10 of the Biggest Lies in History

According to myth, a young George Washington confessed to cutting down a cherry tree by proclaiming, “I cannot tell a lie.” Unfortunately, in the annals of history it seems there are 10 dishonest scoundrels for every honorable hero like Washington.

Here we go over some of the most colossal and significant lies in history. As a result of these, lives were lost, life-savings destroyed, legitimate research hampered and — most of all — faith in our fellow man shattered.

Read on to see what made our list…

What else would you have included?

Image: With his fake Vermeers like the one here, van Meegeren duped experts and made lots of money. Courtesy AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere