The Best April Fool’s Jokes of All Time
1. BBC Spaghetti Trees
In 1957, the BBC filmed a spectacular natural phenomenon in Switzerland — the spaghetti trees. The BBC claimed this was an effect of the vanishing spaghetti weevils.
But how was this possible?
The truth? It wasn’t. BBC pranksters travelled to Switzerland to hang cooked spaghetti from trees. They then filmed locals picking the ‘ripe’ strands, demonstrating a harvest. People were so convinced the trees were real, they began phoning the BBC to find out how to grow spaghetti trees — even after The BBC revealed the stunt was a prank.
Annoyed with the constant calls, BBC operators began answering each call with their own method of growing these fictitious trees. “Place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best!”
2. The Zero Calorie Restaurant
Dreaming of eating bad foods without the consequences? In 2015, LocalSearch made this dream come true. Well, almost.
The team at LocalSearch devised an entire chain of restaurants serving up zero-calorie meals. From delicious big breakfasts, to burgers and pizzas, it almost seemed too good to be true. And it was.
Although there was a link that would reveal the prank, the article went viral online.
Check out the original article here.
3. Dick Smith’s Sydney Iceberg
Sydney residents were stunned on April 1st, 1978 when Dick Smith towed an iceberg into Sydney Harbour. Known for his adventures, Dick had been talking about having ice hauled from Antarctica to solve the water shortage crisis in Australia.
Selling shards of the iceberg for 10c each, Dick’s prank was foiled when rain washed away the shaving cream and foam he had used to form the iceberg. The ice shards were just ice cubes from a fridge he had on the barge.
Definitely the coolest prank on the list.
4. BBC Strikes Again with a Digitalised Big Ben
The BBC’s overseas service caused outrage when they announced Big Ben was set to become digital. They went one step further by stating that the first 4 listeners to call the radio station would win the clock hands. Extremely excited, a Japanese seaman in the Atlantic immediately called in.
Apparently not many people found the hoax very funny.
5. There’s a Frog in my Water…
On April 1st, 1906, residents of Wichita flocked to the riverbank to watch the collision of an 11-foot high wave and a swarm of a million frogs. Reported by the Wichita Daily Eagle the collision was said to happen at 10:00am.
Residents waited for more than 3 hours, only heading home when it dawned on them it was April Fool’s Day!
6. Thomas Edison Ends World Hunger!
After inventing the phonograph in 1877, America was convinced there was nothing Thomas Edison couldn’t do. A year later, on April 1st, the New York Graphic reported Thomas Edison had indeed invented a machine that turned soil into cereal and water into wine — much to the public’s amazement.
The news spread across the country within a day, with other newspapers praising Thomas Edison on his phenomenal invention. New York Graphic even reprinted the Buffalo Commercial Advertisers article in full with a simple title; “They Bite!”
Have you experienced the best April Fool’s joke of all time?
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