April 1st is celebrated all around the world as April Fool’s day. The annual tradition is held by playing pranks on friends or family members. Even though the tradition is something that has been carried out for centuries, its exact origin still remains a mystery. According to some historians, it dates back to 1582, during the time when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. Those who failed to get the news or recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1, became the butt of jokes and hoaxes. Such people were subjected to the infamous joke called “poisson d’avril” (April fish), where a paper fish was placed on their backs. They were all considered to be gullible.
Throughout history, people have managed to carry out some of the most brilliant pranks. Here, we have collected the top 12; which will definitely make you chuckle. In fact, you could get some new ideas from these for next year.
1. YouTube’s Rickrolling prank.
YouTube and Google always manage to play the quirkiest of pranks. Though there are tons of good pranks throughout history, the video-sharing platform’s first prank in 2008 will probably remain the most cherished one. Those who are from the 80’s, are most likely familiar with Rick Astley’s classic music video ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’. YouTube decided to pull a ‘Rick Roll’ on all of its viewers by linking every video into the 80’s music video. No matter what videos users tried to play, it redirected them to the song. Today, the prank is commonly known as ‘Rick Rolling’.
2. The time Richard Branson flew a UFO over London in an ET Costume.
In the early morning of April 1, 1989, under the cover of darkness, Richard Branson pulled off what would possibly be one of the best pranks in history. At 4:00 AM, Branson took off in a custom hot air balloon shaped like a UFO, which was also equipped with strobe lights that went off every ten seconds. Soon enough, the UFO was making its way over London’s M25 highway and drivers along the route were stunned by what they were seeing. Drivers stopped their cars from their busy morning commutes, police were called in and so was the army. TV and radio stations were filled with callers who were scared to witness the flying object. Though Branson initially planned to land the balloon in Hyde Park, poor weather conditions blew him way off target. Instead of his intended destination, Branson landed in Surrey Field, all while the police were on his tail.
The police surrounded the field as the balloon made its landing. A lone officer was sent to approach the unidentified aircraft, while Branson pulled off one more stunt. The door opened up with dry ice boiling out and a dwarf alien emerged out of the aircraft. The police were not amused with the stunt and threatened to arrest him. Against all odds, he was not arrested. Branson, the founder of Virgin Group might have pulled one of the best pranks to go down in history.
For the curious ones, the balloon was built in Bristol by Don Cameron of Cameron Balloons Limited.
3. 50-year-old Oliver “Porky” Bickar, a local prankster, created a fake volcano eruption.
Monday April 1, 1974, the Residents of Sitka, Alaska woke up to a horrifying view. Mount Edgecumbe, a volcano dormant for 400 years, was billowing black smoke from its crater. It appeared as if the volcano was getting ready to blow. The above photo was taken by Harold Wahlman. He noticed the smoke coming out of the mountain, so he ran home to get his camera. The citizens were concerned about the eruption and set out of their homes to view the volcano. The coast guard was concerned about the safety of the citizens and so they ordered a chopper to investigate. When the pilot approached Mt. Edgecumbe, he could see that the smoke was getting thicker. As the pilot hovered right above the smoke, he was able to see a stack of old tires burning with a greasy-flame. The pilot couldn’t contain his laughter when he saw a 50-foot-high black letters that said “APRIL FOOL.”
Oliver “Porky” Bickar, a 50-year-old local prankster, pulled off the scary prank by collecting 70 old tires and keeping it in an airplane hangar. He then waited three years until April Fool’s Day 1974, for the right conditions to execute his brilliant plan. Once the citizens and the coast guard realized that it was just a prank, their reaction was positive and congratulated Oliver for his wittiness.
4. An 8-inch mummified creature found by a man walking his dog.
In 2007, the website of the Lebanon Circle Magik Co. posted a picture of an 8-inch mummified creature which had a close resemblance to a fairy. The picture was tagged with the description, which explained that the creature was discovered by a man who was walking his dog. Within a few hours, the website received tens of thousands of emails and messages. By the end of the day, the owner of the website, Dan Baines, explained that it was nothing more than an April Fool’s joke. Dan Baines used his skills as a magician’s prop-maker to carefully craft the creature. Even though he confessed that the stunt was nothing more than a practical joke, Baines says he still received emails and messages from people who refuse to accept that it’s not real.
