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The 'Alan MacMasters’ toaster hoax

For more than a decade, a British prankster used Wikipedia to spin a web of fantasy about the inventor of the electric toaster. How did he get away with it?

For more than a decade, he tricked the world into believing a Scottish scientist called Alan MacMasters invented the electric toaster in 1893. At the heart of this web of fantasy was a Wikipedia article that fooled dozens of journalists, public officials, and even primary school teachers. But how did this hoaxer get away with it for so long? And how did an eagle-eyed 15-year-old eventually manage to expose his deception?

Presenter: Marco Silva
Editor: Flora Carmichael

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26 minutes

Last on

Sun 20 Nov 2022 23:06GMT

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  • Sun 20 Nov 2022 10:06GMT
  • Sun 20 Nov 2022 23:06GMT

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