Perhaps because of its serious reputation, the BBC pulled off the first successful April Fools' hoax in 1957.
During the program Panorama, distinguished broadcaster Richard Dimbleby reported on the details of Switzerland's annual spaghetti harvest, complete with footage of women carefully picking strands of spaghetti from trees and placing them in the sun to dry. Dimbleby explained that, thanks to generations of spaghetti farmers, the strands all grow to the exact same length.
According to the BBC, spaghetti was not a common dish in 1957, and some viewers were intrigued enough that they wanted to purchase their very own spaghetti trees.
