April Fools in the History1. The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest瑞士面条树spaghetti harvest1957: The respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in. Many called the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this the BBC diplomatically replied, place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best. 1957 年愚人节 BBC 新闻中说，瑞士的面条树大丰收，农民都在树上收割面条。大量观众上当受骗，打电话来咨询面条树的种植方法。BBC 对此的回复是：把一根面条插在番茄酱里，然后就等着吧。小编点评：面条树都有人信，不知道摇钱树有没有人信？2. Sidd Finch虚拟棒球天才Sidd Finch1985: Sports Illustrated published a story about a new rookie pitcher who planned to play for the Mets. His name was Sidd Finch, and he could reportedly throw a baseball at 168 mph with pinpoint accuracy. This was 65 mph faster than the previous record. Surprisingly, Sidd Finch had never even played the game before. Instead, he had mastered the art of the pitch in a Tibetan monastery under the guidance of the great poet-saint Lama Milaraspa. Mets fans celebrated their teams amazing luck at having found such a gifted player, and Sports Illustrated was flooded with requests for more information. In reality this legendary player only existed in the imagination of the author of the article, George Plimpton. 1985 年愚人节，运动画刊杂志发布一条假消息，称一个名为 Sidd Finch 的新人棒球投球手，能投出 168mph 时速的球，比当时记录高出 65mph；而且这位新人之前都没有玩过棒球！他在一个西藏的寺庙里学会了投球的艺术。大批棒球粉丝因此被骗。其实这个只是文章作者瞎编的。小编点评：要在中国，你说男足出了一个天才，谁信？3. Instant Color TV即时彩色电视image1962: In 1962 there was only one tv channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The stations technical expert, Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that, thanks to a new technology, viewers could convert their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their tv screen. Stensson proceeded to demonstrate the process. Thousands of people were taken in. Regular color broadcasts only commenced in Sweden on April 1, 1970. 1962 年愚人节，当时瑞典还只有一个电视频道，而且是黑白的。电视台的技术人员当天在新闻中说，彩色电视已经研发成功，用户只需拿一双尼龙袜盖在电视屏幕上就行。还真有人信了。小编点评：我如果说，沪江网全面升级，成为全球第一家 3D 网站，你们信么？4. The Taco Liberty Bell塔可自由钟Taco Liberty Bell1996: The Taco Bell Corporation announced it had bought the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds of outraged citizens called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell was housed to express their anger. Their nerves were only calmed when Taco Bell revealed, a few hours later, that it was all a practical joke. The best line of the day came when White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale. Thinking on his feet, he responded that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold. It would now be known, he said, as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.1996 年愚人节，塔可钟快餐公司说他们买下了美国费城独立厅的大钟，并重命名为塔可自由钟。愤怒的市民打电话给费城的国家历史公园，要求确认这个消息。几小时后塔可钟快餐公司承认这只是个玩笑。当天最乌龙的事件还不在此。白宫记者会秘书 Mike McCurry 被问到这件事时，随机应变回答说，林肯纪念碑也被卖了，现在被命名为福特水星汽车纪念碑。小编点评：这位秘书真有娱乐精神。咱也可以说，张家界的“哈利路亚”山被外星人收购了5. San Serriffe虚拟国家image1977: The British newspaper The Guardian published a special seven-page supplement devoted to San Serriffe, a small republic said to consist of several semi-colon-shaped islands located in the Indian Ocean. A series of articles affectionately described the geography and culture of this obscure nation. Its two main islands were named Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse. Its capital was Bodoni, and its leader was General Pica. The Guardians phones rang all day as readers sought more information about the idyllic holiday spot. Only a few noticed that everything about the island was named after printers terminology. 1977 年愚人节，英国卫报发行了长达 7 页的增刊，全是介绍 San Serriffe 这个印度洋上的小岛国的，据说那里有好几个分号形状的小岛。文章中大肆渲染了这里的风情和民俗，介绍了它的城市和首都，甚至总统的名字。当天卫报编辑室的电话都被读者打爆了，大家都想知道这样美好的度假胜地在哪。只有少数人注意到，首都名字 Bodoni 是印刷术语，是一种印刷字体的名称。6.Nixon for President尼克松复出1992: National Public Radios Talk of the Nation program announced that Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again. His new campaign slogan was, I didnt do anything wrong, and I wont do it again. Accompanying this announcement were audio clips of Nixon delivering his candidacy speech. Listeners responded viscerally to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and outrage. Only during the second half of the show did the host John Hockenberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke. Nixons voice was impersonated by comedian Rich Little. 1992 年愚人节，全国公共广播电台宣布，尼克松又要竞选总统了，他的竞选宣言是：我没做错事；我也不会再做错事。新闻中还穿插了一段尼克松的讲话。愤怒而惊讶的听众纷纷打电话来质问。随后主持人承认这是假的，尼克松的声音也是一个喜剧演员模仿的。小编点评：不知道这回美国人还会不会拿自己的总统做文章？7. Alabama Changes the Value of Pi圆周率值的修改1998: The April 1998 issue of the New Mexicans for Science and Reason newsletter contained an article claiming that the Alabama state legislature had voted to change the value of the