April Fool's Day, 1927

Overcoming the Force of Gravity (1927) Radio Umschau, a German weekly journal about radio technology, revealed that two Polish researchers had discovered a way to overcome the force of gravity. When they aimed high-frequency FM waves at a small quartz crystal and increased the output to several kilowatts, the crystal transformed into an opaque cube and rose into the air, lifting the entire apparatus of the experiment with it. Tests showed that the cube could support a weight of 25 kilograms. The cube had not only become weightless, but had actually achieved a negative weight.

Princeton Goes Co-Ed (1927) A front-page article in The Daily Princetonian, Princeton's student paper, revealed that the all-male university would begin admitting women by 1929. Four hundred women were expected to be in the first co-ed class. The decision was made in order to qualify for a $20 million gift that was contingent upon admitting women. Princeton actually went co-ed in 1969.

Automatic Weeding Machine (1927) The Dutch magazine Het Leven ran a feature about a machine that could automatically weed gardens. The device shown was, in reality, a ground leveler.

Giant Snail Farm (1927) The Daily Truth (Elkhart, Indiana) informed its readers that a local farm was soon to start breeding giant Australian snails. The snails, the article said, measured up to two feet in height and attained weights of 85 pounds. The "snail steaks" were considered a great delicacy by "European and New York epicures." The super-sized mollusks could move at speeds of up to four miles an hour, which opened up the possibility of giant snail racing as a novel sport. The giant snail shells, once abandoned by their occupants, might even be used as dog houses. The opening of the giant snail farm was subsequently reprinted by several newspapers as genuine news.