7. The Drake’s Plate of Brass
Discovered in California in 1936, Drake’s Plate of Brass was hailed as proof of Sir Francis Drake’s 1579 landing on the West Coast. Historians and the public alike embraced the plate as a significant historical artifact. However, after nearly four decades of acclaim, advanced metallurgical testing in the 1970s revealed it was a modern forgery. The episode highlights how wishful thinking and national pride can cloud judgment, even among experts. Read more
