1. In 1957, the BBC news programme, Panorama, aired a three-minute broadcast showing farmers in Switzerland plucking spaghetti from trees. Following the broadcast, viewers called up the BBC office to inquire about how to grow spaghetti on trees. In return, the BBC told every caller: “Place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.”
2. In 1996, newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post ran full-page ads announcing that fast-food chain Taco Bell had purchased the iconic bell and was planning to rename it “Taco Liberty Bell”.
3. Australian businessman Dick Smith fooled people in Sydney on 1 April 1978, when he towed in what looked like an iceberg. But then a rainstorm revealed that it was actually a barge covered in white plastic sheets, fire-fighting foam and shaving cream. “The whole prank only cost me 1,450 dollars,” Smith said at the time. “I just do these things for kicks. It takes the boredom out of everyday work.”
