About the Museum
The Museum of Hoaxes is dedicated to promoting knowledge about hoaxes. (Click here for opening hours, etc.) On our blog we post about dubious- sounding claims, and whatever else strikes our fancy. The site is also home to the Hoaxipedia (the museum's online encyclopedia of hoaxes), and the Hoax Forum.

The museum was created in 1997 by Alex Boese. He's assisted by a staff of deputy curators and docents. Alex is the author of three books, most recently Elephants on Acid: And Other Bizarre Experiments (which has nothing to do with hoaxes). Check out the list of the Top 20 Most Bizarre Experiments of All Time for a preview.



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#28: Tass Expands Into American Market
In 1982 the Connecticut Gazette and Connecticut Compass, weekly newspapers serving the Old Lyme and Mystic areas, both announced that they were being purchased by Tass, the official news agency of the Soviet Union. On their front pages they declared that this was "the first expansion of the Soviet media giant outside of the Iron Curtain." The article also revealed that after Tass had purchased the Compass, its two publishers had both been killed by "simultaneous hunting accidents" in which they had shot each other in the back of the head with "standard-issue Soviet Army rifles." The announcement was bylined "By John Reed," and the new publisher, Vydonch U. Kissov, announced that the paper would be "thoroughly red." In response to the news, the offices of the Compass and the Gazette received calls offering condolences for the death of the publishers. One caller also informed them that he had long suspected them of harboring communist tendencies, and that it was only a matter of time before all the papers in the country were communist-controlled. When the publishers tried to explain that the article had been an April Fool's prank, the caller replied, "You expect me to believe a bunch of Commies?"

Comments
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
Page 1 of 1 pages
What can I say. This one had me laughing out loud. "Simultaneous hunting accidents" in which they had shot each other in the back of the head with "standard-issue Soviet Army rifles."

Thanks for such an excellent site.
Posted by Sarah Crowther  in  Manchester, England  on  Tue May 11, 2004  at  02:40 AM
Vydonch U. Kissov. Just say it out loud a couple times.
Posted by Clamwacker  on  Sun Jul 11, 2004  at  09:44 PM
Why is this a hoax? The communist conspiracy has infiltrated our schools, universitys, media, and in time it will topple this country!
Posted by Allen Pouratian  in  San Diego  on  Fri Aug 13, 2004  at  05:01 PM
how can two people shot each other in the back of the head at the same time? question
Posted by confused man  on  Mon Oct 25, 2004  at  06:57 PM
Just another way to tell it's fake.

I almost cried after "You expect me to believe a bunch of Commies?".

Vydonch U. Kissov. Classic.
Posted by Mike  on  Sat Feb 05, 2005  at  01:00 PM
blank stare i didnt really like this one. i didnt really understand it too much but i dont live in america so yeah.
Posted by haha  on  Sat Aug 06, 2005  at  11:08 PM
blank stare

Then why bother posting at all?

Please repeat my name for further advice.
Posted by Vydonch U. Kissov?  on  Tue Sep 20, 2005  at  02:10 PM
Let's just say that America has a long tradition of being fearful and hateful towards ideas of equality, especially financial equality. So any concept of socialism taking over American society is automatically considered by them to be too dangerous of a notion to allow any doubt and sends them into a panic causing them to run around like chickens with their heads chopped off.
Posted by Hebitsuikaza  on  Mon Mar 27, 2006  at  02:51 PM
What's so funny about Vydonch U. Kissov?
Posted by What?  on  Sat Apr 01, 2006  at  07:14 PM
Well, it spells: Why don´t you
piss off -
Posted by Seymor Butts  on  Sun Apr 02, 2006  at  04:58 PM
Another thing, John Reed was the American journalist who was an eye witness to the Russian revolution back in 1917. He proceded to write a book, "Ten days that shook the world" - and became rather world famous. Some 60 years later this book was turned into a major Hollywood movie - "Reds". Good book. Good movie. And as far as America´s fear of communism goes - I still think Bob Dylan´s song of the early sixties is a good one - "Talkin´ John Birch Society". Good, and very funny..
Posted by Seymor Butts  on  Sun Apr 02, 2006  at  05:12 PM
About the film Reds.
Directed by Warren Beatty.
Starring Warren Beatty,
Diane Keaton,
Jack Nicholson, and many more. 197 minutes
running time. Twelve Oscar-nominations, three
prizes. It won many other prizes too, it was
pretty much the film of the year in the US. And
the year was 1981/1982 (for the Oscars). Now wonder then, that at least a couple of weeklies
saw it fit to follow up 4/1-82. cool smile
Posted by Littlejohn  on  Sun Apr 02, 2006  at  05:47 PM
Just stumbled onto this site and have been laughing to tears for much too long. Some commentary WAYYYY to serious for subject matter at hand. Anonymous pedants make me gag, however. Will pass on several of these April pranks to friends: Eileen Waybaack, Hugh Wanamaker, Ivana Morehead and Pykop Andropoff.
raspberry

Royale Paine Diaz,
VP for Public Affairs
MBNA America
Posted by K.J. Dwyer  in  USA  on  Tue Apr 04, 2006  at  09:54 AM
This is way funny, however, the Leftist media already is infected most of the newspapers out there. Example? 3 words: New York Times.
Posted by J G  in  CA USA  on  Wed Aug 23, 2006  at  09:25 PM
Vydonch U. Kissov is classic, Pykup Andropov is another great one and I had only heard of Ivana's brother, Craven Morehead.
Posted by scott  in  california  on  Sun Apr 01, 2007  at  11:20 PM
Bet you didn't know that *Vydonch U. Kissov* is also very, very, famous.

I hear his name mentioned quite frequently.

Although, some of the above commentators could bacmeup on that....?
Posted by Stephen Blunt  in  Oz  on  Fri Apr 06, 2007  at  01:05 AM
My stomach is sore from laughing. That was excellent!
Posted by Julio Costa  in  Johannesburg, South Africa  on  Sun Apr 08, 2007  at  03:26 AM
I love the "commies" comment. That was so great!
Posted by Your Mom  in  New Jersey  on  Tue Jun 05, 2007  at  01:30 PM
I don't understand why all those people with odd names get such a hard time..
Posted by Herts van Rental  in  Amsterdam  on  Mon Mar 31, 2008  at  08:55 PM
This is out right hilarious. Something Samuel Clemmens might have enjoyed. Personally, I admired the Reds for their victory over the Nazis. Sure they weren't angels. Neither were the other Allies. The accidental hunting incident should have clued anybody in on the joke. When the Russian Olympic hockey team returned from the 1980 Olympics after losing the gold medal to the Americans, the standing joke was, "You can hear the KGB loading the rifles in Red Square (for the firing squad)." Jolly good joke.
Posted by joey  in  washington DC  on  Tue Apr 01, 2008  at  09:32 AM
Page 1 of 1 pages

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