts. |
| Claim that the United States Naval Academy's first mascot before Bill the Goat was a gorilla called the Navy Monkey.
| data-sort-value="1210" | 12 years, | May 27, 2009 | April 5, 2022 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_the_Goat&diff=prev&oldid=292722067 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_the_Goat&diff=1081164563&oldid=1069945643 removed] | Type 1 (Admission of hoax). The statement was added by a new account on 27 May 2009. The account made no other edits to Wikipedia aside from this. On 5 April 2022 a user on Twitter [https://web.archive.org/web/20220405194434/https://twitter.com/fraudsonbroad/status/1511385370734346244 claimed] to be the person who added the hoax, saying they did it so that they could wear a gorilla costume while presenting their school project on the Naval Academy. |
| Claim that the county fair scene in Charlotte's Web was filmed at Southampton Days in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
| data-sort-value="1210" | 12 years, | May 22, 2012 | March 23, 2025 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bucks_County,_Pennsylvania&diff=prev&oldid=493745375 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bucks_County%2C_Pennsylvania&diff=prev&oldid=1122696677 copy edited], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bucks_County,_Pennsylvania&diff=prev&oldid=1281947592 removed] |Type 3 (Possible hoax but with room for doubt). Added by an IP in 2012 with no reference. Despite multiple copy edits as recent as 2022 and culling of other entries in the section, it was not challenged or removed until 2025. There are no sources to support the claim or anything close to it, so it does not appear to have been a misunderstanding or error. All other available information, including [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte%27s_Web_(2006_film)#Production the film's own Wikipedia page], indicates that the entire movie was filmed in Australia. |
| Claim that the 1924 Democratic National Convention was also known as the "Klanbake".
| data-sort-value="1207" | 12 years, | August 23, 2005 | March 15, 2018 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1924_Democratic_National_Convention&type=revision&diff=21685107&oldid=16665761 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1924_Democratic_National_Convention&type=revision&diff=830560867&oldid=821094918 removed] | Type 4 (False or unreferenced and dubious statement that may or may not be a hoax as it could arguably have been added as a mistake or in good faith). This alternative name was added to the article in 2005; at that time the article had no references. The name was reused in another hoax or error that begun circulated on social media in 2015 (see the section discussing the "Klanbake" meme in the 1924 Democratic National Convention article) until it was removed from Wikipedia in 2018 after repeatedly failing verification. |
| Claim that the Singaporean town of Ang Mo Kio was named after the fictitious "Lady Jennifer Windsor", whose ghost haunted the bridge where her three children drowned.
| data-sort-value="1108" | 11 years, | November 21, 2008 | July 29, 2020 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ang_Mo_Kio&diff=prev&oldid=253292681 Added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ang_Mo_Kio&type=revision&diff=970083299&oldid=969220205 removed]. | Type 2a (Obvious hoax due to elaborateness). The claim was added by Paulchen68 in 2008; at that time the article had no references. The short lived account made several other edits to Wikipedia which appear to have been in good faith. The ghost story was removed in 2020 when it failed verification. See discussion; with the only source pre-dating the Wikipedia entry being an Internet forum post from earlier that day. Before being removed from Wikipedia, the hoax made its way into at least [https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=bXKZAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT110&dq=lady+jennifer+windsor one book] and a TV show. |
| A claim that former UK Prime Minister John Major's interest in politics was partly sparked by "a chance meeting with Clement Attlee on the King's Road."
| data-sort-value="1105" | 11 years, | November 9, 2008 | April 15, 2020 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Major&diff=250604798&oldid=250481097 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Major&diff=951096102&oldid=950762330 removed] | Type 3 (Possible hoax but with room for doubt). The claim was added by a SPA account without a reference to an unreferenced paragraph. It was eventually removed over a decade later as failing verification. |
| The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny A claim that the song was distributed under the nonexistent record label "Bandung Records" | data-sort-value="1102" | 11 years, | January 23, 2010 | March 24, 2021 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Ultimate_Showdown_of_Ultimate_Destiny&direction=next&oldid=339576878 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Ultimate_Showdown_of_Ultimate_Destiny&diff=1013990709&oldid=1012972496 removed] | Type 4 (False or unreferenced and dubious statement that may or may not be a hoax as it could arguably have been added as a mistake or in good faith). Claim added by an anon to an infobox and removed for being unreferenced over a decade earlier. See also Talk:The_Ultimate_Showdown_of_Ultimate_Destiny. |
| The existence of Moose Boulder Island, an alleged fourth-order island located within Ryan Island on Isle Royale
| data-sort-value="1010" | 10 years, | May 5, 2009 | March 10, 2020 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Isle_Royale&diff=288109348&oldid=286984969 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Isle_Royale&diff=944982505&oldid=944928643&diffmode=source removed] | Type 3 (Possible hoax but with room for doubt). In 2020 [https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/moose-boulder-debunked an article] in Atlas Obscura discussed the results of an investigation of local explorers into the existence of this purported island, noting they failed to locate it. The article traced the story of it to Wikipedia, further writing that "The identity of that first Wikipedia user to write about it—with those completely unrelated sources—remains a mystery, but all available evidence suggests that it was a person having a laugh, nothing more." The article further noted the claim has been removed and reinstated on Wikipedia, however with a note that "the second Wikipedia editor—who perpetuated the earlier misinformation on Moose Boulder—had been “genuinely duped” rather than [being] a conspirator." The journalist investigation, however, did not reveal any information about the editor who added the error, and there is no evidence their addition of Moose Boulder to Wikipedia was intended to mislead anyone. The article contains a disclaimer that the authors "can’t be 100 percent sure that it doesn’t exist, without exploring every square foot of the island, which is very densely forested." While the claim was removed from Wikipedia's entry for Isle Royale shortly after the publication of the Atlas Obscura story, as of 2021, the hoax is discussed at Siskiwit Lake (Isle Royale) (to which it was copied upon the page creation in 2014), where the Moose Boulder redirect (created in 2020) points. See also Talk:Siskiwit_Lake_(Isle_Royale)#Moose_Flats_and_Moose_Boulder. |
| Torvald Hightower A fictitious 18th-century "philanthropic pioneer," who was claimed to exist on the page for the name Torvald | data-sort-value="1007" | 10 years, | September 10, 2008 | May 5, 2019 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Torvald&diff=179727047&oldid=163110737 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Torvald&diff=203236507&oldid=179727047 removed], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Torvald&diff=237452140&oldid=203236507 added again], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Torvald&type=revision&diff=895542974&oldid=847667584 removed a second time] | Type 3 (Possible hoax but with room for doubt). Unreferenced short entry added to a list of otherwise unreferenced entries by an IP (note: disambiguation pages are usually unreferenced per Wikipedia's Manual of Style). The name "Torvald Hightower" does not appear in any sources. It was originally added by an IP in December 2007, then removed in April 2008, before being added again by a different IP in September 2008. The last addition was not undone until May 2019. |
= Extant for 8–10 years =
| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em ! style="width:20%;"| Claim ! style="width:2em;"| Length ! style="width:2em;"| Insertion date ! style="width:2em;"| Removal date ! style="width:20%;"| Links ! style="width:40%;"| Error type | |||
| Franklin Avenue station (BMT Lexington Avenue Line) Claim that the station was originally named Electric Avenue because electricity was discovered here. | data-sort-value="910" | 9 years, | May 30, 2011 | March 14, 2021 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Franklin_Avenue_station_(BMT_Lexington_Avenue_Line)&type=revision&diff=431730642&oldid=418174044&diffmode=source added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Franklin_Avenue_station_(BMT_Lexington_Avenue_Line)&oldid=1012185796 removed] | Type 2b (Obvious hoax due to pattern of vandalism by the account which added it). Claim was added by an account whose other edits were obvious vandalisms: [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_M._S._Schulz&diff=prev&oldid=431731399&diffmode=source], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Second_Battle_of_Pyramid_Lake&diff=prev&oldid=431730942&diffmode=source], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nick_Pocock&diff=prev&oldid=431730744&diffmode=source]. Unlike others, this one seemed somewhat plausible and evaded scrutiny for almost 10 years. | |||
| Claim that the country of Georgia introduced colour television in 1984, while it was a part of the Soviet Union
