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Cottingley Fairies
Two young girls photographed fairies in their garden. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle believed them. The photos fooled experts for decades. In 1983, the women admitted they were fakes—but one maintained one photo was real.
1917 - 1920
Cottingley, England
2+ witnesses
The Cottingley Fairies fooled the world for decades.
The Photographs
According to documented accounts:
- Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright
- Photographed “fairies” in 1917
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle believed them
The Confession
In 1983:
- They admitted the hoax
- Cardboard cutouts
- But Frances still claimed one was real