April Fool's Day, 1965

Smellovision (1965) BBC TV interviewed a London University professor who had perfected a technology he called "smellovision," allowing viewers to smell aromas produced in the television studio in their homes. The professor explained that his machine broke scents down into their component molecules which were then transmitted through the screen.

The professor demonstrated by placing some coffee beans and onions into the smellovision machine. He asked viewers to report by noon whether they had smelled anything. Numerous viewers called in from across the country to confirm that they had distinctly experienced these scents. Some claimed the onions made their eyes water.

Dogs to be painted white (1965)
The Copenhagen newspaper Politiken reported that a new law had been proposed in the Danish parliament that would require all black dogs to be painted white. The purpose of this was supposedly to increase road safety by allowing the dogs to be seen more easily at night. However, opposition parties were said to have loudly condemned the proposal as "another step towards socialism and conformism," and expressed the suspicion that the law had only been put forward because of pressure from the painters' union.

Three-Dimensional Television (1965) The annual April Fool article by Mohammed Ulysses Fips in Radio-Electronics described his invention of a three-dimensional TV. Fips explained:

"Instead of a single electron gun, you have two, side by side. You also have two screens, one transparent. The picture of one gun therefore falls on the transparent screen, painting an electronic picture on it. The other gun throws another picture on the front screen. So you have two pictures, the same as you get in your eyes. One picture is superimposed on the other. One shows the necessary shadow; the other another picture which is supplemented by the other shadow, and if you now view the picture from the proper distance, the three-dimensional illusion is perfect."

This was the final April Fool article by Fips (aka Hugo Gernsback).

Taxes Fund Private Club (1965) The Kokomo Tribune reported that city officials planned to increase taxes in order to fund construction of "a modern and handsomely furnished health and social club for local public officials." The article pointed out that "our public officials are hard-working individuals who deserve a convenient place for recreation." It went on to quote a local official who said, "We believe the idea will be well received by our citizens. It will mean an increase in taxes, but this is well accepted by people when they realize that it is for a good thing."

Legs Askew (1965) Seventeen-year-old Dave Devine of Indianapolis posed for this shot while waiting for the bus home from school. The legs belonged to Craig Decker, a classmate. The masonry was part of the Indiana statehouse.

Water to be shut off (1965) Printed leaflets were distributed throughout Stockholm informing people that the water company was soon going to cut off the water. Housewives were urged to fill the bathtub and whatever containers they had with water while "certain adjustments" were made to the water system. The water company, after receiving hundreds of calls, eventually issued an official denial, blaming the leaflets on an unknown prankster. [Appleton Post-Crescent, Apr 1, 1965.]