| data-sort-value="904.21" | 9 years, 4 ½ months | June 30, 2014 | November 19, 2023 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Timeline_of_the_introduction_of_color_television_in_countries_and_territories&diff=615108385&oldid=614919678 Added] [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Timeline_of_the_introduction_of_color_television_in_countries_and_territories&diff=1185979966&oldid=1185946596 Removed] | Type 2b (Obvious hoax due to pattern of vandalism by the account which added it) Anonymous Editor (presumably same person due to similar IP's) has added incorrect dates for when nations switched to color television before, and they have [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Timeline_of_the_introduction_of_color_television_in_countries_and_territories&diff=559916615&oldid=559800378 reverted the page] back to their incorrect dates they added, [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Timeline_of_the_introduction_of_color_television_in_countries_and_territories&diff=560070118&oldid=560043107 twice], and user also added an [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Timeline_of_the_introduction_of_color_television_in_countries_and_territories&diff=597431600&oldid=597159477 earlier year of 1979, and also using the year 1984 for when Azerbaijian switched to color television] in Feburary 2013. When Georgia actually introduced color television was on November 7, 1968. {{cite web |title=ტელემაუწყებლობის 65 წელი - საქართველოს პირველი არხი 65 წლის გახდა |url=https://1tv.ge/news/telemauwyeblobis-65-weli-saqartvelos-pirveli-arkhi-65-wlis-gakhda/ |website=Georgia Public Broadcaster |access-date=3 April 2025 |language=Georgian |date=December 30, 2021}} | |||
| Claim that a Davey "Crabsticks" Trotter played Mellotron for a number of rock bands, including The Polyphonic Spree and Elephant's Memory
| 9 years, 4 months | October 14, 2014 | February 20, 2024 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Polyphonic_Spree&diff=prev&oldid=629591232 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Polyphonic_Spree&diff=prev&oldid=1209175323 removed] | Type 2b (Obvious hoax due to pattern of vandalism by the accounts which added it: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/195.62.204.32 anonymous editor #1], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/176.35.139.242 anonymous editor #2]). See discussion [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Elephant%27s_Memory#Five_years_of_hoax_name here] and [https://old.reddit.com/r/WikipediaVandalism/comments/1ave8se/is_davey_crabsticks_trotter_on_the_mellotron_some/ on reddit]. | |||
| Adam Gilchrist Fictitious claims that Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist read the works of Karl Marx when on tour. | data-sort-value="902" | 9 years, | February 22, 2009 | May 2, 2018 | Added here and here, removed. [https://twitter.com/workmanalice/status/702326574465417217 Gilchrist's denial on twitter] (dead link) | Type 3 (Possible hoax but with room for doubt). Claim added by a single-purpose IP. The hoax claim was cited to a fictitious statement in a real book by Australian Captain Ricky Ponting. Claim failed verification (removed with edit summary: "The claim doesn't appear on the cited pages of the book - or anywhere in it.") and was disputed by the subject who tweeted that "someone [was] taking the piss" after it spread to several newspapers, including The Times of India. However, other information added by the IP has been correctly referenced and was so far retained as correct. Whether the IP intended to mislead or made an error is unclear. | |||
| rowspan=2 data-sort-value="Lord Byron"| Lord Byron Claims that he kept a crocodile and a honey badger as pets | data-sort-value="808.19" | 8 years, | November 20, 2006 | rowspan=2 | August 7, 2015 | rowspan=2 | {{diff|Lord Byron|prev|89049700|crocodile added}}, {{diff|Lord Byron|prev|592992981|honey badger added}}, {{diff|Lord Byron|prev|675015929|both removed}} | rowspan=2 | Type 4 (False or unreferenced and dubious statement that may or may not be a hoax as it could arguably have been added as a mistake or in good faith). Both claims were added by an IP (one in November 2006 and the other in January 2014). At those times the list of animals Lord Byron kept was entirely unreferenced anyway, and the claims seem plausible. A request for citation for this list of animals was added in May 2014. In August 2015 reference was added by the same editor who removed entries for crocodile and honey badger, who also said [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lord_Byron&diff=675018714&oldid=675015929&diffmode=source "Add a citation for the animals (except the parrot, which I can't find a source for, but it was added in the same edit as the others and wasn't a deliberate hoax"] and removed the entry for the parrot as well. The list of animals was [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lord_Byron&diff=prev&oldid=1027818&diffmode=source added in June 2003] without a reference by an editor in good standing. Whether the entries for the parrot, crocodile and honey badger were all intentional jokes, honest errors, or based on a rare and as yet uncited source cannot be determined at this point. | |||
| data-sort-value="106" | 1 year, 6 months | January 29, 2014 | |||
| Muhammad Ali "A youth club in Ali's home town, a species of rose (Rosa Ali) and a small child have all been named after him." | data-sort-value="804.20" | 8 years, | November 9, 2006 | March 28, 2015 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Muhammad_Ali&diff=86736260&oldid=86727606 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Muhammad_Ali&oldid=654085011#Rosa_Ali_removed removed]. | Type 1 (Admission of hoax). The statement was added by an IP on November 9, 2006. On 28 March 2015 Michael Deacon [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/general-election-2015/debates/11500485/My-Wikipedia-page-is-completely-wrong-but-I-cant-be-caught-correcting-it.html stated] that he was the one who added it: "Once, when I was working at a men’s magazine, a colleague was compiling a quiz about Muhammad Ali. As a test, I inserted a banal lie into Ali’s Wikipedia biography (I said a species of rose, rosa ali, is named after him). Innocently my colleague incorporated the lie into his quiz. Ten years later, on Ali’s frequently updated Wikipedia page, that lie is still there." The hoax was subsequently removed from Wikipedia within 24 hours. | |||
| Ailuropoda melanoleuca hastroni, a purported extinct subspecies of giant panda
| data-sort-value="800.20" | 8 years, | July 2, 2009 | July 21, 2017 | {{diff|Ailuropoda|299969578 | Addition}} {{diff|Ailuropoda|791605065 | Questioned}} {{diff|Ailuropoda|791656877 | Removal}}
| Type 2 (Obvious hoax). Added by an IP editor in 2009 and spread to other language wikis, both at Ailuropoda and giant panda. A 2017 edit added a {{tl|citation needed}} tag with the comment "cant find ref to A. m. hastorni which isn't based off this Wikipedia entry". It was removed entirely shortly there after, but remained in other projects and at giant panda until 2023. |
| Matt Siegel "...Massachusetts Governor Paul Celluci (sic) proclaimed that January 12, 2001 shall be honored as “Matty in the Morning” Day with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." | data-sort-value="800.05" |8 years, | March 20, 2013 | March 25, 2021 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matt_Siegel&oldid=545685237 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matt_Siegel&oldid=1014115025 removed] | Type 4 (False or unreferenced and dubious statement that may or may not be a hoax as it could arguably have been added as a mistake or in good faith). This claim was put in the article when it was created and was not taken down until 8 years later. Searching up both the governor's name with and without the misspelling brought up nothing about "Matty in the Morning Day". No other content present in the article at the time of its creation have been identified as false. |
= Extant for 4–8 years =
| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em ! style="width:20%;"| Claim ! style="width:2em;"| Length ! style="width:2em;"| Insertion date ! style="width:2em;"| Removal date ! style="width:20%;"| Links ! style="width:40%;"| Error type | ||||
| Claim that Australia's Next Top Model season 2 had an episode on February 29, 2006 (a day that doesn't exist since 2006 is not a leap year)
| data-sort-value = "711" | 7 years, | March 15, 2018 | February 27, 2025 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Australia%27s_Next_Top_Model_season_2&diff=830578014&oldid=825606809 Addition], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Australia%27s_Next_Top_Model_season_2&diff=prev&oldid=1277983256 removal] | | ||||
| Claim that women in Uganda refer to the Protopterus as a "sister fish" and for this reason abstain from eating them. | data-sort-value="711" | 7 years, | March 11, 2009 | February 7, 2017 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Protopterus&diff=276587588 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Protopterus&diff=764095130 removed] | Type 4 (False or unreferenced and dubious statement that may or may not be a hoax as it could arguably have been added as a mistake or in good faith). Unreferenced content added by an IP on March 12, 2009. Citation requested on February 6, 2017, and then the text removed a day later, after diligent research by an estabilished editor found no sources (see Talk:Protopterus#Unsourced information removed). Note that the claim had by then spread to several other outlets. | ||||
| data-sort-value="Outstanding Achievement in Winning an Outstanding Achievement" | A Japan Academy Prize awarded for "Outstanding Achievement in Winning an Outstanding Achievement"
| data-sort-value="707" | 7 years, 7 months | May 12, 2007 | December 13, 2014 | {{diff|Japan Academy Prize (film)|130218739|130218256|added}}, {{diff|Japan Academy Prize (film)|637955159|633981641|removed}} | Type 2b (Obvious hoax due to pattern of vandalism by the account which added it) or Type 2a (Obvious hoax due to elaborateness), with elaborateness meaning a pretty obvious joke. Unreferenced claim added by an IP who [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Twilight_Samurai&diff=prev&oldid=130217392&diffmode=source a few days earlier also "invented"] another award, this time Academy Award for Longest Monologue. Apparently it took 7 years for someone to notice this joke (the monologue one lasted just [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Twilight_Samurai&diff=151881087&oldid=148310581&diffmode=source about 3 months]). | ||||
| In Bill Mauldin: Mauldin's friend Irving Richtel supposedly served as the model for Willie, a cartoon character of an American soldier. | data-sort-value="707" | 7 years, 7 months | March 9, 2008 | October 16, 2015 | {{diff|Bill Mauldin|196972708|195216056|added}}, {{diff|Bill Mauldin|685956481|681134566|removed}} | Type 4 (False or unreferenced and dubious statement that may or may not be a hoax as it could arguably have been added as a mistake or in good faith). Content was added into an otherwise referenced paragraph by an IP account that made no other edits before or since. 7 years later, content was removed by a regular editor with an edit summary "Both the personas and the appearance predate Richtel". The incident was never discussed on article's talk. While Mauldin served with a jeep driver named Irving Richtel (Mauldin, Bill (1944). News of the 45th, pp. 97–98, 115, 142.; Mauldin, Bill (1971). The Brass Ring, p. 164.), no source was found that said that Willie was modeled after Richtel. After the 2008 appearance in Wikipedia, the hoax migrated to Julian M. Olejniczak's 2015 book [https://books.google.com/books?id=uk7ABgAAQBAJ&pg=PT143 To Be A Soldier: A Selective American Military History], p. 143, and it made it into several websites such as [https://web.archive.org/web/20140716125510/http://armedforcesmuseum.com/wwii-bill-mauldin-and-willie-and-joe/ the Armed Air Forces History Museum] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20130825230421/http://westpointaog.org/page.aspx?pid=3934 the West Point Association]. | ||||
| In Microsoft Windows: "The history of Windows dates back to September 1981, when Chase Bishop, a computer scientist, designed the first model of an electronic device and project Interface Manager was started." | data-sort-value="703" | 7 years, | September 26, 2010 | January 25, 2018 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Microsoft_Windows&diff=387127154&oldid=387067630 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Microsoft_Windows&diff=822222257&oldid=822218424 removed], | Type 2b (Obvious hoax due to pattern of vandalism by the account which added it). Content was added into an otherwise referenced paragraph by {{vandal|Dinnerface}}, a short-lived account who vandalized the article on MySQL minutes earlier. Vandalism at MySQL was removed within one day, but the edit to Microsoft Windows was less obvious and survived for 7 years, as at that time nobody bothered to check other edits by that account and revert all of them. | ||||
| Canada Dry Claims of several nonexistent flavors of soft drink, incorporating subtle jokes, some of them offensive. | data-sort-value="702" | 7 years, | November 20, 2015 | January 28, 2023 | diffs of addition, diffs of removal | Type 2b (Obvious hoax due to pattern of vandalism by the account which added it). The individual claims are more like type 4, but together show a pattern of intent to add inflammatory subtle vandalism. Note in particular obvious joke of a "Canada Dry 'Wet{{' "}} in addition to "Canada Dry 'Dry{{' "}} and the dated and offensive nationalistic stereotype regarding the Iraq War. | ||||
| data-sort-value="Mousen" | Fictional minor planet "14345 Mousen", named after nonexistent Pakistani astronomer and planetarium director "Mousen Saeed"
| data-sort-value="701" | 7 years, | April 19, 2012 | May 29, 2019 | {{diff|List of minor planets named after people|484744665 | added on March 30, 2012}}, {{diff|List of minor planets named after people|484744665 | removed on March 30, 2012}}, {{diff|List of minor planets named after people|488184665 | added back mistakenly on April 19, 2012}}, {{diff|List of minor planets named after people|899434117 | removed after 7 years on May 29, 2019}}
| Actual name is 14345 Gritsevich |
| Claim that David Kendrick joined Bastille in 2016.
| data-sort-value="608" | 6 years, | July 3, 2016 | April 14, 2023 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bastille_%28band%29&diff=prev&oldid=728192229&diffmode=source added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bastille_%28band%29&diff=prev&oldid=728238368&diffmode=source initial removal], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bastille_%28band%29&diff=prev&oldid=729052772&diffmode=source restored], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bastille_%28band%29&diff=prev&oldid=1149739927&diffmode=source removed] | Type 2b (Obvious hoax due to pattern of vandalism by the account which added it). Added by a sockpuppet of banned LTA vandal Angela Criss, who claimed that Kendrick would join Bastille for their second album Wild World, replacing their drummer Chris "Woody" Wood (although Criss initially also claimed that Kendrick would be replacing Kyle Simmons in the band). As it became evident that Wood was still a member of Bastille, the vandal instead began claiming that Kendrick had joined the band as a touring member for whenever Wood was unavailable. They also claimed that Kendrick performed with the band on various dates and played on several songs he did not (ironically most of the songs listed did not feature drums). Three days before its removal, the hoax made its way into a [https://thecosmicclash.com/2023/04/11/live-music-review-xiu-xiu-brought-unbridled-experimentation-to-elysium-friday/ blog post] on Kendrick's current band Xiu Xiu. The vandal had also falsely claimed that Merle Allin ([https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bastille_%28band%29&diff=prev&oldid=725163500&diffmode=source]) and Bob Mothersbaugh ([https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bastille_%28band%29&diff=prev&oldid=728480032&diffmode=source], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bastille_%28band%29&diff=next&oldid=728480032&diffmode=source], and [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bastille_%28band%29&diff=next&oldid=728480517&diffmode=source]), the latter of whom was Kendrick's bandmate in Devo, would join Bastille, although these additions were more quickly spotted and removed. | ||||
| Robert Serber Fictitious assassination attempt, fictitious assassin added later | data-sort-value="609.5" | 6 years, | May 6, 2009 | February 12, 2016 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_Serber&diff=cur&oldid=282083478 Diff] | ||||
| Janusism: a fictitious form of word play
| data-sort-value="608" | 6 years, | February 5, 2015 | October 14, 2021 | Type 2b (Obvious hoax due to pattern of vandalism by the account which added it). The IP's next edit, five minutes later, makes it very clear. | ||||
| Claim that the "Battery" visualization was removed in later editions of Windows Media Player 12.
| data-sort-value="608" | 6 years, | July 28, 2016 | March 28, 2023 | Type 2b (Obvious hoax due to pattern of vandalism by the account which added it). Unsourced claim added by an anonymous sockpuppet of banned LTA vandal Angela Criss. | ||||
| data-sort-value="Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex" | A claim that pyruvate decarboxylation is known as the "Swanson conversion." In actuality, the term was coined by a high school chemistry teacher of the same name, who decided not to remove the reference from Wikipedia in order to encourage his students to be more careful when researching.
| data-sort-value="606.5" | 6 years, | December 15, 2010 | June 24, 2017 | {{diff|Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex|402519324|400709894|added}}, {{diff|Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex|787359858|785201775|removed}} [https://ratioscientiae.weebly.com/ratio-scientiae-blog/the-mystery-of-the-swanson-conversion-solved Article about the edit] | ||||
| Claim that the fictitious vulgar name "hairy bush fruit" was an existing synonym for kiwifruit. Hoax only came to light after hoaxer admitted to it.
| data-sort-value="605" | 6 years, | November 6, 2007 | March 2, 2014 | {{diff|Kiwifruit|169584051 | Addition}} {{diff|Kiwifruit|597839552 | Blanking}} {{diff|Kiwifruit|606675739 | Removal}} | |
| The article on Henry David Thoreau included a made-up quote by Louisa May Alcott about the writer's "neck-beard".
| data-sort-value="603" | 6 years, | December 21, 2007 | March 18, 2014 | {{diff|Henry David Thoreau|prev|179402925|Added}}, {{diff|Henry David Thoreau|next|599691298|removed}} | Talk page comment detailing the hoax | ||||
| 1978–79 Boston College basketball point-shaving scandal Player Joe Streater was alleged to have been involved, even though he wasn't even a member of the team that year. Only identified after spreading to numerous sources, including the Associated Press. | data-sort-value="602" | 6 years, | August 12, 2008 | October 8, 2014 | | ||||
| data-sort-value="Voice of Fire" | The article on Voice of Fire included a made-up quote indicating the painting had been hung upside down.
| data-sort-value="602" | 6 years, | February 23, 2015 | May 2, 2021 | ||||
| data-sort-value="SDSU Mascot practices human sacrifice" | The article on the NCAA Native American mascot decision included a statement that the San Diego State mascot practiced human sacrifice, quoting an obvious satirical article
| data-sort-value="601" | 6 years, | October 24, 2016 | November 19, 2022 | {{diff|NCAA Native American mascot decision|prev|746039149|Added}}, {{diff|NCAA Native American mascot decision|prev|1122803385|removed}} | Type 4 (False or unreferenced and dubious statement that may or may not be a hoax as it could arguably have been added as a mistake or in good faith). Account has done work on Native American articles and added entire section. | ||||
| data-sort-value="Silk Imperial Crown of Russia" | Supposed existence of a “Silk Imperial Crown of Russia”, illustrated by pictures of some crown-shaped box. Probably added to advertise a fraudulent gift shop site.
| data-sort-value="601.5" | 6 years, | November 15, 2015 | January 3, 2022 |Users involved: {{user|Diirector}}, {{user|1896coronation}} {{user|Balthatzar}}. Articles:
Images: | ||||
| data-sort-value="Brierfield" | Allegation that Brierfield, Lancashire, with its smoking mills, was Tolkien's inspiration for the evil land of Mordor.
| data-sort-value="600.5" | 6 years, | March 8, 2006 | March 21, 2012 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brierfield,_Lancashire&diff=42863927&oldid=35815037 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brierfield%2C_Lancashire&diff=483136210&oldid=483129402 removed] | Was [http://blog.pauked.com/?p=277 spotted by a blogger] in August 2006 but didn't follow up; believed by sources including [http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/dec/15/pendle-hill-mummified-cat-witches The Guardian] | ||||
| Claim that the coati was also known as "Brazilian aardvark".
