Ah, April Fools’ Day. The one day of the year when you can pull a practical joke on anyone and get away with it as long as you say “April Fools!” Unlike other whimsical holidays, the origin of April Fool’s Day is not completely clear.
While some say it is a celebration due to a turn of the seasons, others believe it’s an occasion to enjoy the original addition of the calendar. Although this world-widely celebrated day is not considered a legal holiday, its pranks are performed throughout the world.

Photo by E.E. Epiphanies

Famous Pranks

In 1988, Burger King ran an ad in USA Today stating that left-handed people could purchase a burger whose condiments were designed to drip out the right side. Not only did people order these burgers, but some people even requested the old “right-handed” burgers.

In 1957, BBC news pranked their viewers with fake footage of peasants harvesting spaghetti from trees. Viewers who called into the station asked how to grow spaghetti while BBC simply replied “place a string of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.”

In 1996, Taco Bell released an advertisement in The New York Times announcing that they had purchased the Liberty Bell to reduce the country’s debt and re-named it “The Taco Liberty Bell.”