Case file · Folklore / legend
Drake's Plate of Brass
A brass plate found near San Francisco Bay in 1936, inscribed as Sir Francis Drake's 1579 claim of 'Nova Albion' for Queen Elizabeth, was hailed by historian Herbert Bolton and displayed at UC Berkeley's Bancroft Library.
1936 CE · 37.95, -122.53 · status: hoax
The account
Metallurgical tests in 1977 showed modern rolled brass. In 2003 researchers concluded it was a prank by Bolton's friends in the humorous fraternity E Clampus Vitus that got out of hand.