| data-sort-value="508" | 5 years, 10 months | July 12, 2008 | May 20, 2014 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Coati&diff=next&oldid=224679361 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Coati&type=revision&diff=609357621&oldid=607786257 removed] | Added by a then 17-year-old student as a private joke, the false information lasted for six years and was propagated by hundreds of websites, several newspapers, and even books by a few university presses.{{cite magazine|title=How a raccoon became an aardvark|url=http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/how-a-raccoon-became-an-aardvark|first=Eric|last=Randall|date=May 19, 2014|magazine=The New Yorker|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229170809/http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/how-a-raccoon-became-an-aardvark|archive-date=December 29, 2016|access-date=November 24, 2016}}{{cite web|title=Happy birthday: Jimbo Wales' sweet 16 Wikipedia fails. From aardvark to Bicholim, the encylopedia {{sic|nolink=y}} of things that never were|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/01/16/wikipedia_16_birthday_fails/|first=Andreas|last=Kolbe|date=January 16, 2017|work=The Register|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708162916/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/01/16/wikipedia_16_birthday_fails/|archive-date=July 8, 2017|accessdate=June 4, 2017}} The spread was such that the joke indeed became a common name for the animal and was cited in several sources. After the initial removal, the name was reinserted multiple times by users who believed it had become legitimate. | ||||
| Claim that "Bryan Tyler" and "Mark Sims" were former members of the Eli Young Band.
| data-sort-value="508" | 5 years, | February 7, 2008 | October 9, 2013 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eli_Young_Band&diff=prev&oldid=189663344 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eli_Young_Band&diff=next&oldid=576403942 removed] | ||||
| A wholly fictitious origin story for Amelia Bedelia, the main character of the eponymous popular children's book series: "'Amelia Bedelia' was based on a French colonial maid in Cameroon, where the author spent some time during her formative years. Her vast collection of hats, notorious for their extensive plumage, inspired her to write an assortment of tales based on her experiences in North Africa."
| data-sort-value="506.30" | 5 years, | January 31, 2009 | July 29, 2014 | {{diff|Amelia Bedelia|267695567 | Addition}} {{diff|Amelia Bedelia|618967576 | Removal}} [http://www.dailydot.com/lol/amelia-bedelia-wikipedia-hoax/ Admission] | After being repeated tens of times, sometimes by journalists and academics, the hoax was identified by EJ Dickson, one of its authors, turned journalist, who had written it as a joke with a friend while "stoned". | ||
| Ailuropoda melanoleuca hastroni, a purported extinct subspecies of Giant panda
| data-sort-value="506.05" | 5 years, | January 20, 2018 | July 22, 2023 | {{diff|Giant panda|821464005 | Addition}} {{diff|Giant panda|1166602457 | Removal}}
| Type 2 (Obvious hoax). [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Giant_panda#Subspecies See talk page discussion]. Subspecies was added through a good-faith edit as part of bringing over material from the Spanish-language version of the article where it existed from [https://es.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ailuropoda_melanoleuca&oldid=45083728 2011] until [https://es.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ailuropoda_melanoleuca&oldid=152658112 2023]. There was an article on es-wiki for [https://es.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ailuropoda_melanoleuca_hastorni&action=edit&redlink=1 A.m. hastroni] that was deleted as vandalism in 2013 and then recreated and deleted twice again in 2020. Of the 135 or so projects with a giant panda article, about a dozen mentioned A.m. hastroni without any citation or evidence of the species existing (these were also removed as hoaxes in July 2023). A search of Google Scholar and other sources in 2023 support finding that no reference not tracking back to Wikipedia supports the existence of this subspecies. | ||
| Claim that Eric Braeden was a survivor of the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff | data-sort-value="711" | 5 years, | June 27, 2018 | November 4, 2024 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eric_Braeden&diff=847767312 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eric_Braeden&diff=1255389233 removed], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eric_Braeden&diff=1271502906 added again], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eric_Braeden&diff=1271505889 removed again], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eric_Braeden&diff=1271511982 added again], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eric_Braeden&diff=1271505889 removed again] | Type 2 (Obvious hoax). See Talk:Eric Braeden#Wilhelm Gustloff. The alleged source (his autobiography) doesn't mention the incident, and neither do any other secondary sources prior to its addition to Wikipedia. The coverage of this claim by popular social media channels led to WP:CITOGENESIS. | ||||
| Claim that the "too slow" variant of a high five incited a war in the rebooted Planet of the Apes film series
| data-sort-value="503" | 5 years, | August 8, 2014 | November 5, 2019 | {{diff|High five|620393608 | Addition}}, {{diff|High five|923854193 | Initial removal}}, {{diff|High five|924777501 | Final removal}}
| The first attempt to remove this was reverted by the original editor because the information came from a seemingly reliable source, but the source was making a joke. | |
| data-sort-value="Oscar Wilde" | Fictitious claim about Oscar Wilde added to List of Latin phrases
| data-sort-value="502" | 5 years, | September 19, 2005 | November 26, 2010 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Latin_phrases&diff=23545671&oldid=23473592 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Latin_phrases_(E)&diff=398883469&oldid=398882915 removed], Story and explanation | ||||
| data-sort-value="Everyday Is Like Sunday" | Claim that the Morrissey song "Everyday Is Like Sunday" was inspired by Borth in Mid Wales.
| data-sort-value="501" | 5 years, | July 4, 2010 | August 9, 2015 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Everyday_Is_Like_Sunday&diff=371707903&oldid=363420331 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Everyday_Is_Like_Sunday&diff=675265419&oldid=674965259 removed]. | Morrissey has said that his thoughts were of a "seaside town that they forgot to bomb". It was claimed that he had said in an interview that he was specifically referring to Borth, sourced only to a dated issue of a magazine. An anonymous editor overheard someone claiming they'd added it as a joke, and tracked down the issue in question to establish that no such interview had been published. The claim has since been repeated in the national press, including [http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2011/may/30/adam-ant-british-seaside-gigs The Guardian] and [https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dydd-gwyl-dewi-hapus-happy-st-davids-day-gfpsmm7lx The Times], but no references before 2010 have been found. | ||||
| Claim that the 1996 republication of There's a Wocket in My Pocket removed the "vug under the rug", and the nonexistent characters "red under the bed" and "burnus in the furnace", for being too scary.
| data-sort-value="500.5" | 5 years, | January 21, 2009 | February 12, 2014 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=There%27s_a_Wocket_in_My_Pocket&diff=265397234&oldid=256802541 original statement added]; [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=There%27s_a_Wocket_in_My_Pocket&diff=309376060&oldid=303472232 "burnus in the furnace" removed]; [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=There%27s_a_Wocket_in_My_Pocket&diff=432299477&oldid=423989866 "red under the bed" added]; [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=There%27s_a_Wocket_in_My_Pocket&diff=595169772&oldid=591770632 statement removed] | ||||
| Nonexistent show named "Porn Stars: the New Age" in List of programs broadcast by History (TV channel)
| data-sort-value="411" | 4 years, | November 13, 2014 | October 27, 2019 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_programs_broadcast_by_History_(TV_channel)&diff=next&oldid=631156826 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_programs_broadcast_by_History_%28TV_channel%29&type=revision&diff=923319383&oldid=918291142 removed] | ||||
| Lucy Gordon Fake filmography credit added the day after actress's suicide alleging she started her career in the sitcom 2.4 Children. | data-sort-value="411" | 4 years, 11 months | May 21, 2009 | April 10, 2014 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lucy_Gordon_(actress)&oldid=603661673] | ||||
| Julius Freed Fictitious claim that the founder of Orange Julius invented auto-cleaning spectacles, an inflatable shrimp trap, and a portable pigeon-bathing unit. Dairy Queen, which now owns Orange Julius, was fooled; the company based an entire ad campaign around the hoax and produced [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj1Ts1X6Vt0 this video] about Julius Freed's supposed inventions. | data-sort-value="409" | 4 years, | June 22, 2005 | March 11, 2010 | Reported by Ken Jennings on his blog.{{cite web |title=Anatomy of a Wiki-hoax |first1=Ken |last1=Jennings |date=May 28, 2010 |website=Ken Jennings Blog |url=http://ken-jennings.com/blog/archives/1889 |accessdate=August 22, 2014 |archive-date=April 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408230552/http://ken-jennings.com/blog/archives/1889 |url-status=live }} | ||||
| Fictitious mayor "Nick Mshar" in the infobox of the article for the community of Mandale, North Carolina.
| data-sort-value="408" | 4 years, | December 9, 2017 | August 22, 2022 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mandale,_North_Carolina&diff=814584599&oldid=772093717 Added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mandale,_North_Carolina&diff=1106027904&oldid=995801033 removed]. | Unincorporated communities are not governed like cities or towns, making the claim of a mayor likely to be false. | ||||
| Claim in List of adjectival and demonymic forms for countries and nations that a valid demonym for Guam is "Guambat" (possibly a pun on wombat).
