3 of 55

Write now Article Tools

April Fools Day has long been a day of pranksters and jokes, but what are the biggest pranks of all time? According to the Museum of Hoaxes, here are the top five April Fools Day pranks ever:

#5-San Serriffe

In 1977, The Guardian', a British paper, published a seven-page story about San Serriffe. This small republic was said to be made up of several semi-colon-shaped islands in the Indian Ocean. A series of articles explained the Upper Caisee, Lower Caisee, its capital, Bodoni, and its leader General Pica. Phones rang off the hook as people tried to get more information on this beautiful place. Only a few people noticed that the explanation of the islands used printer's terminology. Get it, Upper Case, Lower Case? This hoax is credited with getting the British in the April Fools' mood for years to come.

#4-The Taco Liberty Bell

In 1996, the Taco Bell Corporation made an announcement that they had purchased the Liberty Bell and would be renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds and hundreds of U.S. citizens were outraged and called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia, where the bell was being housed, and gave them a piece of their mind. A few hours later, Taco Bell set things straight, but the topper was when the White House press secretary, Mike McCurry was asked about the sale, and he responded that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold, and it would be known as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.

#3-Instant Color T.V.

In 1962, Sweden had only one television channel. It was broadcast in black and white. Kjell Stensson, the stations technical expert made an appearance on the news to announce that there was a new technology that would allow viewers to convert their existing sets to display in color. All they had to do was place a nylon stocking over their television set. Stensson, with a straight face, proceeded to demonstrate the correct placement of the stocking on a television set. Thousands of people did just that, and you know what? Sweden didn't broadcast in color until April 1st of 1970.

#2-Sidd Finch

In 1985, Mets fans were excited to learn about Sidd Finch, a new ball player who could pitch a baseball at 168 miles per hour with pinpoint accuracy. The record at that time was 65 miles per hour slower than Finch. Sports Illustrated broke the story, saying that Finch had never even played a game of baseball before, but that he'd mastered the "art of the pitch" in a Tibetan monastery, taught by the "great poet-saint Lama Malaraspa". Mets fans flooded Sports Illustrated with calls only to find out that the legendary player was a fictional character made up by author George Plimpton.

#1-The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest

In 1975, a very respected news show called Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter, the dreaded Spaghetti Weevil was almost obliterated. They also reported that Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. The story even showed footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti from trees. Hundreds and hundreds of viewers called the BBC and asked how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. The reply they got was, "Place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best."

Learn more about this author, Sunshine Simmons.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Memorable pranks for April Fools Day?
We want to hear your view. Write now!