[saturn]

I once read an account of an extended animal test of a toxic chemical compound on a number of monkeys. While most died, one demonstrated amazing resistance to the toxin and I remember being shocked when the result was simply noted as anomalous and the animal put to death without further investigation. It was only after I had read the whole thing did I finally realise the whole account was fictional. I can't find it now but that really opened my eyes to the suggestive power of authentic-sounding text.

Speaking of which, the Severed Heads' "Dead Eyes Opened" (1) is another effective example of authentic-sounding historical text.

(1) http://severedheads.bandcamp.com/album/dead-eyes-opened-94