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Shocking Gullibility
The great lies and ruses perpetrated throughout history are as varied and nuanced as humanity itself -- as are the shocking amounts of gullibility on the receiving end. Here's a true-life treasury of some of the wildest pranks ever pulled.Carbo Loading
On April Fools' Day 1957, the British Broadcasting Corporation tried a startling trick on its news show Panorama. Journalist Richard Dimbleby offered viewers a tour of a "spaghetti harvest" in Ticino, Switzerland. "The last two weeks of March are an anxious time for the spaghetti farmer," Dimbleby earnestly reported as a family was shown plucking strips of pasta off trees. "There's the chance of a late frost, which, while not entirely ruining the crop, generally impairs the flavor." The story concluded, "For those who love this dish, there's nothing like homegrown spaghetti."
After the report ran, the BBC was flooded with calls from people asking where they might get a spaghetti tree. They were reportedly told to "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best."
Luney Tunes
In 1835, the New York paper The Sun published a six-part series about exotic life on the moon. The series described vast oceans and lakes, abandoned temples of sapphire, and buffalo-like creatures that roamed expansive plains. One of the most fantastic revelations was the discovery of human-like creatures with wings -- batmen of sorts, who feasted off the land and apparently enjoyed vigorous sex lives. The moon hoax was a smash, with New Yorkers snatching up installments as fast as they were printed.
Plenty of people believed in the moon discoveries, even those in academic circles. "Yale College was alive with staunch supporters," a reporter wrote years later. "It was the absorbing topic of the day."
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