| data-sort-value="406.5" | 4 years, | October 24, 2013 | May 13, 2018 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_adjectival_and_demonymic_forms_for_countries_and_nations&type=revision&diff=578488807&oldid=564300331 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_adjectival_and_demonymic_forms_for_countries_and_nations&type=revision&diff=840970157&oldid=840802291 removed] | ||||
| data-sort-value="glucojasinogen" | Reference to "glucojasinogen" in diabetic neuropathy
| data-sort-value="404.5" | 4 years, | October 7, 2007 | February 29, 2012 | {{anchor|glucojasinogen}}[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diabetic_neuropathy&diff=prev&oldid=162902434 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diabetic_neuropathy&diff=prev&oldid=479522879 removed] | Original edit appears word for word in {{cite journal|pmc=3093092|title=Influence of Murraya koenigii on experimental model of diabetes and progression of neuropathic pain|author1=S.V. Tembhurne |author2=D.M. Sakarkar |name-list-style=amp |journal=Res Pharm Sci.|date=June 2010|volume=5|issue=1|pages=41–47|pmid=21589767 }} and {{cite journal|url=http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ijhr/article/viewFile/47918/34287|title=Amitriptyline and Sertraline in Diabetic Neuropathy: A Comparative View|author1=Talha Jawaid |author2=Ashok K Shakya |author3=Mehnaz Kamal |author4=Sarfaraz Hussain |name-list-style=amp |journal=International Journal of Health Research|date=June 2008|volume=1|issue=2|pages=73–78}}. | ||||
| data-sort-value="Ysolo" | Mention of "Ysolo", a fictional eggplant harvest festival in Albania, in List of harvest festivals
| data-sort-value="404.4" | 4 years, | July 11, 2012 | November 25, 2016 | talk page discussion, redirect discussion. For a time, [https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/15533 a mountain on Ceres] bore the name of this "festival"; upon discovery of this hoax it was renamed "Yamor Mons". | ||||
| data-sort-value="Bill Monnier" | Claim that Adrienne Monnier was best known for a book about an American boy named Bill Monnier
| data-sort-value="404.1" | 4 years, | November 28, 2010 | March 31, 2015 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adrienne_Monnier&diff=399333305&oldid=397804244 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adrienne_Monnier&diff=654392931&oldid=636027368 removed] | ||||
| data-sort-value="Will Mellor" | Section on the fictional non-league football career of minor British soap opera actor Will Mellor
| data-sort-value="404" | 4 years, | January 12, 2007 | May 9, 2011 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Will_Mellor&diff=prev&oldid=100239148 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Will_Mellor&diff=prev&oldid=428290214 removed] | Claim was repeated on the website for the artists agency represents Mellor. [http://www.jjbcreative.com/tv-brand/celebrities/P15] | ||||
| Krzywióra Dahlschödstein (Thallschoodbem) Fictitious philosopher claimed to have influenced Adam Mickiewicz. | data-sort-value="609.5" | 4 years, | February 1, 2019 | April 20, 2023 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adam_Mickiewicz&diff=prev&oldid=881227173&diffmode=source Added by IP], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adam_Mickiewicz&diff=next&oldid=881227173&diffmode=source modified by IP few minutes later], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adam_Mickiewicz&diff=1150791913&oldid=1150791672&diffmode=source Removed by Piotrus years later], Talk page discussion | Type 2a (Obvious hoax due to elaborateness). The name of this fictitious philosopher (in both variants) does not appear to exist outside Wikipedia. | ||||
| In List of mythological objects: Ichaival
| data-sort-value="401" | 4 years, | December 16, 2013 | January 21, 2018 | Special:Diff/586361279 | Romanization of Japanese translation of Ýdalir, used in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War and spread to other media such as Smite.{{cite web |url=https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/51532/that-time-fire-emblem-accidentally-created-a-fake-norse-myth |title=That Time Fire Emblem Accidentally Created A Fake Norse Myth |last=Zawodniak |first=Matthew |date=29 Aug 2019 |website=Nintendo World Report |access-date=8 May 2021 |archive-date=May 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508064046/https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/51532/that-time-fire-emblem-accidentally-created-a-fake-norse-myth |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.fireemblemwiki.org/wiki/Special:Permalink/375156 |title=Yewfelle |author= |date=20 March 2021 |website=Fire Emblem Wiki |access-date=8 May 2021 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510012200/https://fireemblemwiki.org/w/index.php?diff=375156 |url-status=live }} |
= Extant for 1–4 years =
| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em ! style="width:40%;"| Claim ! style="width:5.5em;" | Length ! style="width:7em;" | Insertion date ! style="width:7em;" | Removal date ! class="unsortable" | Links |
| Non-existent OSes "NEC PowerMOS" and "Amstrad Monitor System" listed for the PC-8800 series
| data-sort-value="308" | {{A.y|2017|4|26|2020|12|10|round=2}} | April 26, 2017 | December 10, 2020 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=PC-8800_series&diff=prev&oldid=777297354 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=PC-8800_series&diff=prev&oldid=993360495 removed] |
| data-sort-value="Kaoru Matsumoto" | Claim that, due to her fame in Japan, female wrestler Kaoru Matsumoto was known as the "Niall Quinn of Joshi"
| data-sort-value="307.5" | {{A.y|2008|10|13|2012|5|24|round=2}} | October 13, 2008 | May 24, 2012 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kaoru_Matsumoto&diff=prev&oldid=245091718 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kaoru_Matsumoto&diff=prev&oldid=494201941 removed] |
| Chuck LaFille Fictional comedian and host of game show Beat the Clock:
| data-sort-value="107.5" | 3 years, 9 months (Tonight Show episodes) | June 16, 2020 (Tonight Show episodes) | March 16, 2024 | Additions to [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Johnny_Carson_episodes_(1971)&diff=prev&oldid=962939816 1971 episodes], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Johnny_Carson_episodes_(1972)&diff=prev&oldid=962940520 1972 episodes], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Johnny_Carson_episodes_(1974)&diff=prev&oldid=962940650 1974 episodes] |
| "Dipak Dave" listed as founder of CVS Pharmacy
| data-sort-value="306.5" | {{A.y|2020|10|20|2024|5|4|round=2}} | October 10, 2020 | May 4, 2024 | Reverted {{diff|CVS Pharmacy|1222199568|984616159}} |
| Jack Mills and Joey Deacon's Farmhouse Brie Fictitious cheesemaking house that survived on the Hury page for over three years. | data-sort-value="306" | {{A.y|2012|9|21|2016|4|4|round=2}} | September 21, 2012 | April 4, 2016 | Reverted {{diff|Hury|713463353|543926730}} |
| data-sort-value="Dana International" | Fictitious spouse of Dana International Claimed to be named "Khalid Al Saqly" and married from 2010-2017 | data-sort-value="305.6" | {{A.y|2020|5|11|2023|11|13|round=2}} | May 11, 2020 | November 13, 2023 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dana_International&diff=next&oldid=954194562 First added under incorrect parameter]; [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dana_International&diff=prev&oldid=1095316085 made visible by correcting parameter]; [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dana_International&diff=prev&oldid=1184847164 removed]. |
| data-sort-value="Jonathan Byrne" | Former American Gladiator Jonathan Byrne Series of edits regarding an eccentric and non-existent American Gladiator | data-sort-value="305.5" | {{A.y|2006|6|19|2009|12|6|round=2}} | June 19, 2006 | December 6, 2009 | Thirty pages unraveled over a [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Contributions/Jeandr%C3%A9_du_Toit&offset=20091206181447&limit=88&target=Jeandr%C3%A9+du+Toit two day period] by Jeandré du Toit. |
| data-sort-value="Tejas Saini" | Addition of non-existent poet Tejas Saini to the List of British playwrights
| data-sort-value="304.5" | {{A.y|2020|9|09|2024|2|4|round=2}} | October 13, 2008 | May 24, 2012 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_British_playwrights&diff=977489490&oldid=977489389 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_British_playwrights&diff=1203669404&oldid=1203668423 removed] |
| Monarch (butterfly) as Canada's national insect
| data-sort-value="303.5" | {{A.y|2004|12|9|2008|3|26|round=2}} | December 9, 2004 | March 26, 2008 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monarch_%28butterfly%29&diff=next&oldid=8268493 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monarch_butterfly&diff=prev&oldid=201093527 removed] |
| {{Diff|Toyota Previa|532795194|532795071|Toyota Canarado}} Fictitious name for a car model | data-sort-value="303" | {{A.y|2013|1|13|2016|4|22|round=2}} | January 13, 2013 | April 22, 2016 |
| Fabricated musician credits on Mr. Misunderstood
| data-sort-value="302" | {{A.y|2019|1|18|2022|4|12|round=2}} | January 18, 2019 | April 12, 2022 | Added in [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mr._Misunderstood&diff=879023525&oldid=866802842 this] edit; removed in [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mr._Misunderstood&diff=1082332006&oldid=1074970921 this edit]. The album liner notes do not contain specific musician credits. |
