Always Has Been: Chapter 1: The Cardiff Giant

The Cardiff Giant, discovered in 1868 in Cardiff, New York, was a ten-foot-tall stone figure that captivated public and scholarly attention. Initially thought to be a petrified prehistoric man, possibly providing evidence for the Biblical giants, it drew large crowds eager to witness the spectacle. However, the giant was later exposed as a hoax, intentionally created from gypsum to generate both curiosity and profit. The Cardiff Giant remains a notable example of 19th-century American archaeological frauds.