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Did we mention it was April Fools’ Day?!? Sorry. Our crews will still be arriving inside our fast 90 minute response time BUT while you wait you can enjoy this article about the Best Aprils Fools’ Day Pranks in History!
Throughout history, as far back as the 1500’s and arguably the 1300’s, there have been references to April Fools. Ever since these early days pranks have been carried out on a large scale that fooled entire radio and television audiences into thinking the wild and outlandish. Read on for a few of the Greatest Practical Jokes in History!
Spaghetti Trees Anyone?
In 1957, the British broadcasting company (BBC) aired a television news story on Panorama announcing that an insidious insect - the spaghetti weevil - had been eliminated from Southern Switzerland. Why was this a good thing? Because it lead to a huge, prosperous CROP OF SPAGHETTI!
That’s right. Not only did they lead people to think spaghetti was grown on trees, they aired footage of farmers harvesting spaghetti! The hoax went over so well that many viewers began contacting the broadcaster asking how they could grow their own spaghetti trees. The answer given by BBC is classic and worthy of the snarkiest modern American media…
“...place a string of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.”
...When Penguins Fly!
The BBC has provided its fair share of pranks over the years. Fast forward to 2008 they hit the airwaves again with a nature documentary detailing how penguins had evolved the ability to fly and were enjoying cosy winter retreats deep in the Amazon jungle. Conveniently, they were too deep in the Amazon to be disturbed or found by common explorers, but the BBC had obtained footage of the migration.
Again hilarious. Again people believed. Especially after watching this footage >
It’s Gonna Blow!
This elaborate hoax is considered by many to be the king of pranks. On April1, 1974 residents of the calm town of Sitka, Alaska woke up and saw the long dormant Mount Edgecumbe volcano - usually just a beautiful snow-capped mountain on the horizon - now had a plumb of black smoke like it was preparing to blow at any moment!
No camera tricks. No special affects. How was this hoax pulled off?
All thanks for this one goes to Oliver “Porky” Bickar. He came up with the idea of how to “ignite” the volcano 3 years earlier using old tires. So he gathered 70 tires to for the project but he had to wait 3 years for weather and visibility conditions on an April 1st to be just right. That April 1st morning in 1974, he could see clear across the Sitka Sound and knew everyone would be able to see his handywork.
Mr. Bickar contacted several friends and a helicopter pilot who flew them all and the tires to the crater of Mount Edgecumbe. He stomped “APRIL FOOL” into the snow, stacked the tires, lit them and went home. You may think using helicopters would have alerted authorities who would have stopped the whole thing. Well they did have to alert the FAA controller of the plan who radioed to them, “You have clearance. And by the way, the son-of-a-( ) looks fantastic!”
Needless to say, it went over better than Porky could have dreamed. The impending eruption was picked up by the Associated Press and ran in newspapers around the world. Even the residents who were half-terrified out of their wits thought is was a classic prank after the truth came out. The prank is considered one of the best ever and was even featured in an Alaskan Airlines ad campaign the next year!</span>
You can read all the details here >
These are just 3 ROFL-worthy pranks. There are hundreds throughout history and if you ever need a pick-me-up, we recommend reading about them online.
#aprilfools #aprilfoolsday #practicaljokes #hoaxes #greatespracticaljokes