🎧 Past and Pen: Episode Two Summary

Gotcha! The Great Spaghetti Harvest Hoax – A Funny History Story for Kids

🎧 A storytelling podcast for curious kids, homeschoolers, and young writers

 ✍️ Includes a creative writing prompt + kid-friendly reading list

Meet Your Host:

Hosted by: Rosie Talley, Author of Linus the Troll

Produced by: Sweet Meadowlark Stories

🌐 Author Website

📧 Email: pastandpen@gmail.com

🎥 Watch Episode Two:

👉Watch the Full Episode Here

Pranks, hoaxes, and a little bit of mischief—April Fool’s Day has been keeping people on their toes for centuries. But where did it all begin? And what makes a truly great prank?

In this episode, we’re traveling back to 1957, when an ordinary news broadcast convinced thousands of people that spaghetti grew on trees. It was clever, it was harmless, and it had an entire nation questioning their dinner. But this wasn’t the first time a good trick fooled the world, and it certainly won’t be the last.

Join me as we unravel the tangled history of April Fool’s Day, explore some of the greatest hoaxes ever pulled, and discover what makes a prank truly unforgettable. Ready to dive in? Let’s go!

Today’s Reading List:

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• Aliens Are Coming!: The True Account of the 1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast by Meghan McCarthy -  A picture-book which is a semi serious  account of one of the most famous pieces of radio history! 

  
  

• Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive by Ammi-Joan Paquette & Laurie Ann Thompson- The first book in a fascinating new series that presents some of the most crazy-but-true stories about the living world as well as a handful of stories that are too crazy to be true—and asks readers to separate facts from fakes!

  
  

• April Fool! Watch Out at School! by Diane deGroat - A fun April Fool’s Day story perfect for younger readers.

  
  

• April Fools' Day from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler - A fun-filled chapter books mix school, monsters, and common kid problems with hilarious results

  
  

✍️ Writing Prompt:

Imagine YOU started April Fool’s Day. What was the very first prank? A royal trick gone wrong? Write a short story about how the tradition began!

🔁 More Episodes You Might Like:

• Episode 1: The History of Journals and Commonplace Books

• Episode 3: The Story Behind Election Day Cake

• Episode 4: The History of Folktales

Join the Fun!

✅ Subscribe to Past and Pen for more historical deep dives and creative prompts. ✅ Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform—it really helps!

✅ Support the podcast on Patreon for exclusive perks.

✅ Fuel the Folktales on Ko-fi

• 
  

Thanks for listening! Stay curious, and keep writing your story.

🔗 Sources & Further Reading:

BBC’s Spaghetti Tree Hoax (1957)

• BBC Archive: Spaghetti-Harvest in Ticino

• BBC History: The Greatest Hoax?

• Britannica: Spaghetti-tree hoax

  
  

Origins of April Fools’ Day

• Britannica: April Fools' Day

• History.com: The Origin of April Fools’ Day

• The Museum of Hoaxes: April Fool’s Day Origins

  
  

Additional Famous Hoaxes

• National Geographic: April Fools’ Hoaxes Through History