When I was a kid, the CBC talk show "Take-30" (Paul Soles and Adrienne Clarkson) pulled a great April Fool's Day prank. This was around the time of the early-70s "energy crisis." A guy claiming to be an engineer -- and who had the look, dress style, and manner down perfectly -- described a plan to detach Nova Scotia from New Brunswick, and float it down to Florida, to save on energy costs.

With a dead straight face, he outlined the plan: they would drill a series of ginormous holes in the isthmus running between the two provinces. Simultaneously, they'd install some huge motors along the southern Fundy shore.

When all was prepared, they'd wait for a rising tide, then blast compressed air down the holes. This would "delaminate" the layered sedimentary rock of the isthmus. Then they'd fire up the motors, and set a course for the Caribbean.