The 'Cottingley Fairies' created a global controversy that endured six decades.
The Cottingley Fairies was an elaborate hoax concocted by two British girls, Elsie Wright and Frances Griffith, that involved a series of five photographs showing the girls next to supposed fairies. When the photographs were first developed, many were convinced that they were proof of fairies.
It wasn’t until 1983 that the girls admitted that the photos were fakes and the fairies were created using cardboards.
While these images of fairies may seem like a trivial inclusion, the iconic photos confounded people for decades, raising significant debate and outlining the significance and potential hazards of the ability to manipulate images.