Courtesy of Data Developments Ltd March Newsletter

If you, or anybody you know is looking to pull off the perfect April Fool’s Day prank tomorrow, but is struggling to come up with an idea, you should go and have a look at this list of the top 100 April Fool’s Day pranks throughout history.   For immediate inspiration, here are a few of our favourites:

Around the World for 210 Guineas April 1, 1972

In honour of the 100-year anniversary of Thomas Cook’s first round the world travel tour, the London Times ran an article about Cook’s 1872 tour, in which it noted that the vacation had cost the participants only 210 guineas each, or approximately $575. A few pages later, Times readers then found a small article noting that in honour of this anniversary, Thomas Cook was running a promotion, offering the chance to buy a similar package deal at 1872 prices. The deal would be given to the first 1000 people to apply. The only clue that this was a joke was the remark that applications should be addressed to “Miss Avril Foley.” The response to this bargain-basement offer was swift and enthusiastic. Huge lines formed outside Thomas Cook offices, and the travel agent was swamped with calls. The Times subsequently issued an apology and dismissed the reporter who had written the article, though he was later reinstated.

King’s College Choir Uses Helium April 1, 2014

The renowned King’s College Choir is not known for farce. This made it noteworthy when they released a video announcing that complex regulations had made it impractical to continue featuring young boys in the choir, and that they had been forced to find other ways to replicate the high pitch of the boys’ pre-adolescent voices. Because the older choral scholars had vetoed the “surgical solution,” the choir leaders had finally adopted a suggestion made by a colleague in the Chemistry Department — use helium. Here’s the video demonstrating the use of helium during a performance, which has now generated millions of views on YouTube.

 

One-Way Highway April 1, 1991

The London Times reported that the Department of Transport had finalized a plan to ease congestion on the M25, the circular highway surrounding London. The capacity of the road would be instantly doubled by the simple but revolutionary technique of making the traffic on both carriageways travel in the same direction. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays the traffic would travel clockwise. On Tuesdays and Thursdays it would travel anti-clockwise. The plan was predicted to easily gain the cabinet’s approval. However, there were a few critics. One resident of Kent pointed out, “Villagers use the motorway to make shopping trips to Orpington. On some days this will be a journey of two miles, and on others a journey of 117 miles. The scheme is lunatic.” Despite the lunacy, the BBC Radio News fell for the joke and broadcast interviews with residents of Swanscombe who, when the plan was described to them, became irate over its implications.

Grandstand’s Newsroom Brawl April 1, 1989

Viewers of the BBC sports show Grandstand thought that tensions among BBC employees must have reached a breaking point when, as presenter Desmond Lynam talked about upcoming events the program was going to be covering, a fight broke out behind him in the newsroom. As the fight escalated, Lynam acted like a consummate professional, calmly continuing to discuss the news and assuring the audience that, “We’ll continue to do our best to cover sport in the way that you like, backed up by our highly professional team.” Later in the show, Lyman noted that viewers may have seen “a bit of an altercation” behind him and apologized for this. But then he proceeded to show an instant, slow-motion replay of the fight. Only after the replay was the joke revealed, as the newsroom brawlers were shown standing together, holding a sign that read “April Fool.” The segment is widely considered to be a classic moment in TV sports reporting.

 

Flying Penguins April 1, 2008

The BBC announced that camera crews filming near the Antarctic for its natural history series Miracles of Evolution had captured footage of Adélie penguins taking to the air. It even offered a video clip of these flying penguins, which quickly became one of the most viewed videos on the internet.

Presenter Terry Jones explained that, instead of huddling together to endure the Antarctic winter, these penguins took to the air and flew thousands of miles to the rainforests of South America where they “spend the winter basking in the tropical sun.”    I can’t believe they’ve not mentioned the spaghetti trees on the BBC (I think) or the Guardian’s island of Sans Serif… Any you can think of?

P.S. Here’s an explanation of how the BBC did it.