April Fools' pranks have been around for a long time in both American and European cultures. But we're not sure exactly where they came from. One popular theory is that in the 1500s, France changed the calendar so that the new year began in January. But some people, mostly those living in rural areas, didn't know about the change and continued to celebrate the new year in the spring. Others who knew about the change made fun of them and called them "April fools." Another theory is that the pranks come from ancient European spring festivals where people would wear disguises to trick each other. Over time, the pranks got more and more elaborate, and they became associated with the start of spring.
Here, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most iconic pranks in history. This would be an ideal time to read about them, wouldn't it?
Related: Shockingly Famous Hoaxes that Almost Fooled Everyone
In 1957, BBC current affairs program Panorama, shared a fascinating report claiming that a warm winter had resulted in a tremendous spaghetti crop among Swiss farmers. To back up this claim, the show presented a three-minute piece showing Swiss farmers pulling strands of spaghetti from trees, successfully misleading many viewers. The BBC received a flood of inquiries from bewildered people eager to cultivate their own spaghetti trees. In response, the BBC humorously advised each caller to "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.”
In 1992, during National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation, an astonishing announcement was made: ex-U.S. President Richard Nixon, who resigned in 1974 following the Watergate Scandal, had announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. NPR aired a clip featuring Nixon affirming his intent to run, uttering the infamous line, “I never did anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.”
Following this broadcast, NPR was inundated with a barrage of inquiries and expressions of outrage from listeners. However, later in the program, host John Hockenberry disclosed that the entire segment had been an April Fool's Day prank. The voice behind "Nixon" was none other than the renowned comedian Rich Little, nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Voices."
Related: The 10 Most Elaborate Scientific Hoaxes In History!
Just one year after he invented the phonograph in 1877, Thomas Edison became the subject of a hoax perpetuated by the New York Graphic. The newspaper falsely claimed that Edison had devised a miraculous contraption capable of transforming dirt into meat and water into wine.
With a sensational headline declaring, ‘Edison invents a machine that will feed the human race!’' the article duped many readers. However, the writer confessed at the conclusion of the article that his story was a fabrication. Despite this admission, several American newspapers fell for the ruse and republished the story as fact. In a subsequent edition, the Graphic humorously criticized the gullible readership under the tongue-in-cheek title: ‘They Bite.’
