As a general rule, I am not a prankster. Not that I haven't participated in some wacky ones over the years, but overall- -not a big fan. However in researching some of the best pranks of all time, I was amazed at the width and breadth of creativity that went into some of these through history.

The history of the day itself remains somewhat murky, although some historians believe it may harken all the way back to 1582. In England, it was on this date in 1700 that pranksters started playing practical jokes on each other and somehow the tradition took, crossed the Atlantic with the Pilgrims (or something like that) and we have followed in their footsteps all these years.

So with that sketchy and incomplete explanation of what this day is all about, let me proceed with five of the best April Fool's Day pranks of all time, keeping in mind that this is completely in my opinion.

  1. The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest- -This colossally ingenious prank was perpetrated by a highly respected BBC news show. The premise was that Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop thanks to the elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil. The accompanying film footage showed the farmers pulling strands of spaghetti from trees and viewers en masse called in wanting to know how to grow their own spaghetti trees.
  2. The Taco Bell Liberty Bell- -The Taco Bell Corporation announced on this day in 1996 that they were buying the historic Liberty Bell and all hell broke loose! Hundreds of angry callers besieged the National Historic Park in Philly where the bell lived and expressed their outrage.
  3. Sidd Finch- -Sports Illustrated pulled a good one in the April 1985 edition of their magazine when they reported on Sidd Finch, a rookie pitcher with no prior baseball experience, who could throw a baseball at 168 mph, which was 65 mph faster than the previous record. He supposedly "mastered the art of the pitch" in a Tibetan monastery and was recruited by the New York Mets. Readers and Mets fans who couldn't believe their good fortune bought it ball, bat and catching mitt.
  4. Nixon for President- -National Public Radio revealed on April 1, 1992 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!" Comedian Rich Little did the Nixon impersonation for the audio.
  5. The Left-Handed Whopper- -April Fool's Day 1998 Burger King ran a full page ad in USA Today announcing their creation of a specially designed Left-Handed Whopper for the 32 million left-handed Americans. Thousands of hungry burger consumers went to the restaurants to try it only to be served the one and only original Whopper.
To see the Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes click here.

 

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