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I used to be an amateur prankster in my office days. I once suspended the contents of someone’s desk from the ceiling directly above them, covered someone’s desk in plastic wrap, and some other, more embarrassing pranks that I don’t care to admit at the moment. That being said, none of my pranks were as epic as these century-old pranks. Unfortunately, some of them can’t really be done anymore since they involve outdated technology. For example, door bells used to be actual bells that you’d ring by pulling a string. Then…

Jokers would tie a piece of raw meat tightly to the string overnight, ensuring that every stray dog and cat (and there were a lot in those days) would end up ringing the bell. But when the startled occupant would come to the door with his candle held high, he would see no one, either because of the height of the gate or having himself startled away the animals. This would continue at random intervals all night.

Full story at Mental Floss.

History is more interesting than you think.

Photo credit: Fotolia

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