On March 31, 1940 the Franklin Institute issued a press release stating that the world would end the next day. The release was picked up by radio station KYW which broadcast the following message: "Your worst fears that the world will end are confirmed by astronomers of Franklin Institute, Philadelphia. Scientists predict that the world will end at 3 P.M. Eastern Standard Time tomorrow. This is no April Fool joke. Confirmation can be obtained from Wagner Schlesinger, director of the Fels Planetarium of this city." The public reaction was immediate. Local authorities were flooded with frantic phone calls. The panic only subsided after the Franklin Institute assured people that it had made no such prediction. The prankster responsible for the press release turned out to be William Castellini, the Institute's press agent. He had intended to use the fake release to publicize an April 1st lecture at the institute titled "How Will the World End?" Soon afterwards, the Institute dismissed Castellini.
Comments
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.

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Now that's plain cheating - it can't be a true April Fool's joke if you try to deny it. The whole point is that you're trying to get people to fall for a joke (the more outrageous the better) of their own accord, you aren't lying to them. It's about saying or doing something completely ridiculous and hoping they don't realize what the date is. By denying the possibility outright you make the game (which is what it is, essentially) lopsided and unfair, which runs contrary to the whole thing. Not everything that comes forth on 4/1 is false, and it stands to reason that an important bit of news on said day might post such a disclaimer - one would have to suffer from a mild paranoia to extend the doubt far enough to have a chance at besting the prankster.

Not sporting at all, and as such I don't believe it should be on a top list, regardless of the scale or results. Maybe an honourable mention, though.
Posted by Othello  on  Fri Mar 31, 2006  at  03:37 AM

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This one isn't even funny, saying the world will end and clearly stating that this isn't an April Fool's joke should not be worth mentioning.

The best most succesfull April Fool's jokes are the ones that are very obvious.
Posted by Vincent  in  NL  on  Mon Apr 10, 2006  at  12:57 AM

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the prankster shouldn't have been fired. authorities should have a sense of humour, they should come down from their snob thrones once in a while. and, who can be so thick as to believe that the world will end tomorrow?
Posted by varshaa_vs  in  bangalore, india  on  Tue Apr 18, 2006  at  05:28 AM

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Isn't it the radio station that added the "no april fools joke" bit?
Posted by Sarah  in  Liverpool, UK  on  Sat Apr 22, 2006  at  04:31 PM

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Yeah Sarah. That's the way I read it. The guy issued the release which the radio station fell for and labeled it "no april fool's joke." In that case, it really sucks that the guy was fired. It was brilliant marketing. Tell people the world will end, have a few fall for it then realize it was a joke. Still, it sets up an uneasiness--maybe the end will come soon, but when and how? Come to our lecture to find out. Not his fault the radio station was so stupid!
Posted by Heather  in  USA  on  Wed May 10, 2006  at  11:28 AM

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An appropriate followup (by the museum itself) might have been "How Will William Castellini's Job End?"
Posted by Leanna  in  Newington CT  on  Thu Apr 26, 2007  at  07:32 PM

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Oh c'mon you guys, this joke was clever...adding the "is not an april fools joke" should have revealed how fake it was. I mean why would you trust someone declaring the end of the world? They didn't even give a reason. Theres no way an yone should have fallen for that but they did...
Posted by Emelia  in  CT  on  Wed Jan 30, 2008  at  03:39 AM

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A local radio station ran with this same joke while I was in high school. My more gullible classmates begged all the teachers to keep their radios tuned to the station because, apparently, the DJ's had assured them that if they were lying about this they would lose their job.
Posted by Sean  on  Thu Apr 03, 2008  at  11:03 AM

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