by Christopher Baran ’23 and Joshua Bala ’23
As yet another year passes, another day dedicated to the art of the joke arrives. The earliest reference to the infamous holiday was found in a poem from 1561 in which a nobleman sent his servant on a “fool’s errand” on April 1st. Ever since then, people all around the globe have utilized the day to wallow in laughter. In this article we will look at ten of the best April Fools Day pranks.
- Taco Bell Purchases Liberty Bell – In 1996, national newspapers announced that the popular Mexican fast food chain had purchased the American landmark and was going to rename it the “Taco Liberty Bell”. It was additionally going to be moved from its home in Philadelphia to the Taco Bell headquarters in California. Taco Bell claimed the purchase was an attempt to assist with national debt.
- Michael Strahan Fakes His Teeth Surgery – In 2021 Michael Strahan an American television personality who is infamous for his gap posted that he was fixing his teeth through surgery. Fans were shocked by this reveal, but two days later he revealed that it was a little prank. Despite this revelation, people believed him and flooded his messages with support and some disappointment.
- Mystical Baseball Player – In 1985, Sports Illustrated magazine published a long and detailed story about a rising star pitcher named Hayden Finch. He was described as quick on the field, and his pitches broke records at the trials. This news was sure to excite any baseball fan, but it turned out that Finch didn’t actually exist. The magazine simply made him up because it was funny.
- Astronomer Sir Patrick Moore Fools the World – On April 1, 1976, Astronomer Sir Patrick Moore was speaking on BBC Radio and told the listeners that the alignment of Jupiter and Pluto would reduce Earth’s gravity. If they jumped at exactly 9:47 am they could practically float in the air. People believed this childish hoax and even called BBC to detail their floating abilities. However, later on everyone received the disappointing news that Moore pranked them.
- Left Handed Whopper – In 1998, Burger King published an advertisement announcing a hot new item on the menu: the left handed Whopper, specifically catering to the left handed demographic of America. All the ingredients were the same, but rotated 18- degrees to compensate for the change in grip. The following day, Burger King admitted it was a hoax, despite thousands lining up to request the new meal.
- Alaskan Man Tricks Nearby Residents – In 1974, a man started a fire on top of Mount Edgecumbe in Alaska to trick the local residents into believing that a volcano believed to be inactive was erupting. The town woke up to black smoke fuming from the mouth of the volcano, but it ended up being caused by a man tossing tires into the crater.
- UFO Lands Near London – On March 31st, 1989 British policemen investigated a flying saucer after many drivers reported the strange occurrence. This alien ship was none other than a hot air balloon specially made to look like something unworldly. The prank was harmless, but residents in the area were petrified, thinking earth was about to come in contact with a new life form.
- Pollution in Athens – In 1982, Greece’s National Radio Network warned that pollution had gotten so bad that the city was to be evacuated immediately. Anyone in a car was asked to abandon it and flee to open ground. Thousands of people believed this and actually fled the city before the Network retracted the warning. One man did not find this prank so funny and sued for nearly one million dollars.
- Iceberg in Sydney – In 1978, an iceberg was being towed near the Sydney Opera House because of a local millionaire’s plan to carve into glaciers for purchase. The whole area was excited by the event, but when it started to rain, it revealed that the “iceberg” was merely shaving cream and firefighting foam. The millionaire actually did want to tow an iceberg from the Antarctic, but this prank was more fun.
- Pasta on Trees – In 1957, the BBC show “Panorama” ran a segment about the Swiss spaghetti harvest, illustrating farmers delicately picking the noodles off of the trees. Seeing as how the television was a very recent invention, many people across Great Britain took this program as fact, having no reason to doubt what they saw.