Great Hoaxes

                              Of the last 50 Years

•  Left-Handed Whopper --- On April 1, 1998, Burger King published a full-page ad in USA Today introducing the Left-Handed Whopper, specially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans.  The ingredients were the same but the condiments were rotated 180 degrees to aid left-handed customers.  Thousands of burger eaters requested the sandwich.
• Hitler Hype ------ In April 1983, the German magazine Stern announced a stunning discovery: the handwritten diaries of Adolf Hitler, which would shed new light on his life and the Third Reich.  Handwriting experts hired by the Sunday Times of London and Newsweek pronounced them authentic.  But soon after publication, the diaries were declared fakes,full of historical inaccuracies.  They were soon linked to a notorious forger.
• Pierre Brassau -------- In February 1964, a previously unknown French artist, Pierre Brassau, earned lavish praise when his work was exhibited at a Swedish art show.  " [He] paints with powerful strokes.  Pierre is an artist who performs with the delicacy of a ballet dancer," one critic said.  A lone reviewer said that the works could have been painted by an ape.  He was right; "Pierre Brassau" was an alias for Peter, a 4-year-old chimpanzee from the zoo.
• A False Note ------- The Oct. 18, 1969, issue of Rolling Stone magazine published a satirical review of a new album featuring Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison as the band the Masked Marauders.  The critic gushed that the collaboration "is more than a way of life; it is life."  Fever for the album, and its tunes like "Cow Pie" and "I Can't Get No Nookie," soared until the hoax was revealed.
• Hidden Ball Trick --------- In 1985, Sports Illustrated published a story about the Mets rookie Sidd Finch, who could throw a baseball at an unbelievable 168 mph, 65 mph faster than the standing record, a craft he perfected at a Tibetan monastery, George Plimpton's article reported: "He's a pitcher, part yogi and part recluse.  Impressively liberated from our opulent lifestyle, Sidd's deciding about yoga ---- and his future in baseball."  Sharp readers would notice that the first letter of each word spelled out "Happy April Fools' Day."
• Bogus Billionaire Bio -------- In 1971, eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes no longer appeared in public, so writer Clifford Irving figured he was safe to claim to have ghost-written Hughes' authorized autobiography.  Irving received almost $1 million for the book rights.  But before publication Hughes broke his silence and denounced the hoax.  Irving eventually published an account about how he almost got away with the con.