Digitalizing Big Ben

In 1980 the BBC reported that Big Ben, a London landmark in the clock tower of Westminster Palace, in order to keep up with the times, was going to be given a digital readout. It received a huge response from listeners protesting the change. The BBC Japanese service also announced that the clock hands would be sold to the first four listeners to contact them, and one Japanese seaman in the mid-Atlantic immediately radioed in a bid.

Big Ben Hoax

Additional Reading:

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/hoax7.html
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool/comments/890/