How Two Young Girls Fooled the World, Including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Over a hundred years ago, in the small village of Cottingley, England, two young girls embarked on a silly prank that led thousands to believe in magic. It would not be fully debunked for over sixty years.
The Cottingley Fairies
It was the summer of 1917.
Nine-year-old Frances Griffiths and her mother returned from South Africa to stay with relatives in Cottingley, West Yorkshire. Right next door were Polly and Arthur Wright, and their sixteen-year-old daughter, Elsie Wright.
The two girls, who were cousins, became fast friends, despite the age difference. One of their favorite places to play was Cottingley Beck, a stream that ran through a mossy glade in the woods behind the garden.
The girls were often scolded for coming home with wet clothes, and one day, decided to blame it on “the fairies who lived in the beck”.
Of course, the excuse was scoffed at.
Whether it was from boredom or as a way to wiggle out of punishment, Elsie and Frances decided to borrow Arthur Wright’s Midg quarterplate camera, and returned home one September day claiming they ...
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