Conclusive proof of the presence of Early Man in Charleston

[[JiF]Mentat]

Funniest thing I have read in a while. Sounds like a Tissueman project.

Very polite letter of refusal from the Smithsoniaon Institute paleoanthropology division after a specimen submission.

[[JiF]rIot]

wow.

[[JiF][AARP]Grimp]

I guess I will keep my backyard finds to myself now.

[[JiF]rIot]

I think Ive even uncovered more tangible artifacts that show signs of earlier life then what that guy uncovered...

[[JiF]bigjohnson]

I bet they had Gieco Insurance

[[JiF]Stepovich]

I find evidence of early man every day when I get home...

Pajamas in a heap in the bathroom, open toothpaste on the counter,
cereal bowl I forgot to put in the dishwasher....

[[JiF]KellysHero]

Comments: This droll specimen of satire was never meant to fool anyone, but, alas, it has, circulating widely via email since the mid-'90s, sporting a preamble insisting the letter is authentic and the events described therein perfectly true. Neither is the case.

Harvey Rowe, the putative sender, is a real person, though he is not a curator of antiquities, nor has he ever worked for the Smithsonian Institution. He is, by his own admission, however, the clever bugger who made up this tall tale. Now living in Arizona and employed in medical informatics, Dr. Rowe was a graduate student in South Carolina in 1994 when he first typed up the letter and emailed it to a few friends, strictly for their amusement. One or more of those early recipients sent it on to their friends, who forwarded it on to theirs, etc., and in short order Harvey Rowe's "totally fabricated" story had taken on a life of its own.

"It seems to have achieved critical mass [in 1995] and there was some evidence people were taking it seriously, despite the many hints that it was written with humorous intent," Rowe marveled in a 1998 interview with writer E.M. Ganin. "Shortly after that I did a search on my name and found it on about 100 Websites, which surprised the hell out of me."

When last I checked (June 2003), that number had grown to nearly 1,000.

[[JiF][AARP]Grimp]

Darn and I thought it was real

[[JiF]Timmay!]

Reminds me of the Lazlo Letters. Worthing checking out if you've never seen them..