8. Eisenhower Drops The Mother of All Prank Bombs:
Dwight D. Eisenhower was a serious man who planned D-Day and warned us of the military-industrial complex. But he also had a great sense of humor, which almost ruined his career.
During his first major assignment taking a caravan from coast to coast along the highways, he decided to pull a prank on the junior officers—”easterners,” as he called them. The plan was for them to be given “a taste of the authentic West.” Eisenhower and his close friend Sereno Brett planned and launched a fake “Indian attack” in Wyoming. He staged a fake argument about the trouble in the area (an area actually known for attacks), put blanks in the guns, handed them to the men, and then sneaked out during the night to shout war cries and stage false fronts. They only considered their prank a success once they got the sentry on duty to fire the shotgun at them, which they found hilarious. In the morning, Eisenhower had to stop the shaken-up young soldier from sending a report requesting reinforcements.
