Greetings!,

Do you like to play pranks on your friends and family? Do you live for a good joke?

It seems to be common wisdom that you should laugh at least once every day. According to Google AI, laughter is said to reduce stress, boost mood and overall well being, strengthen relationships and social connections, improve your immune system, and enhance your physical health.

Now, with the proliferation of technology, social media and artificial intelligence it is hard to tell the truth from fakes and now what we call "deep fakes." According to Nerdable.com, there were 8 pranks that fooled the entire world. These are examples of how gullible, curious and trusting humans can be.

So if the Hallmark Channel can celebrate Christmas in July, we can easily talk about April Fool's Day in August. The 8 pranks that fooled the world in reverse order are:

8) Operation Mincemeat: It was a prank during World War II. British intelligence planted fake military plans on a corpse dressed as a Royal Marine, which then washed ashore in Spain. The Nazi's believed the fake and re-deployed troops which aided in the invasion of Sicily.

7) The Left Handed Whopper: In 1998, Burger King ran a full-page ad in a national paper (USA Today), claiming to have a sandwich for left-handed people. The ad convinced thousands of people to ask for the sandwich at BKs around the country.

6) Taco Liberty Bell: On April Fool's Day in 1996, Taco Bell announced they purchased the Liberty Bell and renamed it. The White House added to the fun and stated they sold the Lincoln Memorial to Ford.

5) The Lipra Loof: In 1984 the London Zoo stated they had a rare new species from Nepal. It was supposed to be an animal with backward facing feet. When reporters arrived to see the animal they were greeted with a man in a furry costume. Lipra Loof is April Fool spelled backward.

4) Swiss Mountain Cleaners: Another April Fools joke, this time in 2009, the BBC released a video showing Swiss workers scaling the Alps to clean the peaks. Actors in snow gear, wiping snow from the peaks was so convincing no one questioned it.

3) Sid Fitch: Sports are not exempt from April Fools jokes either. In 1985 Sports Illustrated ran a piece on Sid Fitch; a rookie who could throw a ball 168 MPH and practiced yoga in Tibet and only wore one shoe. Baseball fans thought he was real.

2) The Great Moon Hoax: The New York Sun published an article in 1835 that Sir John Herschel discovered life on the moon. The piece claimed life forms included bat-like creatures and unicorns. The public was charmed it remains one of the most believed hoaxes of all time.

1) The BBC Spaghetti Tree Hoax: This was a televised April Fool's joke in 1957. The "news item" showed farmers in Switzerland harvesting the pasta from a tree. Viewers called the station to see where and how they could buy their own spaghetti plants.

So the next time you try to pull one over on your friends or family, try to live up to the caliber seen above.

As always, thank you for reading and have a wonderful weekend.

Bernie & Chad