An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows a newspaper article from 1927 with a headline that claims the U.S. was sold to five billionaires.

Verdict: False

The newspaper article was created by The Onion, a satirical website, in 2005.

Fact Check:

The post appears to show a page from an unnamed newspaper that features an article with a headline that reads, “BILLIONAIRES BUY U.S. FROM MILLIONAIRES: Future of Nation in Yet Wealthier Hands.” The article includes an image of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, who the newspaper identifies as one of the purported buyers.

“This is a 1927 News Article Showing America was sold to 5 Billionaires,” reads text included in the image. “The Rothschild’s, Rockefellers, Dupont’s, Harriman’s and Warburg’s.” The Rothschilds and the Rockefellers have previously been the subject of conspiracy theories, some of which have been debunked by Check Your Fact. (RELATED: Image Claims To Show USA Today Newspaper About Anthony Fauci Being Arrested For ‘Seditious Conspiracy’)

The newspaper article is not genuine. A reverse image search revealed the alleged paper from 1927 was created by The Onion, a popular satirical news website, in 2005. It can be found on an archived version of the outlet’s website with a headline that reads, “August 23, 1927.” The satirical newspaper page is also included in a book published by The Onion titled, “Our Dumb Century” along with other fabricated newspaper clippings allegedly from the 20th century.

Notably, the words “The Onion” are visible at the top of The Onion’s version of the invented newspaper, a section that was cropped out in the version of the paper shared on Facebook.