Bringing this one back for April Fools’ Day: an 1850s invitation to the fake “Washing the Lions” event at the Tower of London.
Tag Archives: April Fools’ Day
On this day: April Fool was released
The film April Fool was released in the United States on the 21st of November, 1920. The image below of Northern Irish actress Thelma Percy (younger sister of Eileen Percy), one of the stars, appeared in the Exhibitors Herald the day before.
Only a fragment of the film – a gag featuring a wallet – is known to have survived.
1st April in Victorian London
An invitation to the fake “Washing the Lions” event at the Tower of London – an April Fools’ Day joke from the 1850s.
On this day: the collapse of the Wisconsin State Capitol
In one of history’s more successful April Fools’ jokes, in 1933 it was reported in the Madison Capital-Times that the Wisconsin State Capitol had collapsed. X
The joke tricked plenty of people, even though the article said: “Officials Say Legislature Generated Too Much Hot Air.”
The article finished by announcing it was an April Fools’ Day joke, but it still prompted angry letter-writers to respond.
Extra! Explosions Blow Dome Off State Capitol! Blame Solons; Extra! Officials Say Legislature Generated Too Much Hot Air Wisconsin’s beautiful $8,000,000 capitol building was in ruins today, following a series of mysterious explosions which blasted the majestic dome from its base and sent it crashing through the roof of the east wing. At 7:30 this morning the first mighty explosion occurred, rocking the dome and shattering windows throughout the city. This was followed immediately by two lesser blasts, which sent showers of granite chips down upon the heads of pedestrians.
More Detonations Follow After an interval of about 2 minutes, three more detonations followed in rapid succession, shattering pillars and toppling the dome from its supports. Huge blocks of granite were tossed into the air like feathers. With the sixth and final blast, the huge dome caved in on the east side, and the heavy mass of stone and steel collapsed. Falling in an arc, the dome split into a dozen parts as it struck the east wing roof, which was crushed like a cardboard box. The wing was demolished into a heap of crumbled stone, into which was mingled the shattered granite blocks and pillars of the dome. Hundreds of pedestrians and motorists about the Capitol square miraculously escaped death and serious injury as the heavy missiles hurtled through the air to the streets below. Granite chips were thrown through a score of store windows, and a heavy pall of dust and smoke hung over the square after the explosions.
Quency Many Fires A major catastrophe was prevented when all six Madison fire companies arrived on the scene, putting out the dozens of small blazes which followed the explosions in various offices throughout the building. More than 1,000 lives were saved due to the fact that the explosions occurred early in the morning before state employees at the capitol had come to work. After police had ascertained that no one had been killed or seriously injured, an investigation of probable causes for the series of explosions was started immediately.
Eye Solons Authorities were considering the possibility that large quantities of gas, generated through many weeks of verbose debate in the senate and assembly chambers, had in some way been ignited, causing the first blast. It is believed the other five blasts were indirectly caused by the first, which set off excess quantities of hot air that had seeped from the assembly and senate chambers into other rooms in the building.
April Fool!
April Fools’ Day 1957: The Spaghetti Tree Hoax
I posted this a year ago, but I find it funny enough I’m posting it this April Fools’ Day too!
The Spaghetti Tree Hoax
On April Fools’ Day in 1957, the BBC ran a three-minute video on their programme Panorama, allegedly showing a family in Switzerland harvesting spaghetti.
At the time, many people in Britain didn’t know what spaghetti was made of, and so were easily convinced it grew on trees.
After running the hoax, the BBC was inundated with so many requests for advice on spaghetti trees that they had to release a statement to say it had only been a joke.
April Fools’ Day 1957: The Spaghetti Tree Hoax
The Spaghetti Tree Hoax
On April Fools’ Day in 1957, the BBC ran a three-minute video on their programme Panorama, allegedly showing a family in Switzerland harvesting spaghetti.
At the time, many people in Britain didn’t know what spaghetti was made of, and so were easily convinced it grew on trees.
After running the hoax, the BBC was inundated with so many requests for advice on spaghetti trees that they had to release a statement to say it had only been a joke.
In Times Gone By... 
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