It is April Fool’s Day — the day when it is perfectly acceptable to play practical jokes on other people. I am not much of a practical joker myself. I suppose the worst practical joke was when “The War of the Worlds” aired on CBS Radio in 1938. According to Wikipedia it was narrated by actor and future filmmaker Orson Welles as an adaptation of H.G. Wells's novel “The War of the Worlds.” It was broadcast has become famous for supposedly tricking some of its listeners into believing that a Martian invasion was actually taking place due to the "breaking news" style of storytelling employed in the first half of the show. The illusion of realism was furthered because the” Mercury Theatre on the Air” was a sustaining program without commercial interruptions; the first break in the drama came after Martian war machines were described as devastating New York City. In the days after the adaptation, widespread outrage was expressed in the media. The program's news-bulletin format was described as deceptive by some newspapers and public figures, leading to an outcry against the broadcasters and calls for regulation by the Federal Communications Commission. Nevertheless, the episode secured Welles's fame as a dramatist. Let’s learn more about other practical jokes — the ones that take place on April 1.
April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day is an annual custom on April 1 consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fool!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may be revealed as such the following day. The day is not a public holiday in any country except Odessa, Ukraine, where the first of April is an official city holiday. The custom of setting aside a day for playing harmless pranks upon one's neighbor has been relatively common in the world historically.
Origins A disputed association between April 1 and foolishness is in Geoggrey Chaucer's “The Canterbury Tales” written in 1392. In the "Nun’s Priest’s Tale,” a vain cock Chanticleer is tricked by a fox on “Syn March bigan thritty days and two.” Readers apparently understood this line to mean "32 March" i.e., April 1. However, it is not clear that Chaucer was referencing April 1, since the text of the "Nun's Priest's Tale" also states that the story takes place on the day when the sun is “In the signe of Taurus had y-runne Twenty degrees and one,” which cannot be April 1. Modern scholars believe that there is a copying error in the extant manuscripts and that Chaucer actually wrote “Syn March was gon.” If so, the passage would have originally meant 32 days after March i.e., May 2, the anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia, which took place in 1381. In 1508, French poet Eloy d’Amerval referred to a poisson d’avril — April fool, literally "April's fish," possibly the first reference to the celebration in France. Some writers suggest that April Fools' originated because in the Middle Ages, New Year's Day was celebrated on March 25 in most European towns, with a holiday that in some areas of France, specifically, ended on April 1, and those who celebrated New Year's Eve on January 1 made fun of those who celebrated on other dates by the invention of April Fools' Day. The use of January 1 as New Year's Day became common in France only in the mid-16th century, and that date was not adopted officially until 1564, by the Edict of Roussillon, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for during the Council of Trent in 1563. In 1561, Flemish poet Eduard de Dene wrote of a nobleman who sent his servants on foolish errands on April 1.
In the Netherlands, the origin of April Fools' Day is often attributed to the Dutch victory in 1572 at Brielle, where the Spanish Duke Álvarez de Toledo was defeated. “Op 1 april erloor Alva zijn bril” is a Dutch proverb, which can be translated as: "On the first of April, Alva lost his glasses." In this case, "bril" or "glasses" in Dutch serves as a homonym for Brielle. This theory, however, provides no explanation for the international celebration of April Fools' Day.
In 1686, John Aubrey referred to the celebration as "Fooles holy day," the first British reference. On April 1, 1698, several people were tricked into going to the Tower of London to "see the Lions washed."
Although no Biblical scholar or historian is known to have mentioned a relationship, some have expressed the belief that the origins of April Fools' Day may go back to the Genesis floor narrative. In a 1908 edition of the “Harper’s Weekly,” cartoonist Bertha R. McDonald wrote:
Authorities gravely back with it to the time of Noah and the ark. The London “Public Advertiser” of March 13, 1769, printed: "The mistake of Noah sending the dove out of the ark before the water had abated, on the first day of April, and to perpetuate the memory of this deliverance, it was thought proper — whoever forgot so remarkable a circumstance — to punish them by sending them upon some sleeveless errand similar to that ineffectual message upon which the bird was sent by the patriarch."
