JamesG
04-01-2014, 10:30 AM
10 April Fool's Pranks That Went Very, Very Wrong
Mar 31st 2014
The Eruption of Mt. Milton (1980)
The Channel 7 news in Boston ended with a special bulletin announcing that a 635-foot hill in Milton, Massachusetts known as the Great Blue Hill had erupted, and that lava and ash were raining down on nearby homes.
Footage was shown of lava pouring down a hillside. The announcer explained that the eruption had been triggered by a geological chain reaction set off by the recent eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington.
An audio tape was played in which President Carter and the Governor of Massachusetts were heard declaring the eruption to be a "serious situation."
At the end of the segment, the repoter held up a sign that read "April Fool". However, by that time local authorities had already been flooded with frantic phone calls from Milton residents. One man, believing that his house would soon be engulfed by lava, had carried his sick wife outside in order to escape.
The Milton police continued to receive worried phone calls well into the night. Channel 7 was so embarrassed by the panicked reaction that they apologized for the confusion later that night, and the executive producer responsible for the prank was fired.
Racially Offensive Office Prank (2012)
A jury awarded monetary damages to an employee who was subjected to ridicule and insult when his co-workers posted a racially offensive cartoon on social media websites depicting him as a drug-addicted monkey.
The jury also assessed punitive damages against the company because managers failed to take any remedial action in response to the workers' harassment as it went against the company's anti-harassment policies.
Romanian Prison Release (2000)
Approx. sixty people read in the Opinia newspaper that their loved ones were going to be released from the Baia Mare prison in Romania. They made the long journey to the prison, only to learn that the paper had played an April Fool's joke on them.
The Opinia later published an apology.
Dihydrogen Monoxide Scare (2013)
In April 2013, two morning radio show hosts in Lee County, Florida announced that area residents had dihydrogen monoxide coming out of their faucets. Many frightened listeners did not bother to search the term on Google, which would have revealed that it just meant water.
Many local utility and emergency services were flooded with panicked calls. The duo were given a 2-day suspension from the airwaves.
Super Glued Walmart Toilet Seat (2011)
A 48-year-old Elkton, Maryland man required medical treatment to detach a super glued toilet seat from his buttocks.
Athens Pollution Alert (1982)
Greece's state-controlled National Radio Network issued a warning that pollution had reached emergency levels in downtown Athens, and that the city would have to be immediately evacuated. All schools were called upon to close immediately, and the children to be sent home. Furthermore, anyone driving a car was asked to abandon it and flee to open ground.
Many people took the broadcast seriously and attempted to leave the city, since pollution was (and is) a serious problem in Athens. Within three hours the Radio Network had retracted the broadcast, revealing it to be a joke, but by then the damage had been done.
One man sued the network for $820,000, claiming the prank had caused him mental distress. The director of the network submitted his resignation over the incident, and the originator of the hoax was fired.
The Murdered Husband (2013)
A 52-year old Tennessee woman called up her sister and told her in a panicked voice, "I shot my husband. I'm here cleaning up the mess. Let's go bury him in Blackwater."
The sister then called another relative asking what to do, but that person went straight to the police. The woman's house was soon surrounded by armed officers and the prankster was then detained and given a warning.
Hooters' Toyota Contest (2001)
A 26-year-old Hooters waitress in Panama City, Florida won a competition in which the winner would receive a new Toyota for serving the most beer. When the day came for her to be presented with her prize, she was led blindfolded to the restaurant's parking lot to receive her award, a toy Yoda doll.
She then quit her job and sued Gulf Coast Wings, Inc., the corporate owner of the restaurant, alleging breach of contract and fraudulent misrepresentation.
The suit was settled in 2002 for an undisclosed amount of money, which one of the attorneys involved in the case said would enable her to go to the local car dealership and "pick out whatever type of Toyota she wants."
Playboy Wife-Beating Instructions (2001)
An article featured in the April 2000 edition of Playboy Romania, titled 'How to Beat Your Wife . . . Without Leaving Marks on her Body' caused a huge firestorm of controversy.
The article was written as if it were penned by a police officer on how to effectively beat up your wife, "because you never know when you will be given a second chance to do it, so get it right."
Women's Rights and Domestic Violence organizations were outraged resulting in written apologies from the editor-in-chief.
The article's writer was reprimanded.
