Prank Facts

Typing 'illuminati' backwards into the address bar, followed by '.com', will take you to U.S. government's National Security Agency website.

Former US President Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929) enjoyed buzzing for his Secret Service agents and then hiding under his desk as they frantically searched for him.

In October 1997, when Internet Explorer 4.0 was released, Microsoft employees placed a giant 10-foot-tall IE logo on Netscape's lawn with a sign reading "From the IE team... We Love You."

George Clooney once cleaned his roommate's cat litter box for four consecutive days, then crapped in it himself, causing his roommate to think it was from his constipated cat.

In the 2004 Harvard-Yale game, Yale students tricked thousands of Harvard fans into holding up cards that together spelled out "WE SUCK."

In 1974, prankster Porky Bickar was so into April Fools, he flew hundreds of tires into a dormant volcano in Alaska and set them on fire - fooling the local populace and coast guard into thinking the volcano was active.

In 1987, Spy Magazine sent checks to wealthy celebrities starting at $1.11, then progressively smaller amounts to those who cashed them. At the final round of 13-cent checks, only two people cashed them: Donald Trump and Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.

In 2006, an Australian man tried to sell New Zealand on eBay. The starting price was $0.01 AUD and managed to reach $3000 before eBay closed the auction.

On April Fool’s Day, 1976, the BBC convinced many listeners that a special alignment of the planets would temporarily decrease gravity on Earth. Phone lines were flooded with callers who claimed they felt the effects.

In 2012, Walmart ran a Facebook contest to send Pitbull to the store with the most votes. The internet hijacked it and voted for a tiny Walmart in Kodiak, Alaska — a remote island only reachable by plane or boat. Everyone expected him to back out. He didn’t. He flew to Alaska, performed for the whole town, took photos with fans, and called it "the greatest thing ever."

A man bet $50,000 that someone would streak at the Super Bowl — then did it himself. He claimed he cashed out $374,000 and walked away with a $1,000 fine.

In 1996, Richard Branson's Virgin Cola took out full-page newspaper ads warning customers about a new "blue-detecting" technology — their cans would turn bright blue when the drink expired. The public safety message? "Do not buy any blue cans." Pepsi had just launched its bold new blue can design the same week. It was a masterclass in corporate trolling disguised as consumer protection.