Today in Science

Scholars in Copenhagen reported finding a centuries-old manuscript by an obscure journalist named Jaak Tapstra. The document appears to be a limited apology and defense for having written a glowing article about the then-emperor’s new wardrobe, Een Mode-Triomf ("A Fashion Triumph"). This as is now well-known turned out to be an elaborate con. The narrative in the manuscript asserts that the con-men tailors conspired with court officials to deceive the people, so it was not the fault of anyone who had commented in favor of the hoax.

Professor Johannes De Vries headed the team that found the document on a rack in an old outhouse uncovered in a construction dig. Using cutting-edge AI-guided imaging technology, they were been able to reconstruct the document almost in its entirety. De Vries expressed some disappointment in that it did not provide any of the larger historical insights they had hoped to find. He laughed and told his interviewer that the team had merely confirmed that liegende idiooten appear in every era.