From faux innovations, to fake artificial intelligence, to an Internet-ready Porta-Potty, here's a look at our favorite hoaxes throughout engineering history.

You'll probably be reading your fair share of fake headlines on April 1, but phony tech news - both for scams and humor - aren't anything new. The history of science and technology is rife with cons, false conclusions, and outrageous claims. From faux innovations, to fake artificial intelligence, to an Internet-ready Porta-Potty, here's a chronological look at our favorite hoaxes throughout engineering history.

Any favorite hoaxes that we missed? Drop us a line in the comments.

The Turk (1770)

Created by Baron Wolfgang von Kempelen, the Great Chess Automation aka The Turk was arguably the first example of machine intelligence...too bad it was fake. The machine, a wooden figure made to look like a man in Turkish clothes, traveled around Europe in the 18th Century beating all comers at chess matches. This went on for nearly 70 years before the true secret of The Turk was revealed: a human chess master hidden inside. (Source: Hoaxes.org)

Read more from the original source:

10 Greatest Hoaxes in the History of Engineering