| 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 [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hair_iron&diff=prev&oldid=69632841][https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hair_iron&diff=next&oldid=69632841][https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hair_iron&diff=114547823&oldid=114547374][https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hair_straightening&diff=prev&oldid=459719075][http://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hair_iron&diff=prev&oldid=3153616]
| data-sort-value="301" | {{A.y|2006|8|14|2009|9|15|round=2}} | August 14, 2006 | September 15, 2009 | [http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22erica+feldman%22+hair Erica] [http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22erica+feldman%22+hair&tbm=bks Feldman], [http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22ian+gutgold%22+hair I. G.], [http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_things_did_ian_gutgold_need_to_know_to_invent_the_hair_straightener], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Hair_iron#Spam], discussion at [http://wikipediareview.com/index.php?showtopic=35451 Wikipedia Review] |
| Rosie the Riveter [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rosie_the_Riveter&diff=next&oldid=264139578 Original Rosie was Shirley Karp]: hoax [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rosie_the_Riveter&diff=next&oldid=283362422 Original Rosie was Shirley Karp Dick]: vandalism | data-sort-value="300.5" | {{A.y|2009|1|16|2012|1|24|round=2}} | January 16, 2009 | January 24, 2012 | Historian Max Hastings published in the first edition of his November 2011 book Inferno: The World at War, 1939–1945 (called All Hell Let Loose in the UK): [http://books.google.com/books?id=hWI_TYaxDGUC&pg=PT403&dq=%22Shirley+Karp+Dick%22&cd=1#v=onepage&q=%22Shirley%20Karp%20Dick%22&f=false "Another much-publicised 'Rosie' was Shirley Karp Dick, who was paid $6 to model for photos, of which the most famous showed her treading on Hitler's Mein Kampf."][http://www.maxhastings.com/assets/All-Hell-Let-Loose-324-360.pdf#page=31] A second edition was published October 2012 after the hoax was revealed. |
| data-sort-value="Khofifah Indar Parawansa" | Claim that Khofifah Indar Parawansa's middle name is Tegistha
| data-sort-value="210" | {{A.y|2017|6|12|2020|5|11|round=2}} | June 12, 2017 | May 11, 2020 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Khofifah_Indar_Parawansa&oldid=785259001 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Khofifah_Indar_Parawansa&oldid=956058060 removed], cited in [https://books.google.co.id/books?id=zqdLDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA151#v=onepage&q&f=false Economic Outlook for Southeast Asia, China and India 2018 Fostering Growth through Digitalisation: Fostering Growth through Digitalisation] |
| Mirsk Famous Residents section alleging this as city where Nicholas Copernicus contracted genital warts from a Mirsk prostitute, as allegedly proved by DNA evidence. Vandalism was removed by Jimmy Wales. | data-sort-value="209" | {{A.y|2012|1|15|2014|9|14|round=2}} | January 15, 2012 | September 14, 2014 | User talk:Meishern#Do you have any evidence for this.3F, Added: [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mirsk&diff=471516862&oldid=401585288], Removed: [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mirsk&diff=625577345&oldid=623751813] |
| Screen of death The inclusion of an error from a fictional operating system named "PowerMax." | data-sort-value="208" | {{A.y|2019|5|26|2022|1|9|round=2}} | May 26, 2019 | January 9, 2022 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Screen_of_death&diff=898796593&oldid=896983249 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Screen_of_death&diff=next&oldid=1064386919 removed] |
| Eric Clapton's various girlfriends
| data-sort-value="207" | {{A.y|2011|5|9|2013|12|19|round=2}} | May 9, 2011 | December 19, 2013 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eric_Clapton&diff=428319709&oldid=428033853 A paragraph was inserted] listing 15 women that Clapton supposedly dated. One was Alicia Witt who eventually saw the list and [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3AEric_Clapton&diff=571219487&oldid=557373408 complained on Facebook] that it was not true about her. The whole paragraph was supported by a hoax reference initially listing the [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eric_Clapton&diff=428319709&oldid=428033853 Boston Beacon] which was soon changed to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eric_Clapton&diff=next&oldid=428320058 Boston Globe], even though no such article exists. |
| data-sort-value="Hans Geiger" | Claim that physicist Hans Geiger was supposedly nicknamed "Gengar"
| data-sort-value="206" | {{A.y|2015|5|22|2017|11|18|round=2}} | May 22, 2015 | November 18, 2017 | {{diff|Wikipedia talk:List of hoaxes on Wikipedia|811883434|806608731|discussion}} |
| rowspan=2 | Wikipedia:List of hoaxes on Wikipedia A false entry was inserted, claiming that a false claim had been made that Palladium is used in the manufacture of Thiotimoline. Hoax was initially removed on October 8, 2020, but was added back twenty minutes later. | data-sort-value="1" | {{A.y|2020|8|30|2020|10|8|round=2}} | August 30, 2020 | October 8, 2020 | rowspan=2 | Self-referential humor |
| data-sort-value="204" | {{A.y|2020|10|8|2023|2|7|round=2}}
| October 8, 2020 | February 7, 2023 |
| data-sort-value="Martin Morning" | Claim that Martin Morning was followed by a show called Nappyimals
| data-sort-value="206" | {{A.y|2019|9|6|2022|1|28|round=2}} | September 6, 2019 | January 28, 2022 | The unsourced claim was inserted into the infobox along with a paragraph stating the same team should make the show. Although Nappyimals was linked, it was only to Diaper (nappy in British English) and Animal. While the paragraph was {{diff|Martin Morning|945691634|941323907|removed}} in a few months, the claim in the info box stayed up. The only other instance of "Nappyimals" online outside of mirrors was the same exact paragraph [https://paul-marciano.fandom.com/wiki/Martin_Morning?diff=next&oldid=40248 inserted] on the website Paul Marciano Wiki a few months after the original edit. (Paul Marciano has never worked in animation.) |
| data-sort-value="Bridgestone" | Fictitious "yachting" section on Bridgestone
| data-sort-value="204.5" | {{A.y|2015|9|4|2018|1|24|round=2}} | September 4, 2015 | January 24, 2018 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bridgestone&type=revision&diff=679477544&oldid=673005146 Added to article 4 September 2015], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bridgestone&diff=next&oldid=792298405 extended July 2017], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bridgestone&action=historysubmit&type=revision&diff=822089166&oldid=816297136 removed 24 January 2018] |
| data-sort-value="Bullshit" | Fictitious "further reading" on bullshit
| data-sort-value="204.5" | {{A.y|2007|11|23|2010|4|8|round=2}} | November 23, 2007 | April 8, 2010 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bullshit&diff=173269752 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bullshit&diff=354835825 deleted] |
| Claim that the Cuban township of Guanabacoa's nickname was "Villa de Pepe Armenio", when it was really "Villa de Pepe Antonio". May have been a mistake rather than intentionally misleading information.
| data-sort-value="204.05" | {{A.y|2016|1|11|2018|5|15|round=2}} | January 11, 2016 | May 15, 2018 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Guanabacoa&diff=cur&oldid=699365730 Differences between hoax and correction on the Guanabacoa article] |
| data-sort-value="Angel Marble"| Claims that Adams Packer Film Productions produced an animated series named Angel Marble Elijah or Angel Marble Eddy in the 1970's and that the series was subsequently dubbed in Finnish by Golden Voice
| data-sort-value="204" | {{A.y|2015|7|8|2017|11|1|round=2}} | July 8, 2015 | November 1, 2017 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adams_Packer_Film_Productions&diff=670532798&oldid=670402427 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adams_Packer_Film_Productions&diff=808242392&oldid=782545783 removed] |
| data-sort-value="Illyrian gods" | Fictitious Illyrian gods
| data-sort-value="203.5" | {{A.y|2005|10|27|2008|2|18|round=2}} | October 27, 2005 | February 18, 2008 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paleo-Balkanic_mythology&oldid=192411335 Old revision of Paleo-Balkanic mythology showing fictitious gods], discussion |
| data-sort-value="Shane" | Characterisation of Shane (name) signifying a violent individual
| data-sort-value="203.5" | {{A.y|2007|12|21|2010|4|12|round=2}} | December 21, 2007 | April 12, 2010 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shane_(name)&diff=prev&oldid=179463825 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shane_(name)&diff=355623089&oldid=355569477 deleted], believed by [http://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~bergsma/HTML/longbio.html] and [http://www.bleachanime.org/forums/showthread.php?t=38946&page=2] |
| Just When I Needed You Most Cover version by "Daniel Selby" | data-sort-value="200.5" | {{A.y|2011|1|22|2013|1|31|round=2}} | January 22, 2011 | January 31, 2013 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Just_When_I_Needed_You_Most&diff=409452620&oldid=408255015 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Just_When_I_Needed_You_Most&diff=prev&oldid=535813813 removed] |
