As they kept digging, the men discovered what they could only call an ancient Biblical giant, just as described in the Book of Genesis. And by the time people had started to gather, the men had excavated this 10-foot-tall man "contorted as if in a death struggle."
Soon, the owner of the farm erected a tent around the figure and charged people 25 cents to see the petrified "fossil." But the Cardiff Giant proved so popular that the farmer upped the price to 50 cents within just two days. By November, more than 3,000 people had come from miles around to see it, and local businessmen paid the farmer a staggering $30,000 for an ownership stake in the find. Archaeologists, geologists, and theologians all debated the true origins of the giant. Even P.T. Barnum wanted to get in on the action, offering to buy it outright for $50,000.
But the whole thing was a hoax — perpetrated by the farmer's atheist cousin who wanted to prove how easily he could trick Biblical literalists into believing in a fake giant.