The Cardiff Giant was a famous hoax that emerged in 1869 when a 10-foot-tall statue was discovered in Cardiff, New York. Claimed to be the petrified remains of a prehistoric giant, the statue attracted significant attention and sparked debates about human history and evolution. The giant was later revealed to be a carved gypsum figure, created by a New York tobacconist named George Hull. Despite its exposure as a fraud, the Cardiff Giant remains a notable example of 19th-century American sensationalism and the public's fascination with the extraordinary.