Practical jokes and clever tricks mark this wacky day, which has been celebrated for centuries. In modern times, pranks have spread through the media and fooled hundreds or thousands at a time!
Do you know these famous April Fools’ Day pranks?
Harvesting the spaghetti crop — On April 1, 1957, the BBC aired a segment showing a Swiss family harvesting their bumper spaghetti crop. Hundreds of Brits called in to ask about buying a spaghetti tree of their own.
UFO lands near London — In 1989, reports of a flying saucer sent British bobbies off to investigate. When they arrived, a small creature in a silver suit emerged. The bobbies, of course, fled for their lives.
Zero Gravity Day — At 9:47 am on April 1, 1976, Pluto, Jupiter, and Earth aligned, increasing the gravitational pull of the two planets and temporarily counteracting Earth’s own gravity. As a result, humans weighed less for several minutes, and were encouraged to jump right at 9:47 to feel like they were floating. Hundreds called in to report feeling the sensation and even floating around the room!
