If you're wondering what practical jokes and/or lies have been cropping up throughout history, you can hit the museum of hoaxes online.

I went to college pranks to read about the Rose Bowl Parade prank that 14 students from CalTech pulled off on national television the year before I was born. (Yes, they had TV back then.) I noticed they didn't have the one where a guy from my college managed to disassemble and reassemble a VW bug in the president's office. Nor did they have the mannequin going potty on the obelisk when all the out-of-town preachers were at school for a conference. But those were fun and local pranks. Unlike the ones on this site.

There are whole categories to search. Enjoy.