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1985: A FALSE PITCH A pitcher who can hurl a baseball at 168 mph? That’s what writer George Plimpton claimed about a supposed New York Mets prospect in the April 1 issue of _Sports

Illustrated._ “You can hardly see the blur [of the ball] as it goes by,” a batter was quoted in the fake story, “The Curious Case of Sidd Finch.” “As for hitting the thing, frankly, I just

don’t think it’s humanly possible.” Fans fell for the gag, which some called the greatest April Fools’ prank in sports history. 2001: A GROUNDBREAKING HOAX For earth-shaking impact, few

pranksters can beat the British DJs who announced that a replica _Titanic_ would be visible from the chalk cliffs of Beachy Head in East Sussex. Crowds flocked to see the made-up ship, and a

large part of the fragile cliffs cracked — then days later, crumbled. Scientists blamed the collapse on weather and erosion, but the crowds couldn’t have helped. Illustration by Sam

Island CORPORATE CUTUPS HOW COMPANIES TEASE CUSTOMERS ON APRIL FOOLS’ DAY: BURGER KING’S WHOPPER In 1998, Burger King took out a full-page ad in _USA Today_ explaining that southpaws could

order a lefty Whopper, with condiments rotated 180 degrees, creating a left-handed taste. COTTONELLE’S SIDE HUSTLE In 2015, Cottonelle posted: “America has spoken, and we at Cottonelle have

listened — Introducing Cottonelle’s _new_ toilet paper for lefties.” AUDI’S SWEET DEAL In 2019, Audi Australia announced new model B-tron, a vehicle that ran on honey, “a sustainable,

naturally acquired fuel harvested from robina flowers in Bavaria.” The car was to include an onboard toaster for sweet morning treats. MCDONALD’S GETS IN A PICKLE In 2019, McDonald’s

restaurants in Australia announced the McPickle Burger — “juicy, flavoursome pickles layered between melted cheese, ketchup sauce and toasted sesame seed buns.” AIRLINE LEANS IN TO JOKE

In 2023, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines unveiled “a revolutionary new cabin feature: The Recline Alert System. We’ve developed a sound effect that notifies passengers when the seat in front of

them reclines.”