April Fools

April Fool's Day History

April Fool's Day, also known as All Fool's Day in some regions, is a traditional celebration with humorous intentions. The main purpose is to play tricks or hoaxes on others, sometimes of a complex nature, intending to provoke laughter when the person realises they've been fooled. Significant, light-hearted pranks, both public and private, within the realms of good taste, form the crux of the observance. The media also get involved with quirkily false stories making headlines. The day ends with the prankster revealing the trick and uttering the phrase "April Fool".

The origins of April Fool's Day are not clear but theories point to the switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in the 16th century. Those still adhering to the Julian calendar were termed fools for celebrating New Year's Day on April 1st instead of January 1st. Traditions in the United Kingdom evolved over centuries, particularly growing in popularity during the 18th century. The UK also holds the record for one of the largest April Fool's Day pranks, conducted by the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1957, when they broadcast a report on Swiss farmers harvesting spaghetti from trees.

In the UK, it is customary to play pranks before noon on April Fool's Day. Any prank initiated after noon is considered to be in poor taste, with the prankster themselves becoming the 'April Fool'. Media outlets generally broadcast or publish a false story in the morning which is revealed as a hoax in the afternoon. However, no norms are legally binding or enforced as this is viewed as a day for fun and camaraderie. April Fool's Day is celebrated each year on April 1st.

Facts about April Fools

• For April Fool's Day 2022, 7-Eleven announced a new product line named Tiny Gulp. The Tiny Gulp holds 0.7 ounces and only cost 7 cents, perfect for those who want a tiny taste of soda or slushie.
• in 2023, Duolingo announced their "Duolingo for Pets" program, teaching pets new languages with the help of birdseed and catnip rewards.
  For April Fool's Day 2022, Twitter announced that they are working on an “Edit-Tweet” button, which would let users go back to previous tweets to correct typos.
• In 1998, Burger King published a full-page advertisement in New York Times announcing the introduction of “left-handed Whopper” specially designed for 32 million left-handed Americans. The condiments were said to be rotated 180 degrees to suit the left-handed burger lovers.
• In 1976, the British astronomer Sir Patrick Moore told listeners of BBC Radio 2 that unusual alignment of two planets would result in a temporary decrease in gravity, allowing people to jump higher than usual. At exactly 9.47 am, Moore declared, this phenomenon would briefly occur. Many listeners reportedly called the station to say they had felt the decrease in gravity and floated in the air.

In the News and Trending in the UK for April Fools

Top things to do in the UK for April Fools

• Stay on guard! You will surely be the victim of a prank during April Fools' Day, so be extra-careful of pranksters looming around you.
• One of the best ways to fool someone on April Fools' Day is to call them first thing in the morning. This way, they are less likely to realize that it is April Fools' Day. Our top 3 phone call pranks:
  1) Breaking news - create a fictional breaking news item about politics, celebrities, events in your city, etc.
  2) You're late for work - tell your friend that the time is 11AM and they aren't at work or school yet.
  3) Escaped monkey - a monkey from the local zoo is wandering in the backyard. You just saw a news clip of the monkey on the local news.
• Attend the April Fool's Day Parade: Locations across the UK host April Fool's parades where attendees dress up in costumes and play pranks on each other.
• Participate in the Guardian Gnome Hunt: The Guardian Newspaper once announced a gnome hunt contest as an April Fool's joke, and it has now become an annual tradition.