What is the origin of April Fools' Day?
1:40
(CNN) -
April Fool's Day isn't what it used to be.
Companies will throw their jokes.
Everyone will laugh, but no one will be fooled.
Recall the days when April Fool's Day jokes could cause long lines at liquor stores or cause people to smell their televisions or fill the National Park Service phone with complaints.
We are all much smarter now, right?
Are we not?
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Okay, to get you ready for this cheat day, here are 10 of the best April 1 pranks.
After all, a forewarned soldier does not die in war.
Or, as Abraham Lincoln once pointed out, "Don't believe everything you read on the internet."
1. Pasta grows on trees
On April 1, 1957, the BBC's "Panorama" television program ran a segment on the Swiss spaghetti crop enjoying a "great year" thanks to mild weather and the elimination of the spaghetti weevil.
Many gullible Brits fell for the joke and why not?
The story was on TV, which was a relatively new invention back then, and you would never lie, would you?
The story was ranked the # 1 April Fool's hoax of all time by the Museum of Hoaxes website, an excellent source of nonsense.
LOOK: Why is April 1 celebrated April Fools' Day?
2. The fastest pitcher of all time
Always an ironic writer, George Plimpton made up the story of Mets pitcher Siddhartha "Sidd" Finch for Sports Illustrated.
The story about Finch, who could travel 270 kilometers per hour per hour, appeared in the April 1, 1985 issue of the magazine, and eagle-eyed readers immediately took notice: the first letters in the headline's words secondary story spelled: "Happy April Fool's Day."
But others wondered if the Mets had added another great player to their roster.
Later, Plimpton turned the story into a novel.
LOOK: Russian announcers play a "diplomatic joke" on Elliott Abrams
3. The redefinition of pi
Pi is so challenging.
How can someone work with an irrational number that goes on and on and on?
Lawmakers in Alabama supposedly believed something should be done about it, and they passed a law in 1998 that redefined 3.14159… to simply 3. Although the news was a hoax by a man named Mark Boslough, it was widely spread and believed .
No wonder: In 1897, the Indiana legislature tried to pass a bill that set pi as 3.2.
4. Left-handed toilet paper
Why should right-handers have more access to cleanliness?
In 2015, Cottonelle tweeted that she was launching a left-handed toilet paper.
The joke followed a similar one from Burger King in 1998 about their new "Left-Handed Whopper."
Cottonelle may have convinced few people, but that was not the case in 1973, when Johnny Carson made a joke about the toilet paper shortage.
Concerned Americans stocked up immediately.
Well, you can never be so sure.
LOOK: YouTube changes its policies and prohibits challenges and jokes on the platform
5. The Taco Liberty Bell
In this now classic 1996 joke, Taco Bell ran newspaper ads saying it had bought the Liberty Bell "in an effort to help the national debt."
Some senators even fell, and the National Park Service even held a press conference to deny the news.
At noon, the fast food chain admitted the joke and said it was donating $ 50,000 to care for the historic bell.
The value of the joke, of course, was priceless.
6. Big Ben goes digital
The British are masters of April Fool's jokes, and in 1980, the BBC's overseas service said the iconic clock tower was being updated.
The joke didn't go down well, and the BBC apologized.
However, that hasn't stopped it from reappearing in the digital age.
7. Color TV?
Try the half veils
In other jokes related to television, in 1962, the Swedish national network hired a technical expert who told the public that his black and white broadcasts could be seen in color wearing nylon stockings.
Many Swedes believed the joke.
LOOK: Stephen Curry: My comments about the arrival to the Moon were a joke
8. Goodbye, Space Needle
In 1989, a Seattle comedy show aired and said the city's Space Needle had fallen.
It even had photos.
The news was a joke, of course, but that was no comfort to 700 people alarmed by the story.
9. Google Gulp
Google loves April Fools Day almost as much as doodles.
In 2005, the company said it was diversifying and launching a new drink: Google Gulp.
It would help "to achieve maximum optimization of the cerebral cortex which will soon be appreciated."
Plus it was low carb!
Add it to the list of fake Google products, including Google Romance, Gmail Paper, and Google Voice for Pets.
LOOK: This Republican hung up the phone twice on George Bush senior: He thought it was a joke
10. Do not surf the internet if you are going to drink
In 1994, PC Magazine ran a column about a bill making its way through Congress that would ban the use of the Internet while someone was under the influence of alcohol.
Although the name of the contact person was listed as Lirpa Sloof (read her name backwards), many people took the story seriously.
In hindsight, however, perhaps even though the bill was bogus, perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea.
Day of the Innocents
