Richard Adams Locke

Born in 1800, Richard Adams Locke was an English writer and journalist who later worked in the United States. He is most closely linked with The Sun in New York, where he became famous for the series later known as the Great Moon Hoax.

Published in 1835, that series described supposed discoveries of life on the moon in rich, convincing detail. The articles became one of the best-known newspaper hoaxes of the nineteenth century and made Locke a lasting figure in the history of journalism.

Locke died in 1871. Although his name is often tied to a single famous episode, his career still stands as an early example of how wit, scientific fashion, and mass-media storytelling could combine to capture a huge public audience.