The top 10 April Fool's Day pranks ever pulled off

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by NICKY Nitro, Apr 1, 2008.

  1. #1
    Here are 10 of the top April Fool's Day pranks ever pulled off, as judged by the San Diego-based Museum of Hoaxes for their notoriety, absurdity, and number of people duped.

    -- In 1957, a BBC television show announced that thanks to a mild winter and the virtual elimination of the spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. Footage of Swiss farmers pulling strands of spaghetti from trees prompted a barrage of calls from people wanting to know how to grow their own spaghetti at home.

    -- In 1985, Sports Illustrated magazine published a story that a rookie baseball pitcher who could reportedly throw a ball at 270 kilometers per hour (168 miles per hour) was set to join the New York Mets. Finch was said to have mastered his skill -- pitching significantly faster than anyone else has ever managed -- in a Tibetan monastery. Mets fans' celebrations were short-lived.

    -- Sweden in 1962 had only one television channel, which broadcast in black and white. The station's technical expert appeared on the news to announce that thanks to a newly developed technology, viewers could convert their existing sets to receive color pictures by pulling a nylon stocking over the screen. In fact, they had to wait until 1970.

    -- In 1996, American fast-food chain Taco Bell announced that it had bought Philadelphia's Liberty Bell, a historic symbol of American independence, from the federal government and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell.

    Outraged citizens called to express their anger before Taco Bell revealed the hoax. Then-White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale and said the Lincoln Memorial in Washington had also been sold and was to be renamed the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial after the automotive giant.

    -- In 1977, British newspaper The Guardian published a seven-page supplement for the 10th anniversary of San Serriffe, a small republic located in the Indian Ocean consisting of several semicolon-shaped islands. A series of articles described the geography and culture of the two main islands, named Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse.

    -- In 1992, US National Public Radio announced that Richard Nixon was running for president again. His new campaign slogan was, "I didn't do anything wrong, and I won't do it again." They even had clips of Nixon announcing his candidacy. Listeners flooded the show with calls expressing their outrage. Nixon's voice actually turned out to be that of impersonator Rich Little.

    -- In 1998, a newsletter titled New Mexicans for Science and Reason carried an article that the state of Alabama had voted to change the value of pi from 3.14159 to the "Biblical value" of 3.0.

    -- Burger King, another American fast-food chain, published a full-page advertisement in USA Today in 1998 announcing the introduction of the "Left-Handed Whopper," specially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new burger included the same ingredients as the original, but the condiments were rotated 180 degrees. The chain said it received thousands of requests for the new burger, as well as orders for the original "right-handed" version.

    -- Discover Magazine announced in 1995 that a highly respected biologist, Aprile Pazzo (Italian for April Fool), had discovered a new species in Antarctica: the hotheaded naked ice borer. The creatures were described as having bony plates on their heads that became burning hot, allowing the animals to bore through ice at high speed -- a technique they used to hunt penguins.

    -- Noted British astronomer Patrick Moore announced on the radio in 1976 that at 9:47 am, a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event, in which Pluto would pass behind Jupiter, would cause a gravitational alignment that would reduce the Earth's gravity. Moore told listeners that if they jumped in the air at the exact moment of the planetary alignment, they would experience a floating sensation. Hundreds of people called in to report feeling the sensation.
     
    NICKY Nitro, Apr 1, 2008 IP
  2. e = mc²

    e = mc² Peon

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    #2
    Lol, this one's great!
    Thanks,
    e = mc²
     
    e = mc², Apr 1, 2008 IP
  3. John_McCann

    John_McCann Banned

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    #3
    Agreed with e = mc²! Absolutely brilliant that one ! :p
     
    John_McCann, Apr 1, 2008 IP
  4. Rebellion

    Rebellion Peon

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    #4
    Found this one particularly funny.
     
    Rebellion, Apr 1, 2008 IP
  5. bnandika

    bnandika Well-Known Member

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    #5
    I like this, pulling nylon stocking over tv screen, very funny lol :D
     
    bnandika, Apr 1, 2008 IP
  6. cool_78

    cool_78 Guest

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    #6
    I love the one about spaghetti trees, I can't believe people fell for that :D
     
    cool_78, Apr 1, 2008 IP
  7. Avatar Viper

    Avatar Viper Well-Known Member

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    #7
    nice. thx...
     
    Avatar Viper, Apr 1, 2008 IP
  8. lightless

    lightless Notable Member

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    #8
    Good stuff. Thanks for sharing it with us.
     
    lightless, Apr 1, 2008 IP
  9. scubita

    scubita Peon

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    #9
    Owned :D One of best posts i've read in some weeks. Nice!
     
    scubita, Apr 1, 2008 IP
  10. dhana_space1

    dhana_space1 Peon

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    #10
    Very good Post.
    I liked all of them. :)
     
    dhana_space1, Apr 1, 2008 IP
  11. pixeladd

    pixeladd Banned

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    #11
    lol thats was gr8

    thanx
     
    pixeladd, Apr 1, 2008 IP
  12. bigsmoney

    bigsmoney Banned

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    #12
    lol..nice list.

    maybe
    2008- Microsoft announced to stop shipping copies of Window Vista.
     
    bigsmoney, Apr 1, 2008 IP
  13. kingofsanda

    kingofsanda Peon

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    #13
    Good pranks thanks for sharing.
     
    kingofsanda, Apr 1, 2008 IP
  14. SuviCyriacNadakuzhackal

    SuviCyriacNadakuzhackal Well-Known Member

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    #14
    Once back in college days, one of our room mates was playing pranks on every one. He was not getting hit back. So we had to set him up as a group. One guy took him out for a walk to the coffee shop. By the time he came back we set up a bucket of soap water on top of his cup board right next to the door and tied a thread on to the door nob. As soon as he opened the door, the bucket full of soap water fell on his head. As every one on the floor was looking for some revenge and was aware what is going to happen, there was a bunch of people out there clapping while he got his treatment.
     
  15. SuviCyriacNadakuzhackal

    SuviCyriacNadakuzhackal Well-Known Member

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    #15
    Many of them felt the sensation. That is how religion works. And in medical studies, the sugar pill gives the same effect as the actual pill, many times. Some medical studies found the sugar pill being better able to cure the diseases.