Best April Fools’ Hoax: Spaghetti Harvest (1957)

The year was 1957.  Dwight D. Eisenhower was president.  A loaf of bread cost a mere $0.19.  Leave it to Beaver saw its television debut.

Yes, I Googled all of that.

One of the lesser known things to come out of 1957 was one of the greatest hoaxes of all time: the BBC's coverage of the Spaghetti Harvest in Ticino, Italy.  I know it's hard to believe that viewers ACTUALLY thought the "Spaghetti Harvest" takes place annually, but people believe headlines from The Onion.  Not much has changed since 1957... aside from the bread thing.  Happy April Fools' Day!