04/01/2025
A few Historic British April Fools' Day pranks:
In 1957, the BBC's “Panorama” program broadcast a segment showing Swiss farmers harvesting spaghetti from trees. Many viewers were convinced it had to be real.
In 2008, the BBC reported a colony of flying penguins, complete with footage of the birds in flight.
In 1976, astronomer Sir Patrick Moore told BBC Radio 2 listeners that a unique alignment of the planets would cause a temporary reduction in gravity, making people weigh less.
In Boston:
In 1980, a Boston TV station reported that a local hill was erupting, causing widespread panic.
Commercial & Tech:
In 1996, Taco Bell took out a full-page ad in several major newspapers announcing that they had purchased the Liberty Bell and renamed it the "Taco Liberty Bell.”
In 2007, Google announced a new feature that would allow Gmail users to print out their emails on paper.
In 2008, YouTube pranked users by making every video on the site's front page link to Rick Astley's music video "Never Gonna Give You Up".
