On the morning of April 1st, 1977, The Guardian newspaper in the UK pranked its readers with an elaborate hoax featuring the fictional island of San Serriffe. The feature included detailed information about the non-existent island nation, complete with fake advertisements from real companies, typographic puns, and scientific articles about the islands colliding with Sri Lanka. The prank generated significant public interest and even inspired follow-up articles and merchandise. The creation of San Serriffe involved a team of Guardian employees, with the feature becoming one of the newspaper’s most memorable April Fool’s Day jokes.
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