The Cardiff Giant and Barnum's New York exhibit

The Cardiff Giant was a 10-foot 'petrified man' carved by George Hull in 1869 and exhibited as a hoax that drew national attention. P.T. Barnum made and displayed a replica in his Barnum's American Museum in New York City, promoting it with sensational publicity while disputing the authenticity of the original. The episode is widely cited as a classic 19th-century American hoax and an example of Barnum's promotional tactics.