UFO Over London
Before dawn on April 1, 1989, police in London were swarmed with calls of terrified citizens who claimed to see a UFO in the sky. The large flying saucer with strobe lights was flying over the M25 and motorists were pulling over to use roadside emergency phones to call the police. Police and military were informed and kept on alert. Then the mysterious saucer started to make its way down to the in the ground in Surrey Field.
When the flying saucer landed, it was greeted by several policemen who warily approached the aircraft. In the dim light of morning it was still hard to make out but when a small figure with a bright green alien features emerged for a moment police did not know what to think. The small “alien” then turned and ran in the opposite direction.
As the police neared, the ruse was up. The UFO was nothing more than a giant hot air balloon that was outfitted with strobe lights and made to look like a spaceship. While it was enough to fool people in the dark and dim light of morning, as the sun rose, there was no hiding the truth. Sir Richard Branson then revealed himself to police who were less than amused. They had not only wasted their time but some admitted to being terrified to approach the spaceship. Eventually everyone did warm up to the joke though.
Sir Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin, was compelled to play the prank and land his spaceship in the middle of Hyde Park. He codenamed his endeavor “Project Wedgewood” and everything was going well until he got his UFO into the air. The wind caused him to change direction and forced him to land in Surrey Field instead of his original destination. The prank was such a success that Sir Richard Branson decided to continue to pull pranks every year.