| PC Card Claimed to be invented by "Jacob D. Holm" in 1986. In reality, the PCMCIA organization was formed in 1989-09, based on the initiative of Poqet Computer Corporation's Ian Cullimore with support from Fujitsu and Intel since 1989-07. | data-sort-value="200.5" | {{A.y|2011|8|18|2013|8|30|round=2}} | August 18, 2011 | August 30, 2013 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=PC_Card&action=historysubmit&diff=445557606&oldid=444828566 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=PC_Card&action=historysubmit&diff=570735849&oldid=562604445 removed] |
| data-sort-value="oggy"| Oggy and the Cockroaches{{'}} English voice cast Fictitious Canadian-American voice cast for an animated series without dialogue, featuring actor Don Michael Paul and voice actors Greg Eagles, Tara Strong, Peter Kelamis, Tony Sampson, Sam Vincent and Matt Hill | data-sort-value="109.5" | {{A.y|2011|9|17|2013|9|4|round=2}} | September 17, 2011 | September 4, 2013 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oggy_and_the_Cockroaches&diff=prev&oldid=451056257 Added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oggy_and_the_Cockroaches&diff=571533546&oldid=571412663 removed], [https://www.netflix.com/my-en/title/70286808?preventIntent=tru cast list on Netflix] |
| Stephen Gostkowski Claim that "Benjamin Skiest" was a high school football opponent of Stephen Gostkowski and became a running back for the Atlanta Falcons. | data-sort-value="109.5" | {{A.y|2018|11|1|2020|9|27|round=2}} | November 1, 2018 | September 27, 2020 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stephen_Gostkowski&diff=866799558&oldid=865900858 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stephen_Gostkowski&diff=980677587&oldid=980675736 removed] |
| Let Me Be There and If You Love Me (Let Me Know) For nearly two years, both articles credited a "Navin Harris" as the backing vocalist instead of Mike Sammes. | data-sort-value="109.5" | {{A.y|2010|6|17|2012|4|2|round=2}} | June 17, 2010 | April 2, 2012 (both articles) | Appears in [http://wnew.radio.com/2011/11/26/three-best-olivia-newton-john-songs/ this] article and [http://books.google.com/books?id=_EMOW7P3DssC&pg=PA147&dq=%22navin+harris%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=vv7MUNaGOO3U0gHX64DIAg&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22navin%20harris%22&f=false this] publication of Olivia Newton-John related Wikipedia articles |
| United States Secretary of Education hoax Three fake secretaries were added to the list and remained unnoticed for nearly two years. | data-sort-value="109" | {{A.y|2019|3|20|2021|1|1|round=2}} | March 20, 2019 | January 1, 2021 (first one removed); January 7, 2021 (other two removed) | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Secretary_of_Education&diff=888617412&oldid=878032880 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Secretary_of_Education&diff=997544674&oldid=996801976 one removed], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Secretary_of_Education&diff=998944347&oldid=998677458 other two removed] |
| Lustfaust hoax The real band Lustfaust, which the article is now about, used this fake band as a marketing tactic | data-sort-value="109" | {{A.y|2005|10|15|2007|7|14|round=2}} | October 15, 2005 | July 14, 2007 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lustfaust&oldid=90967889 Old revision of article about fake band], [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01EED8173FF932A15754C0A9609C8B63 NYT article describing fake article] |
| data-sort-value="Brian Reddyb" | Involvement of Brian Reddyb in the band Rednex | data-sort-value="108.5" | {{A.y|2005|10|17|2007|7|3|round=2}} | October 17, 2005 | July 3, 2007 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rednex&diff=25732368&oldid=22621330 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rednex&diff=142329709&oldid=142146349 removed]; User:Brian Reddyb vocally defended his hoax edits until he was banned, and Rednex [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3ARednex&diff=156070269&oldid=156051437 personally denounced his story]. Brian made a [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saddam_Hussein&diff=prev&oldid=138338223 similar hoax edit] to Saddam Hussein. |
| data-sort-value="Queens Park AFC" | Spurious stadium capacity of Queens Park AFC, Invercargill, New Zealand 100,000,000 — nearly 20 times the population of the entire country | data-sort-value="108.5" | {{A.y|2020|6|23|2022|3|10|round=2}} | June 23, 2020 | March 10, 2022 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Queens_Park_AFC&diff=prev&oldid=964049023 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Queens_Park_AFC&type=revision&diff=1076123649&oldid=1057159563 removed] |
| data-sort-value="Chah-e Allahdad" | Fictitious murder case in Chah-e Allahdad, Iran, involving a "Wanye al-Ballshar" who emigrated to New Jersey. Included an image of the purported suspect that was generated by the website This Person Does Not Exist; the article was deleted by AfD shortly afterward for unrelated reasons. | data-sort-value="107.5" | {{A.y|2020|12|2|2022|7|26|round=2}} | December 2, 2020 | July 26, 2022 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chah-e_Allahdad&diff=prev&oldid=991861830 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chah-e_Allahdad&diff=1100592086&oldid=1018072976 removed] |
| Traffic cones called "kafele boothe cones"
| data-sort-value="107.5" | {{A.y|2010|10|4|2012|5|24|round=2}} | October 4, 2010 | May 24, 2012 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Traffic_cone&diff=prev&oldid=388602381] [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Traffic_cone&diff=494098576&oldid=492463285] Returned from [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Traffic_cone&diff=next&oldid=504065323 July 28, 2012] to [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Traffic_cone&diff=next&oldid=528739216 December 18, 2012], again on [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Traffic_cone&diff=546913718&oldid=543837633 March 25, 2013], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Traffic_cone&diff=558756998&oldid=556525406 June 7, 2013] to [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Traffic_cone&diff=559882376&oldid=559791284 June 14, 2013], and [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Traffic_cone&diff=560923781&oldid=560685363 June 21, 2013] to [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Traffic_cone&diff=563921776&oldid=563417435 July 12, 2013] |
| Order of the Solar Temple Addition by an IP editor that the co-founder of the cult The Order of the Solar Temple was "Lucas Peric", not Jo di Mambro. Di Mambro was later re-added to the infobox, but the nonexistant Lucas Peric remained for over a year. | data-sort-value="100" | {{A.y|2022|2|11|2023|8|15|round=2}} | February 22, 2022 | August 15, 2023 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Order_of_the_Solar_Temple&direction=next&oldid=1073297481 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Order_of_the_Solar_Temple&oldid=1170468167 removed] The IP also inserted the wrong province of Canada, but this was quickly caught. |
| data-sort-value="Conrad Dean"| "Conrad Dean" as backing vocalist on Whatcha Gonna Do with a Cowboy
| data-sort-value="106" | {{A.y|2012|3|29|2013|9|25|round=2}} | March 29, 2012 | September 25, 2013 | |
| rowspan=3 | Dexter, New York and Dexter, Maine On two distinct occasions, it was falsely claimed the town was named after "Dexter Borup". The IP that made the first edit also added the name uncapitalized to Dexter, Maine. | data-sort-value="11" | {{A.y|2007|2|23|2008|1|17|round=2}} | February 23, 2007 | January 17, 2008 | rowspan=3 | first time: [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dexter,_New_York&diff=110198109&oldid=102360179 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dexter,_New_York&diff=184963311&oldid=184557631 removed]; second time: [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dexter%2C_New_York&diff=267887978&oldid=265922814 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dexter%2C_New_York&diff=376279579&oldid=367069688 removed]. [http://www.tripwolf.com/en/guide/show/362617/United-States-of-America/New-York-State-NY/Dexter Was picked up by other resources on the town].{{Dead link|date=December 2012}} Maine: [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dexter,_Maine&diff=110198703&oldid=109598376|added],[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dexter,_Maine&diff=193627438&oldid=193023261|removed] |
| data-sort-value="106" | {{A.y|2009|2|1|2010|7|30|round=2}}
| February 1, 2009 | July 30, 2010 |
| data-sort-value="11" | {{A.y|2007|2|27|2008|2|23|round=2}}
| February 27, 2007 | February 23, 2008 |
| data-sort-value="Tristan" | Fake material in Tristan Sir Tristan as an "overweight knight" | data-sort-value="105.5" | {{A.y|2004|9|2|2006|2|20|round=2}} | September 2, 2004 | February 20, 2006 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tristan&diff=5739702&oldid=5604833 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tristan&diff=40456296&oldid=40417137 removed] |
| data-sort-value="Max" | "Max Facemire the 3rd", a fictitious individual who made "most English furniture"
| data-sort-value="101.75" | {{A.y|2023|2|7|2024|3|25|round=2}} | February 7, 2023 | March 25, 2024 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_the_chair&direction=prev&oldid=1139735932 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_the_chair&oldid=1215550475 removed] |
| Arthur Foot being Michael Foot′s brother.
