5 Most Spectacular April Fools' Day Hoaxes in History

(Baonghean.vn) - No one knows for sure the origin of April Fool's Day, but many believe that this day originated during the time of Pope Gregory XIII. In 1582, he wanted to introduce the Gregorian calendar to replace the old calendar system, according to which the first day of the new year would be celebrated on January 1 instead of the end of March as before.

However, some people did not receive the above information and continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1, unintentionally becoming a laughing stock for everyone.

Another explanation is that April Fools' Day originated from the time when people used to hold spring festivals to mark the end of winter. The ancient Roman festival of Hilaria, which celebrated the resurrection of the god Attis, often featured spectacular costumes during this period. Meanwhile, other cultures have also held festivals around April 1st in Europe since the 1500s.

By 1700, the day for jokes had become ingrained in British culture, and now April 1st is officially considered by the West in particular and the world in general to be the funniest holiday of the year.

Top 5 most impressive "tricks"

1 - In 1957, the BBC aired a black-and-white film of Swiss agriculturalists claiming to have successfully grown spaghetti, calling it the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest. Viewers were easily fooled, and the BBC was immediately inundated with requests from viewers everywhere to learn how to grow this “unique” crop.

BBC tape broadcast in 1957:

2 - Every year since 1986, there has been a public announcement of an April Fools' Day Parade in New York City, USA. However, such a parade has never existed! This year is no exception, the announcement reads: "The 31st Annual April Fools' Day Parade will begin on Fifth Avenue and 59th Street at noon on April 1. Rain or shine, the parade will proceed from Fifth Avenue to Washington Square Park to select the King of Fools."

Every year there is news of an April Fools' Day parade in New York, but it is actually a prank.

3 - In 1998, the fast food chain Burger King fooled customers with a full-page advertisement in USA Today about a “left-handed burger,” which claimed that the ingredients of the burger had been rotated 180 degrees to accommodate the company’s left-handed customers. The fast food chain then jokingly said, “Everyone realizes that it takes two hands to eat a burger!” This was considered a successful marketing strategy for Burger King at that time.

Burger King's left-handed burger ad in USA Today. Photo: Internet.

4- In 2008, the BBC once again fooled its audience on April Fool's Day by broadcasting a video claiming that penguins were flying in the sky, escaping from the harsh Antarctic region to the tropical forests of South America.

Watch BBC penguin clip:

5 - In 2011, it was the turn of the famous furniture brand Ikea to launch an April Fool's Day hoax when it announced that the furniture chain had launched a high chair specifically for dogs called 'HUNDSTOL'. This information attracted the attention of the media and was widely reported until it was discovered that it was a hoax!

Watch the clip of Ikea's April Fool's Day prank in 2011:

Phu Binh

(According to Yorkshiretimes, Youtube)