On April 1, 1994, Offshore, a regional boating magazine in New England, published a report of an invention by naval architect, Loo Flirpa that "will" revolutionize pleasure boating. It was a propeller with holes in the blades that increased power and decreased fuel consumption. Loo's name should have given the story away. It didn't. My editor's April Fool comment at the end somehow disappeared between our office and the printer. In the week after publication, thousands of readers laughed; hundreds cancelled subscriptions; dozens of props were drilled and one really angry guy sued us.
Back in the last century, I worked in the public affairs office at San Francisco State. We had a weekly news roundup of stories related to the school, and one week it came out on April 1. With the permission of the Administration, I wrote the lead story, about how the school was officially being renamed "Norton University," in honor of Emperor Norton, a financier who tried to corner the California rice market, went broke and lost his mind. I know you know who he was. One of the best things about San Francisco.
The SFSU president's office got angry mail, not because of the absurdity of it but because a lot of people had just ordered new university stationery and thought they had blown their budget.
Inspired by Sidd Finch:
On April 1, 1994, Offshore, a regional boating magazine in New England, published a report of an invention by naval architect, Loo Flirpa that "will" revolutionize pleasure boating. It was a propeller with holes in the blades that increased power and decreased fuel consumption. Loo's name should have given the story away. It didn't. My editor's April Fool comment at the end somehow disappeared between our office and the printer. In the week after publication, thousands of readers laughed; hundreds cancelled subscriptions; dozens of props were drilled and one really angry guy sued us.
Back in the last century, I worked in the public affairs office at San Francisco State. We had a weekly news roundup of stories related to the school, and one week it came out on April 1. With the permission of the Administration, I wrote the lead story, about how the school was officially being renamed "Norton University," in honor of Emperor Norton, a financier who tried to corner the California rice market, went broke and lost his mind. I know you know who he was. One of the best things about San Francisco.
The SFSU president's office got angry mail, not because of the absurdity of it but because a lot of people had just ordered new university stationery and thought they had blown their budget.