Welcome to this week’s History Thread!
Today’s picture: On this day in 1869, several men digging a well in Cardiff, New York discovered an unusual specimen: a ten foot tall man made of stone! Immediately dubbed the Cardiff Giant, it was put on display and made a killing for George Hull and his cousin William Ewell. P.T. Barnum tried to buy the giant, only to be turned down; he made his own fake copy and proclaimed the original a hoax. Barnum, despite decidedly impure motives, was correct; Hull had created the giant after a row with a religious friend over whether the Bible’s comment about “giants in the Earth” was literal truth. Still the Giant continued making money even after its exposure, and remains on display today.