| − | George Hull, a [[New York]] [[atheist]], perpetrated the fraud after arguing with a minister about a passage in Genesis that claimed there were 'giants' on earth in biblical times. After creating the fake out of a block of gypsum quarried in Fort Dodge, [[Iowa]], Hull transported it to his cousin's farm where it was buried for a year. The two men charged 25¢ to view the fake. When circus owner [[P.T. Barnum]] was unable to purchase the giant, he had another one carved and promoted it as the original.
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