case,
seeing really was believing. The magic of satellites, with their ability to
enable live global (and interplanetary?) communication, fascinated and awed
millions of people, much like anything atomic had caught the public's fancy
in the previous decade. Also, space research and rocket science had advanced
far enough to make a trip to the moon likely - or, at the very least,
remotely feasible. "The structural nature of technology had changed to make
the moon landing possible, but that also made it possible for people to
doubt it," says Gary Fine, a sociology professor at the University of
Georgia in Athens specializing in rumor and contemporary legend.

Perhaps more importantly, Watergate hadn't happened yet, and people still
trusted their elected officials. "A distrust of authority clearly plays into
this whole thing," argues Fred Fedler, who teaches journalism at the
University ofA Thai businessman has offered the former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi €1bn (£740m) for a controlling stake in Milan, local media are reporting.

The offer came from Bee Taechaubol, the executive director of Thai Prime Company Limited, a south-east Asian private equity group. Taechaubol is also a co-owner of the Global Legends Series (GLS) Bangkok, which features veteran soccer players taking part in charity matches across the region.

The Bangkok Post reported that Taechaubol wanted at least a 50% stake in the seven-times European champions but not complete ownership. Taechaubol was confident of completing a deal for the 18-times Italian champions within a month, the report added.

Milan have struggled since winning the last of their Serie A titles in 2011. The club, who went through four different head coaches