Pranks: a competition | From Hermes to bonsai kittens

Pranks. Japes. Hacks. They all amount to the same thing: pulling a funny fast one.

Today's FamilyFirst site celebrates all of 'em. It's called Pranks: a competition | From Hermes to bonsai kittens.

The site (actually a single page at a much bigger site) is from normally staid economist.com. Hey, it's good to know these number crunchers can appreciate the beauty of a good prank!

How old is the jape? Well, the Greek god Hermes was known as a prankster. He played his first when just a day old, stealing a herd of cattle belonging to his brother, Apollo, and driving them into a cave backwards to suggest that they had left instead of entered.

Read about some of the most classic pranks ever played. For instance, how about the day that British college students managed to hoist an Austin Seven van on top of Cambridge University's Senate House building? The stunning engineering feat was admired by most: the dean of the college from which the prank was launched sent the mastermind a case of champagne.

Abby Hoffman was a notorious japester, as well. Read about the day he brought stock trading at the New York Stock Exchange to a halt while traders scrambled to pick up dollar bills.

But above all, get your own pranks (or those you witnessed) the renown they deserve! Check out the competition:

“We invite readers to nominate their contender for the finest prank in history, explaining in 750 words why it deserves the title, to reach us by January 20th. The three best entries will be announced in February and published on Economist.com.”

Hey, I have a few classics in mind. May the best pranks win!

Click here

Digg It! It's Del.icio.us! Furl It!