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Everyone enjoys a well-crafted prank. Whether it’s surprising someone, giving them a scare, or leading them into a state of confusion or fear, these moments of mischief transcend language, culture, and geography. The bewildered expression on someone’s face when their expectations are playfully twisted is timeless.
While Halloween today often focuses more on treats than tricks, the art of the practical joke has a rich history. Even without modern platforms like TikTok or the widespread celebration of Halloween, the past was far from devoid of humor and clever pranks.
Below, we explore ten of the most elaborate and memorable practical jokes from the 1900s.
10. The Phantom Student
In 1927, George P. Burdell was admitted to Georgia Tech. He contributed to the school newspaper and spent years at the institution, eventually graduating with honors. However, George P. Burdell was entirely fictional and never actually existed.
After receiving two enrollment forms by mistake, William Edgar Smith decided to enroll the UGA football captain, George P. Butler, but changed the last name to Burdell.
Over time, Smith completed double assignments for Burdell, allowing the fictional student to excel academically and earn a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Burdell’s legacy grew, with achievements including flying a B-17 bomber in World War II, participating in other conflicts, traveling globally, and receiving basketball accolades. He even served on the board of directors for MAD magazine.
9. The Colossal Steak
Seattle Mariners fans adore baseball, but their love for steak is unmatched. Imagine a massive 1,200-pound (544-kilogram) steak—alive, breathing, and beyond imagination. When coach Lou Piniella bet Ken Griffey Jr. that he couldn’t hit a specific pitch out of the batting cage on the first day of live pitching, Griffey accepted the challenge. He swung, missed, and lost the bet, owing Piniella a steak dinner.
True to his word, Griffey decided to flip the script and play a prank of his own. When Piniella arrived at his office in Peoria, AZ, he was met with an unexpected sight: a live, fully grown Hereford cow, completely unprepared and uncooked. Piniella took the joke in stride, reportedly smiling at the stunt. At some point, a sheep was also brought into the mix for training purposes.
8. The Spaghetti Trees
To prove that gullibility isn’t a modern phenomenon, consider the time people genuinely believed spaghetti grew on trees. This wasn’t a metaphor—it was a real claim. In 1957, the BBC aired a segment showcasing Swiss farmers harvesting spaghetti-like fruit from trees.
What started as a harmless April Fools’ joke, with a modest budget of £100, spiraled into unexpected chaos. The crew filmed the segment in Castiglione for authenticity, purchasing 20 pounds (9 kg) of uncooked spaghetti and draping the strands over tree branches to mimic “spaghetti trees.”
The prank sparked an uproar, with the BBC inundated by calls demanding explanations. While some viewers quickly realized it was a joke, others directed their frustration at the broadcaster for the elaborate hoax.
7. Indecent Naked Animals
Comedian Buck Henry, inspired by Alan Abel’s idea, founded the Society for Indecency to Naked Animals (SINA) purely for laughs. Under the alias “G. Clifford Prout,” he claimed SINA’s mission was to clothe animals to preserve their modesty—because, apparently, that’s crucial. His mantra? A naked horse is an indecent horse.
The campaign gained traction, earning letters of support and even large donations after Prout’s appearance on NBC’s Today Show. Thousands responded, leading to more interviews and publicity. Prout urged his supposed 50,000+ members to take action by issuing summons to pet owners who let their animals roam unclothed. The hoax was eventually uncovered years later.
6. The Australian Iceberg
When millionaire Dick Smith announced plans to tow an iceberg from the Arctic Circle, few questioned his credibility—he had the resources. However, the timing should have raised eyebrows: it was April Fool’s Day. True to his word, Smith towed an iceberg from Antarctica to Sydney Harbour, where onlookers marveled at the extravagant stunt. He even promised to carve the iceberg into “Dicksicles,” selling them as pure, natural ice cubes to enhance any beverage.
As it turned out, Smith enlisted some friends, rented a barge, and filled it with a plastic sheet, shaving cream, and firefighting foam. The entire prank cost him a modest $1,450 from his fortune—all for the sake of a good laugh.
5. The Legendary Rose Bowl Hoax
Regarded as one of the greatest pranks in sports history, the Rose Bowl Hoax of 1961 remains unforgettable. The Washington Huskies were on the verge of defeating the top-ranked Minnesota Gophers, but the day is now remembered for the ingenious stunt pulled by a group of Caltech students.
Led by Lyn Hardy, the students cleverly tampered with the University of Washington’s halftime flip-card display, ensuring it spelled out “CALTECH.” This bold move secured their place in the annals of legendary pranks.
After discovering that the band and cheerleaders were staying in dormitories, Hardy posed as a reporter from the Dorsey High student newspaper. The cheerleaders, unaware of his true intentions, shared the technical details of the flip-card routine. Through a mix of cunning, lock-picking, and sheer luck, the prank was successfully executed.
4. The Mystical Pitcher Monk
Monks, with their serene and disciplined lifestyles, often seem enigmatic to many. So, when readers of Sports Illustrated opened their April 1, 1985, issue, it wasn’t hard to believe that a monk could train his body and mind to throw the perfect pitch. The article promised just that.
Sidd Finch, a blend of pitcher and yogi, was described as a brass instrument player who resembled a Disney character while pitching. With an arm likened to a cannon, Finch was said to revolutionize baseball, boasting the ability to hurl a 168 mph (270 km/h) fastball, capturing everyone’s imagination.
The article’s subtitle cleverly spelled out “H-A-P-P-Y A-P-R-I-L F-O-O-L-S D-A-Y” with the words: “He’s a Pitcher, part yogi and part recluse. Impressively liberated from our opulent lifestyle, Sidds decided about yoga—and his future in baseball.”
3. Home For Christmas
Baby Jesus vanished! Not from the heavens, but from the nativity scene. In January 1994, Ted Laspe discovered the figurine missing while dismantling his holiday decorations. In its place was a note: “I’m taking a vacation. I’ll see you on my birthday.” What followed was a masterclass in prankery.
Weeks later, Laspe began receiving postcards and photos from across the nation—Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Colorado, and even Alaska. Baby Jesus was living it up, with each message in a different handwriting. Determined to uncover the culprits, Laspe devised an elaborate plan. Sadly, he passed away in the hospital after receiving the final card. His wife, Elizabeth, later received a note: “Hi Liz, I took some time off to ensure Ted settled in. He’s doing fine.”
On Christmas Eve at 6 pm, Baby Jesus was returned by taxi, marking the end of the whimsical escapade.
2. The Sokal Affair
Known as the Sokal Hoax, this prank involved academia, a brilliant mind, and a moral lesson. In late 1994, physicist Alan Sokal, concerned about declining academic standards, submitted a bogus article to the cultural studies journal Social Text. The paper blended physics, mathematics, and trendy cultural, philosophical, and political ideas, designed to appeal to the journal’s editorial biases.
The journal failed to recognize the satirical tone of the article and published it. Later, Sokal exposed the piece as a hoax, drawing widespread attention to what he perceived as a decline in academic rigor and critical standards.
1. The War of the Worlds
H.G. Wells crafted a science fiction masterpiece that has inspired countless film adaptations. However, there was a time when the story wasn’t yet ingrained in popular culture.
On Halloween morning in 1938, Orson Welles and his team produced a radio adaptation of Wells’s The War of the Worlds, transforming the classic novel into a series of fake news bulletins reporting an alien invasion in New Jersey.
The broadcast sparked panic among some listeners, who flooded police departments, newspapers, and radio stations with frantic calls. Mass hysteria ensued, with reports of stampedes and even suicides. Outraged listeners later threatened Welles, vowing to shoot him on sight.
