How NYT got swept up by wild Martian theories
Remember that time in 2021 when The New York Times accidentally posted a draft claiming there were "watermelons on Mars?"
The article, which jokingly mentioned fruit aliens and even the FBI talking about kiwis, was pulled down almost immediately.
This mix-up reminded many of an even older NYT moment—back in 1906, the paper published a story supporting the idea of intelligent Martians based on some pretty questionable canal sightings.
Book details how Lowell's canal theory captivated the nation
The 1906 article, written by Lilian Whiting, ran with Percival Lowell's theory that Mars had canals built by conscious, intelligent, organic life—a claim most scientists doubted but stories like these captured imaginations for decades.
David Baron's book The Martians digs into this wild era and even mentions how big names like Nikola Tesla got caught up in the excitement.
Recently, the NYT reviewed Baron's book and reflected on its own history of getting swept up by out-there space stories.