It's hard to imagine an April Fools' Day without a succession of absurd, preposterous and frankly farcical news stories being unleashed online.
Yet quite often real events are so absurd they sound just like spoofs.
Here are 11 news stories from the past seven days which aren't April Fools but oh-so-easily could have been...
1. Donald Trump refuses to rule out nuclear attack on Britain
During a heated MSNBC town hall debate, Trump said he wasn't "taking any cards off the table" when it came to possible nuclear targets, including the UK.
2. Passenger turns violent after being told he can't do yoga on plane
The man was travelling from Honolulu and became aggitated when told he couldn't practice yoga.
3. Man reported to police for 'revenge fart' after woman refused to have sex
The Swedish man is said to have committed the act after being spurned for sex, 60abc reported.
4. Passenger takes selfie with 'armed' hijacker
Ben Innes grinned for the camera despite being stood next to a hijacker who had forced his flight to be grounded.
5. German footballers 'black up' in protest at racist attacks
After an attack on two Sudanese players, German club Deinster SV digitally-altered its players' skin colour.
6. Married teachers arrested for sex with different students just days apart
Charli Jones Parker had sex with a male student 11 times, including near to a cemetery, while her husband James Franklin Parker slept with a former female pupil, it is alleged.
7. Dyslexic children read faster after electric shock therapy
Doctors who gave dyslexic children mild electric shocks through wires attached to the scalp have claimed that it helps them to read faster, The Times reported.
8. Microsoft AI chat bot returns with drug-smoking meltdown
After previous embarrassment, Microsoft's new racist chatbot returned to life with a furious, drug-induced meltdown.
9. Six-year-old's poisoned plot to kill classmate foiled by teacher
Three first-graders were said to have planned to poison a classmate's lunch in order to kill them, the Washington Post reported.
10. George W. Bush leaves big tip, waitress issues unprompted 9/11 slur
A waitress who posted a picture of her standing beside former president George W. Bush issued a shocking jibe on Twitter, alleging "he did 9/11".
11. Woman climbs Ben Nevis with just a selfie stick
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