The Taco Liberty Bell (1996)
The Taco Bell Corporation took out a full-page ad that appeared in six major newspapers announcing 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. Taco Bell later revealed the April Fools' hoax and donated $50,000 to the Liberty Bell's upkeep funds.
http://www.aol.com/article/2014/03/31/10-april-fools-pranks-that-went-very-very-wrong/20859897/
Mar 31st 2014
The Eruption of Mt. Milton (1980)
The Channel 7 news in Boston ended with a special bulletin announcing that a 635-foot hill in Milton, Massachusetts known as the Great Blue Hill had erupted, and that lava and ash were raining down on nearby homes.
Footage was shown of lava pouring down a hillside. The announcer explained that the eruption had been triggered by a geological chain reaction set off by the recent eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington.
An audio tape was played in which President Carter and the Governor of Massachusetts were heard declaring the eruption to be a "serious situation."
At the end of the segment, the repoter held up a sign that read "April Fool". However, by that time local authorities had already been flooded with frantic phone calls from Milton residents. One man, believing that his house would soon be engulfed by lava, had carried his sick wife outside in order to escape.
The Milton police continued to receive worried phone calls well into the night. Channel 7 was so embarrassed by the panicked reaction that they apologized for the confusion later that night, and the executive producer responsible for the prank was fired.
Racially Offensive Office Prank (2012)
A jury awarded monetary damages to an employee who was subjected to ridicule and insult when his co-workers posted a racially offensive cartoon on social media websites depicting him as a drug-addicted monkey.
The jury also assessed punitive damages against the company because managers failed to take any remedial action in response to the workers' harassment as it went against the company's anti-harassment policies.
Romanian Prison Release (2000)
Approx. sixty people read in the Opinia newspaper that their loved ones were going to be released from the Baia Mare prison in Romania. They made the long journey to the prison, only to learn that the paper had played an April Fool's joke on them.
The Opinia later published an apology.
Dihydrogen Monoxide Scare (2013)
In April 2013, two morning radio show hosts in Lee County, Florida announced that area residents had dihydrogen monoxide coming out of their faucets. Many frightened listeners did not bother to search the term on Google, which would have revealed that it just meant water.
Many local utility and emergency services were flooded with panicked calls. The duo were given a 2-day suspension from the airwaves.
Super Glued Walmart Toilet Seat (2011)
A 48-year-old Elkton, Maryland man required medical treatment to detach a super glued toilet seat from his buttocks.
Athens Pollution Alert (1982)
Greece's state-controlled National Radio Network issued a warning that pollution had reached emergency levels in downtown Athens, and that the city would have to be immediately evacuated. All schools were called upon to close immediately, and the children to be sent home. Furthermore, anyone driving a car was asked to abandon it and flee to open ground.
Many people took the broadcast seriously and attempted to leave the city, since pollution was (and is) a serious problem in Athens. Within three hours the Radio Network had retracted the broadcast, revealing it to be a joke, but by then the damage had been done.
One man sued the network for $820,000, claiming the prank had caused him mental distress. The director of the network submitted his resignation over the incident, and the originator of the hoax was fired.
The Murdered Husband (2013)
A 52-year old Tennessee woman called up her sister and told her in a panicked voice, "I shot my husband. I'm here cleaning up the mess. Let's go bury him in Blackwater."
The sister then called another relative asking what to do, but that person went straight to the police. The woman's house was soon surrounded by armed officers and the prankster was then detained and given a warning.
Hooters' Toyota Contest (2001)
A 26-year-old Hooters waitress in Panama City, Florida won a competition in which the winner would receive a new Toyota for serving the most beer. When the day came for her to be presented with her prize, she was led blindfolded to the restaurant's parking lot to receive her award, a toy Yoda doll.
She then quit her job and sued Gulf Coast Wings, Inc., the corporate owner of the restaurant, alleging breach of contract and fraudulent misrepresentation.
The suit was settled in 2002 for an undisclosed amount of money, which one of the attorneys involved in the case said would enable her to go to the local car dealership and "pick out whatever type of Toyota she wants."
Playboy Wife-Beating Instructions (2001)
An article featured in the April 2000 edition of Playboy Romania, titled 'How to Beat Your Wife . . . Without Leaving Marks on her Body' caused a huge firestorm of controversy.
The article was written as if it were penned by a police officer on how to effectively beat up your wife, "because you never know when you will be given a second chance to do it, so get it right."
Women's Rights and Domestic Violence organizations were outraged resulting in written apologies from the editor-in-chief.
The article's writer was reprimanded.
The Taco Liberty Bell (1996)
The Taco Bell Corporation took out a full-page ad that appeared in six major newspapers announcing 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. Taco Bell later revealed the April Fools' hoax and donated $50,000 to the Liberty Bell's upkeep funds.
http://www.aol.com/article/2014/03/31/10-april-fools-pranks-that-went-very-very-wrong/20859897/