Museum Challenge: Believe Or Not Believe?

In today's world of free-range communication, hoaxes have a way of running rampant.

These days, it's hard to tell what's real and what's not, and whether someone is trying to dupe you into or even out of something.

The Museum of Hoaxes can take some of the guesswork out of a variety of new and old deceptions.

Everyone's heard tales about the Jackalope, the Loch Ness Monster and Big Foot, but what about the Fur-Bearing Trout, which lives in the cold northern waters and has a thick coat of fur to keep it warm. There are many others, such as the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus, which begins its life in the waters of Puget Sound, then later makes its home in the trees.

And would you believe the story of Pope John VIII, who gave birth to a child while on his way from St. Peter's to the Lateran? The story goes that Pope John VIII was really a woman, Pope Joan.

The Museum of Hoaxes features famous hoaxes, dating from before the 1700s to the 2000s; April Fool's pranks and practical jokes; college pranks; and tall tales, which displays a gallery of unusual creatures.

The museum even touches on phenomenon such as the duo Milli Vanilli -- you know, the 1990s singing sensation that turned out to be a sensational fake.

Established in 1997, the Museum of Hoaxes "plays host to a variety of humbugs and hoodwinks," according to its curator, Alex Boese. He said the museum even includes a collection of modern schemes, dupes and dodges that circulate on the Internet.

There is also a photo gallery, featuring bogus photographs dating from the Civil War.

Bringing to mind the freak shows at county and state fairs, the Museum of Hoaxes lets people explore the unbelievable as well as the "sounds-too-good-to-be-true" tales of today and yesterday.

Said Boese: "Just remember that there's no claim so stupid that someone, somewhere won't believe it!"