| data-sort-value="105" | {{A.y|2013|11|14|2015|4|21|round=2}} | November 14, 2013 | April 21, 2015 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Foot&diff=prev&oldid=581619511 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Foot&diff=prev&oldid=657380630 removed/names of actual brothers and a nephew added] |
| data-sort-value="Duñak" | Addition of three trees to Man-eating tree, one of which (Duñak) is completely fabricated Inspired several pieces of artwork and literature, including a [http://tribecalledkwest.typepad.com/samuraikai/2009/11/the-adventures-of-moscow.html novel].{{Dead link|date=December 2012}} | data-sort-value="103" | {{A.y|2008|10|26|2010|2|2|round=2}} | October 26, 2008 | February 2, 2010 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Man-eating_tree&diff=prev&oldid=247759988 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Man-eating_tree&diff=prev&oldid=341467318 removed]. Believed by [http://epoch-archive.com/a1/en/us/sfo/2009/05-May/14/full.pdf The Epoch Times] (May 5, 2009) |
| Chevy Chase Portraying "Officer Schmeivon" in nonexistent direct-to-DVD film The Goon Cave (2001) |{{A.y|2023|3|19|2024|5|24|round=2}} |March 19, 2023 |May 24, 2024 |[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chevy_Chase&diff=1145573934&oldid=1144956563&title=Chevy_Chase&diffonly=1 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chevy_Chase&diff=prev&oldid=1225401707 removed]. Copied to Kiddle ([https://archive.ph/Kdp0T#selection-2861.0-2861.13 archive]) |
| data-sort-value="Buenaventura Báez" | Fictitious genealogy of Buenaventura Báez Part of a series of hoax additions regarding supposed family members of a non-notable teenager named Freddy de Marchena (Lord Mäerzenfeld), which also included fake relatives of Marisol (actress); a fake middle name for Georg Altner; several hoax articles such as "De Marchena (Surname)" and "Freddy Brün"; and a series of AI-generated images for artworks supposedly created by Lord Mäerzenfeld. | data-sort-value="102" | {{A.y|2022|04|21|2023|06|21|round=2}} | April 21, 2022 | June 21, 2023 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Buenaventura_B%C3%A1ez&diff=prev&oldid=1083845064 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Buenaventura_B%C3%A1ez&diff=prev&oldid=1161149181 removed at Báez]; [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marisol_(actress)&diff=prev&oldid=1092976985 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marisol_(actress)&diff=prev&oldid=1136973259 removed at Marisol]; [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Georg_Altner&diff=prev&oldid=1125592893 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Georg_Altner&diff=1161149700&oldid=1160239284 removed at Altner]; Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/De Marchena (Surname); [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Deletion_requests/Files_uploaded_by_BrennaKaufmann deletion discussion at Commons] |
| data-sort-value="Aaron" | Fictitious sons of Aaron Nada and Abidjan | data-sort-value="101.5" | {{A.y|2008|3|16|2009|4|26|round=2}} | March 16, 2008 | April 26, 2009 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aaron&diff=198689385&oldid=198592749 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aaron&diff=286201760&oldid=285650294 removed] |
| Gérard Louis-Dreyfus Fictitious children named "Rover and Bethlehem". [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=G%C3%A9rard_Louis-Dreyfus&oldid=276177386 (revision)] | data-sort-value="100" | {{A.y|2009|3|9|2010|3|24|round=2}} | March 9, 2009 | March 24, 2010 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=G%C3%A9rard_Louis-Dreyfus&diff=276177386&oldid=276013037 added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=G%C3%A9rard_Louis-Dreyfus&diff=351781313&oldid=348921479 removed] |
= Extant for less than 1 year =
{{hatnote|This section lists hoaxes covered for less than 1 year. See Wikipedia:List of hoaxes on Wikipedia/Less than one year for the full list. This section should list only hoaxes covered in independent third-party sources. Short-lived hoaxes are innumerable and so we do not normally track them — they can be found by searching deletion logs for "hoax".}}
| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em ! style="width:40%;"| Claim ! style="width:5.5em;" | Length ! style="width:7em;" | Insertion date ! style="width:7em;" | Removal date ! class="unsortable" | Links |
| 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 [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Lottery_%28United_Kingdom%29&diff=prev&oldid=358840944][https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Myleene_Klass&diff=prev&oldid=358870305][https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kung_Fu_Fighting&diff=prev&oldid=358931275][https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Endemol&diff=prev&oldid=358933701] | data-sort-value="450" | 4½ months | April 28, 2010 | September 18, 2010 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Top_of_the_Klass_with_Mylene_Klass Talk page], [http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Top_of_the_Klass_with_Myleene_Klass Article from UKGameshows.com], [http://www.bothersbar.co.uk/?p=1342&cpage=1#comment-4362 Discussion at Bother's Bar] |
| James Earl Ray Falsely claimed that Ray had a Mormon upbringing rather than a Catholic upbringing. | data-sort-value="406" | 4 months, 6 days | January 15, 2024 | May 21, 2024 | Discussed in an episode of the Omnibus podcast about Ray's attempts to escape from prison. Co-host Ken Jennings, himself a Mormon, regarded the claim that someone growing up in 1930s Illinois would have a Mormon upbringing as highly unlikely and later compared his own upbringing in the church to that of "Wikipedia James Earl Ray". The information was removed about a month before the episode was released, but presumably after it was recorded. |
| 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 led to verifiable citations. The incident was widely reported in the UK meta-media, in particular by Private Eye and Have I Got News for You (the latter featuring the editor of the former as a regular panellist.) | data-sort-value="11"| 11 days | September 20, 2007 | October 1, 2007 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ronnie_Hazlehurst&diff=159277495&oldid=158711571 The incorrect information] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Ronnie_Hazlehurst#The_SClub_7_Hoax talk page discussing the issue] |
| John F. Street Vandalism from IP editor inserting false information about how the Philadelphia mayor had formerly worked as Bozo the Clown. | data-sort-value="5"| 5 days | January 14, 2007 | January 19, 2007 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_F._Street&diff=100574739&oldid=99325001 The incorrect information]. Other IPs restore the vandalism [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_F._Street&diff=102297037&oldid=101878961][https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_F._Street&diff=102445801&oldid=102443225] but it is quickly reverted. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:John_F._Street#Bozo Talk page discussing the issue]. [http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/16515352.htm Article about the hoax in the Philadelphia Inquirer]{{dead link}}. A couple of months later, an IP editor added information about the hoax to the biography.[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_F._Street&diff=118501124&oldid=118128773] Over the next few years this material was variously kept as reliably sourced, or deleted as trivial. |
| data-sort-value="Maurice Jarre" | Falsified quotes by Maurice Jarre Went viral in mainstream media after his death | data-sort-value="1" | 1 day | March 30, 2009 | March 31, 2009 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maurice_Jarre&diff=prev&oldid=280558491 added] |
| Roger Vinson [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Roger_Vinson&diff=prev&oldid=384520767 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. | data-sort-value="1" | 1 day | September 13, 2010 | September 14, 2010 | [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/16/rush-limbaugh-falls-for-w_n_719436.html Huffington Post] |
| Scott Steiner In a wrestling storyline, Samoa Joe "attacked" Steiner with a machete at the Destination X pay-per view event. In a shocking lack of recognition of kayfabe, and thinking that even TNA at its most bewildering would show a legitimate attempted murder, an editor [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scott_Steiner&diff=277543042&oldid=277542616 added a death section to the article], which was definitively removed [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scott_Steiner&diff=277558422&oldid=277551140 about an hour later]. | data-sort-value="0.01" | 1 hour, 25 minutes | March 15, 2009 | March 15, 2009 | The addition to Wikipedia is mentioned in an appendix of the expanded version of The Death of WCW, where the storyline was described as "preposterous". |
| Wrightbus A hoax edit alleged that the company was being sold to FirstGroup for £207 million; the quickly-deleted hoax nonetheless caused alarm at its headquarters in Northern Ireland, prompting a [http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/wikipedia-hoax-branded-callous-as-ballymena-company-sale-prank-causes-concern-at-wrightbus-34240251.html report] from the Belfast Telegraph. | data-sort-value="0.0047" | 47 minutes | November 26, 2015 | November 26, 2015 | [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wrightbus&diff=692534427&oldid=687574746 First part added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wrightbus&diff=692537579&oldid=692537215 second part added], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wrightbus&diff=692538010&oldid=692537906 removed] |
| Chris Benoit
| data-sort-value="0.0047" | 47 minutes | June 25, 2007 | June 25, 2007 | A vandal added the information that this wrestler's wife was dead 14 hours before police discovered the bodies of Benoit and his family after the double-murder of his wife and son and subsequent suicide he committed. Police found that the vandal was not involved in the case, but had heard online rumours. (See section "Wikipedia controversy"). |
| MESSENGER (NASA probe) Destination of interplanetary probe [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MESSENGER&diff=185048990&oldid=185048161 changed] from Mercury (planet) to Canada. | data-sort-value="0.0005" | 5 minutes | January 17, 2008 | January 17, 2008 | Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges into Canada, {{ISBN|9781607101000}} page 272, inexplicably devotes two-thirds of a printed page to this short-lived bit of vandalism, explaining in detail how MESSENGER was the first mission to visit Canada in over 30 years, studying its environment and characteristics from orbit. |
See also
- User:JohnCD/Hoaxes#Deleted at AfD, a list of confirmed hoaxes that are not included on this page
- List of hoaxes, articles which factually describe encyclopedically notable hoaxes
- Wikipedia:List of citogenesis incidents
- List of Wikipedia controversies
- Reliability of Wikipedia
- :Category:Wikipedia suspected hoax articles
- :Category:AfC submissions declined as jokes
- Wikipedia:Society for the Preservation of the Quazer Beast
- Fictitious entry
- "How many more hoaxes will Wikipedia find?", The Signpost
- Wikipedia:Wikipedia records
- Wikipedia:Deleted articles with freaky titles
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- [http://www.salon.com/2013/05/17/revenge_ego_and_the_corruption_of_wikipedia/ "Revenge, Ego and the Corruption of Wikipedia"], an article that describes several hoaxes which are not listed on this page
- [http://www.dailydot.com/news/wikipedia-bicholim-conflict-hoax-deleted/ "After a half-decade, massive Wikipedia hoax finally exposed"] at dailydot.com