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All I did was run around naked. But not at my college.

mental_floss Blog - 6 College Pranks (We Wish We Had Thought of)

1. The Crimson Sparks a Red Scare

A long-running rivalry between Harvard’s school papers, the Crimson and the Lampoon, came to a head with this 1953 prank. Crimson staffers play one of their favorite pranks by stealing the Lampoon’s Ibis, the large bird statue perched on top of their office. But this time, they send a letter to the Soviet consul in New York to report that the editors of the Lampoon wish to offer the Ibis as a symbol of friendship, billing the bird as “sort of an American peace dove.” The Soviets accept, and the Ibis is handed off to a confused U.N. delegate in a formal ceremony. Not wanting to be outdone, the Lampoon retaliates with a letter of their own. With help from then-editor John Updike, they write to Joseph McCarthy, insisting the prank clearly proves the Crimson’s communist leanings and calling for a full investigation.