Bathtub Hoax

The bathtub hoax was a prank article written by journalist H. L. Mencken, published in the New York Evening Mail on December 28, 1917. It claimed that the first American bathtub was introduced in 1842 and sparked national controversy over its safety and cost. The article humorously detailed false events, including Vice President Millard Fillmore becoming a proponent of bathtubs and installing one in the White House. Mencken later admitted the story was entirely fabricated, but it was widely believed for years.

Mencken revealed in the Chicago Tribune, titled "Melancholy Reflections". The bathtub hoax he had published in 1917, which was entirely fabricated. Despite its absurdity, the hoax had been widely accepted as fact and referenced in scientific journals, Congress, and even standard reference books. Mencken reflected on how easily misinformation becomes entrenched, comparing it to the way wartime news was often distorted. He expressed surprise that readers had taken his humorous article seriously and warned about the dangers of unquestioned "facts" in history.