April Fool’s Day is celebrated in the United States each year on April 1st. It marks a day of pranking and practical jokes. Some others countries do participate in it as well, but it is known as All Fool’s Day instead of April Fool’s Day. Although it’s not an official holiday, many people still celebrate it every year.
History
There’s no definite answer as to how April Fool’s Day first got started, but there are some theories. Some countries say that it started because it was officially the first day of spring for them and came about as a way to celebrate the winter being over. Another theory states that some individuals would not follow a calendar that started on April 1st and those people were dubbed as an April Fool.
How April 1st Is Celebrated Throughout The World
In the United States individuals usually shout “April Fools!” when they pull off a practical joke. In the United Kingdom pranks are only acceptable in the morning and anyone who pulls off an April Fool’s Joke after that is considered to be a fool. In Scotland their version of April Fool’s Day is called Hunt The Gowk Day and involves a messenger being sent back and forth between two people. In Europe they refer to the holiday as April Fish Day and tape a fish to another person’s back and scream “April Fish”. For those in Canada they only play pranks in the morning.
Famous April Fool’s Day Jokes
-A famous millionaire named Dick Smith decided to auction off Antarctica icebergs in 1978. He told people that by breaking pieces of the iceberg off and placing them in their drinks that it would freshen the taste of their beverage. It turns out that the “iceberg” that Smith was auctioning off was actually just shaving cream and a bunch of fire extinguisher foam that was covered up on a barge.
– In 1996 the Taco Bell Corporation ran an ad in several newspapers that claimed that they bought the Liberty Bell and renamed it the “Taco Liberty Bell”.
-In 1962 the only television station in Sweden told viewers that their black and white TV shows could actually be seen in color if they cut up an old pair of stockings and placed them over their TV screen. Many viewers were disappointed when they realized that it was just an April Fool’s Day prank.
-In 1776 a radio station called BBC Radio 2 got in on the April Fool’s Day fun by telling listeners that at 9:47 a.m. the earth would lose its gravity and they would be able to float if they jumped in the air. Despite the fact that it was a hoax, many people did report that they had actually floated.
-In 1980 The BBC told its citizens that the world famous Big Ben clock would be modernized by converting it to digital. This resulted in many outraged citizens and a few people from Japan actually bidding for the clock’s hands
-In 1957 the news program, Panorama, told listeners that because of Switzerland having a very mild winter and no spaghetti pests that they were actually able to grow spaghetti. They urged individuals to put a piece of spaghetti in a container of tomato sauce and it would grow.
– In 2008 BBC ran a video clip that featured flying penguins in their series “Miracles of Evolution”. The storyline stated that the penguins left the very cold conditions of Antarctica to start a new life in South America’s rainforests.
Are you going to play some practical jokes on April Fool’s Day? You could sprinkle a little bit of salt on your significant other’s toothbrush, place some fake insects around your workplace or switch your kid’s stuff around in their rooms. You better watch out though because those very same people may try to get you back with a few April Fool’s Day pranks of their own.
