Article April Fools Day - 1986
Summary: Notable hoaxes perpetrated on April Fool’s Day, 1986.
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Table of Contents
- Danish Government Demands British Stop Driving On Left Side of Road
- City of Providence Closes For Day
- Eiffel Tower Moves
- Soviet Missile Lands on Andrews Air Force Base
- Reagan Heads Barstow Parade
- Take This Job and Shove It
- April Fuel
- Le Sac Pourii
- Imelda Marcos Auction
- “Berri Berri Funny”
Danish Government Demands British Stop Driving On Left Side of Road
The Danish Government issued a demand that the British government make its motorists drive on the right side of the road, instead of the left. The Danish Prime Minister Poul Schluter held a press conference at which he said, “We see this as a very serious case and intend to raise the issue in the (European Economic) Community… It is one of our priorities.” Schluter, known as an enthusiastic cyclist, remarked that he was afraid to ride his bicycle in Britain. As he was leaving the press conference he turned and added, “April Fools.”
City of Providence Closes For Day
Carolyn Fox, a disc jockey for WHJY in Providence, Rhode Island, announced that the ‘Providence Labor Action Relations Board Committee’ had decided to close the city for the day. She gave out a number for listeners to call for more information. The number was that of a rival station, WPRO-AM. Reportedly hundreds of people called WPRO, as well as City Hall and the police. Even more called into their offices to see if they had to go into work. WHJY management later explained that it had never imagined its joke would have such a dramatic impact on the city.
Eiffel Tower Moves
The Parisien, a French newspaper, reported that an agreement had been signed to take down the Eiffel Tower and move it to the new Euro Disney going up east of Paris. The Tower was to be replaced by a 35,000-seat stadium that would be used for the 1992 Olympic Games.
Soviet Missile Lands on Andrews Air Force Base
An unknown prankster planted a 16-foot missile decorated with the hammer and sickle symbol of the Soviet Union outside of Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, DC. The missile was point-down in the ground, as if it had landed nose-first and become embedded in the ground. It was clearly visible to commuters on their morning drive into work. A sign near the missile read “April Fools… Courtesy of Mothers Against Missiles.” Park police quickly cleared the missile away.
Reagan Heads Barstow Parade
Radio station KIOT in Barstow, California announced that a parade was to be held through the city, and that President Reagan would participate in it as the grand marshal. A few people showed up and waited in the heat for the parade (which had never been scheduled).
Take This Job and Shove It
Charlie Bee, A disc jockey at WAPG-AM, a country music station in Arcadia, Florida, locked himself in the station’s studio while repeatedly broadcasting “Take This Job and Shove It” by Johnny Paycheck. He explained to listeners that he was “fed up” with not receiving an adequate salary and would play the song until his employers agreed to give him a raise. Police eventually came and escorted him out of the building. However, the entire incident turned out to have been a staged prank with which the police were cooperating.
April Fuel
The British Department of Energy placed a full-page advertisement in the Times and Guardian newspapers urging that the earth’s axis be shifted in order to warm the climate and conserve energy. The advertisement, which reportedly cost 18,000 pounds to place, included maps of how the earth would look after the shift. At the bottom of the ad appeared the phrase ‘April Fuel.’ The Department explained later that it placed the ad in order to provoke thought about energy conservation. However, the ad provoked criticism from some quarters. Mr Stan Orme, shadow energy secretary, remarked, “This is an outrageous expenditure of public money. Let us hope this is the last time we see such expensive nonsense.”
Le Sac Pourii
The Nashville Banner reported on the latest, trendsetting fashion from France—waterproof outer garments dubbed “Le Sac Pourii” by their designers. The garments strongly resembled plastic garbage bags.
Imelda Marcos Auction
TagesAnzeiger, a daily Zurich newspaper, reported that an auction of Imelda Marcos’s clothes and jewelry was to be held at the Swiss Volksbank. Almost 30 people showed up for it.
“Berri Berri Funny”
Israel Radio broadcast that Nabih Berri, leader of the Shi’ite Amal movement, had been assassinated. The news caused an immediate flaring of tensions in the region. However, Israeli officials quickly denounced the report as a hoax. The false report was traced back to an army intelligence officer who had planted the news item in the broadcasts of the Israeli Army’s intelligence monitoring unit, from which it had been picked up by Israel Radio. Israel’s Defence Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, announced that the unnamed officer would be court-martialed. Most commentators found the hoax to be in poor taste. “Berri Berri funny,” one foreign correspondent commented.