March 31, 2014. TIME MAGAZINE
A look back at the wittiest, most believable April 1 gags throughout history
The Spaghetti Tree – 1957
Switzerland is known for banks
and chocolate, not spaghetti, right? Tell that to the millions who fell victim
to a BBC April Fools’ report touting the bumper harvests
from Swiss spaghetti trees. The report, which ran three minutes, even led some
to ask how they could have a spaghetti tree of their own. The Beeb’s response?
Put a strand of spaghetti in tomato sauce and “hope for the best.”
Do-It-Yourself Color TV – 1962
Color television wasn’t widespread until 1966, but some Swedes armed with
nylon stockings tried to get it four years earlier. They fell victim to a hoax
by Sweden’s Sveriges Television, which trotted out a “technical expert” to
explain on-air — in thoroughly technical terms — how a thinly stretched nylon
screen in front of a television would bend light’s wavelengths and produce a
color image. The thousands who tried it learned quickly that there was no such
trick — and were out a pair of stockings to boot.
Planetary Alignment – 1976
The British media
have a unique affinity for pulling April Fools’ pranks, matched only by the
British public’s unique ability to fall for them. On April 1, 1976, BBC Radio 2
astronomer Sir Patrick Moore gave listeners some bunk about how, at 9:47 a.m.,
Pluto and Jupiter would align in such a way as to temporarily reduce Earth’s
gravity. Moore told listeners to jump at exactly that time to experience the
once-in-a-lifetime effect. At 9:48, callers flooded the lines, eager to
describe how they had briefly floated. News that Moore had played them no doubt
brought everyone crashing back to earth.
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