Maggie Murphy hoax
![The widely circulated image of Joseph B. Swan holding the supposed potato.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/MaggieMurphyhoax.jpg)
The
Maggie Murphy hoax was a hoax perpetrated in 1895 by W. L. Thorndyke. He created an image that depicted farmer Joseph B. Swan holding what appeared to be a giant potato. The photo rapidly spread around the United States, and appeared in a panel of ''
Ripley's Believe It or Not!''.
Provided by Wikipedia