Prank Gone Wrong: An In-Depth Look at the JFK Assassination

World-renowned prankster Lee Harvey Oswald ended up in hot-water after a poorly-timed prank

As Americans, when asked about the biggest tragedies this country as seen in our short history, two events come to mind for most people: the discontinuation of the McRib and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. But unlike the McRib, JFK has not been met with a rousing revival every 5 years or so.

No, JFK has stayed dead. And that’s a fact that we all have difficulty coping with. Having been born in 1998, I can confidently say Kennedy’s presidency has had a massive impact on my daily life. Most people I’m sure can relate to this. But what most people don’t know is that JFK’s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was actually trying to pull a prank.

You see, before his infamy, Oswald was a world-renowned prankster. Though not known by name, his hijinks were felt across the world. tipping the tower of Pisa, naming a planet “Uranus,” Campbell’s Tomato Soup: he planned them all, and executed them with resounding success. The world laughed and learned as Oswald displayed his wild antiques to the world. Then one day, he planned the ultimate prank; shooting a spit ball at the President of the United States.

Unfortunately, Oswald was misinformed by a local prank shop, owned and run by the CIA, and ended up in a bit of a pickle. You see, CIA agent John Doe convinced Oswald that a 6.5×52mm Carcano Model 91/38 infantry rifle with a telescopic sight was the ultimate spit-balling machine, and the poor hapless chap believed him.

So that fateful day, Lee Harvey Oswald sat with a wide grin, finger on the trigger, ready to pull the ultimate prank, not knowing it would be the last prank he’d ever pull.

I really thought it was a spitball, honestly. Why would I want to kill someone?

-Lee Harvey Oswald