Early in 1761 two small earthquakes hit London, England. Soon afterwards, a rumor spread through the city that a well-known psychic had predicted a massive earthquake would occur on April 5 of that year. Gullible people were alarmed. Citizens of London began leaving the city, moving to other cities nearby or setting up camps in the outlying rural areas. And then they waited for the big one to hit. And, of course, it never did. (1)

Such rumors or faulty predictions have spread in this country from time to time. Fake news is nothing new. People have been misled by idle rumors since human beings first populated the earth.

You’ll remember that, in the decades after President Abraham Lincoln’s death, rumors spread around the U.S. that his coffin was empty. Maybe he hadn’t actually died, it wa…