In 1878, a New York publication, The Daily Graphic, published their own April Fool’s prank. Thomas Edison had recently invented the phonograph, and people thought there were no limits to what the famous inventor could do. The publication fabricated an article attesting that Edison had invented a brand new machine that could turn water into wine, soil into cereal, and even create meat without killing an animal. Newspapers across the nation picked up and published the story immediately, not noticing the fine print at the bottom of the story, subtly declaring the entire article was a practical joke. Two days later, The Daily Graphic published a new article titled “They Bite,” pointing out other publishers’ rash decisions to share the story as fact without consulting whether it was truth or hoax.
Thanks t the Victorian Trading co/official blog. I was actually looking for the famous incident that fooled the Admiralty.
#aprilfools