The Man Who Faked A Volcano Eruption – One Of The Greatest April Fools’ Hoaxes Ever
It is April Fool’s Day, so I thought it apt to share one of the greatest April Fool’s pranks ever. This is from my Intriguing Times Substack. It really happened. Enjoy.
On the 1st of April 1974 (aka April Fools’ Day), residents of Sitka, Alaska, saw smoke rising from Mount Edgecumbe, the supposedly dormant volcano that loomed over the town.
The volcano had been dormant for 4000 years, but despite its usual calm nature and the fact that it was April Fools’ Day, locals were understandably alarmed. Local radio stations and the police were soon inundated with calls, and residents ventured into the streets to look up in concern at the rising column of dark smoke.
The US Coast Guard sent a helicopter to investigate what was going on, and when it reached the caldera, the pilot saw something unexpected. Instead of bubbling lava, he saw a pile of burning car tires, and a painted message next to them that read “April Fool” in 50-foot letters.
It was one of the most elaborate hoaxes in history.
Oliver “Porky” Bickar had thought of the April Fool’s prank years before
Sitka resident Oliver “Porky” Bickar (an apt nickname) was a highly respected logger and a World War Two veteran who had lived in Sitka for 15 years. He was also a bit of a showman and would regularly cut a tree down with such precision he could flatten a target, usually a hard hat.
More importantly, he was a well-known prankster. He had previously placed plastic flamingoes in trees around the area to confuse tourists who were looking at local wildlife.
Porky had the idea for the hoax in 1971 and spent the next three years getting the necessary equipment, persuading a helicopter pilot to participate, and waiting for a sunny and clear April Fools’ Day. In 1974, the conditions were perfect.
He told his wife the prank was on and called a group of his friends to help. The tires were loaded into two large canvas slings along with gallons of kerosene, some rags, and a few smoke bombs.
They all then proceeded to Mount Edgecumbe’s still-dormant caldera. On arrival, the tires were unloaded, soaked in kerosene, and stuffed with rags and smoke bombs.
Porky painted the message, set the pile of tires on fire, and they left to enjoy the fruits of their early morning labour.
The response was impressive and positive
Porky Bickar wasn’t totally irresponsible and had informed the Federal Aviation Administration, the fire department, and the police about the prank but had forgotten to tell the Coast Guard, resulting in them sending a chopper out to investigate.
Once the town’s locals had realised it was an April Fools’ joke and Mount Edgecumbe wasn’t erupting, they were incredibly positive and supportive of the stunt. Even the Coast Guard liked it, with the admiral of the fleet telling Porky he thought the joke was a classic.
The story soon hit the national headlines and was then picked up by newspapers worldwide.
In 1975, Alaska Airlines included an image of the smoking volcano in an ad campaign, along with a message from Porky that read:
“On April Fool’s Day, I hired a chopper and flew 70 old, kerosene-soaked tires on top of the dormant volcano, Mt. Edgecumbe, that looms over Sitka. I set the tires on fire, and the billowing, black smoke created one hell of a commotion in Sitka. I dare you to top that April Fool’s joke.”
Since then, the prank has regularly appeared at the top of the best hoax and April Fools’ Day lists—and rightly so.
Personal note: I first heard about this story about six months ago and have been sitting on it ever since. I post every Thursday, but I probably wouldn’t have done if it had been April 1st, as people would be suspicious of it.
I hope you had a fun April Fools’ Day. And, obviously, don’t try this at home.
If you enjoyed this check out verifying Times on Substack or Medium.
