Question: What famous Texas landmark was the subject of an elaborate April Fool’s Day hoax published by a Houston newspaper in 1962?
Answer: The San Jacinto Monument. Accompanied by the headline “Oops! Look what happened!” a dramatic illustration showed the 567-foot concrete column and its 220-ton star toppled over on the ground in several pieces. In a piece criticizing state legislators for not providing funding to maintain the historic battle site, writer Martin Dreyer lamented, “Well, it’s a sad day for us patriots. The San Jacinto Monument finally came tumbling down. And, man, what a crash! You could hear it all the way to Austin.“