United Kingdom According to Kiernan Ahuja’s April 1, 2021 article “The Best April Fools’ Day Jokes by Car Makers” at driving.co.uk, British car maker Caterham recognizes that the doorless design of its Seven roadster makes getting in and out a little tricky, so it has come up with a solution: Seven Lube, an oil-based grease designed to assist drivers with ingress and egress of their diminutive sports car.
According to the brand, a walnut-sized blob of the lard-like product should be more than enough to help you slip in and out.
“We hope that, with this new product — which has been developed over the last 17 months by our world-class engineers — we can make getting in and out of a Seven just as easy as any mainstream vehicle,” said Caterham CEO Graham McDonald.
“And still easier than a Kamaz truck, which requires you to climb a ladder.”
Seven Lube is priced at £7.77 a tub and is available from Caterham’s website now. (Although, of course, it isn’t).
According to Wikipedia, in the UK, an April Fool’s prank is sometimes later revealed by shouting "April fool!" at the recipient, who becomes the "April fool." A study in the 1950s, by folklorists Iona and Peter Opie, found that in the UK, and in countries whose traditions derived from the UK, the joking ceased at midday. This continues to be the practice, with the custom ceasing at noon, after which time it is no longer acceptable to play pranks. Thus, a person playing a prank after midday is considered the "April fool" themselves.
In Scotland, April Fools' Day was originally called Huntigowk Day, although this name seems to have fallen into disuse over the years. The name is a corruption of Hunt the Gowk, "gowk" being Scottish for a cuckoo or a foolish person; alternative terms in Gaelic would be Là na Gocaireachd, gowking day or Là Ruith na Cuthaige, “the day of running the cuckoo.” The traditional prank is to ask someone to deliver a sealed message that supposedly requests help of some sort. In fact, the message reads "Dinna laugh, dinna smile. Hunt the gowk another mile." The recipient, upon reading it, will explain they can only help if they first contact another person, and they send the victim to this next person with an identical message, with the same result.
In England a "fool" is known by a few different names around the country, including "noodle," "gob," "gobby" or "noddy."
Ireland
According to Bernie Malone’s April 1, 2021 article “April fools! Some of the best pranks in Irish history” at irishcentral.com, back in 1995, The Irish Times reported that the Disney Corporation was in negotiation with the Russian government to purchase the body of communist leader Vladimir Ilyich Lenin for the Euro Disney theme park where it would be given the "full Disney treatment."
The report said Disney planned to display the embalmed leader's body "under stroboscopic lights which will tone up the pallid face while excerpts from President Reagan's 'evil empire' speech will be played in quadraphonic sound."
Lenin t-shirts would be sold, and Disney anticipated that it would attract a great number of visitors.
They said that the Russians were in agreement with the sale of the body while liberal groups wanted to keep his mausoleum empty "to symbolize the 'emptiness of the Communist system.'"
According to Wikipedia, in Ireland, it was traditional to entrust the victim with an "important letter" to be given to a named person. That person would read the letter, then ask the victim to take it to someone else, and so on. The letter when opened contained the words "send the fool further."
Poland
In Poland, prima aprilis or "April 1" in Latin as a day of pranks is a centuries-long tradition. It is a day when many pranks are played: hoaxes — sometimes very sophisticated — are prepared by people, media (which often cooperate to make the "information" more credible) and even public institutions. Serious activities are usually avoided, and generally every word said on April 1 could be untrue. The conviction for this is so strong that the Polish anti-Turkish alliance with Leopold I signed on April 1, 1683, was backdated to March 31. However, for some in Poland prima aprilis ends at noon of April 1, and prima aprilis jokes after that hour are considered inappropriate and not classy.
Nordic countries
Danes, Finns, Icelanders, Norwegians and Swedes celebrate April Fools' Day — aprilsnar in Danish, aprillipäivä in Finnish, aprilskämt in Swedish. Most news media outlets will publish exactly one false story on April 1; for newspapers this will typically be a first-page article but not the top headline.
April fish
In Italy, France, Belgium and French-speaking areas of Switzerland and Canada, the April 1 tradition is often known as "April fish" — poisson d'avril in French, april vis in Dutch or pesce d'aprile in Italian. Possible pranks include attempting to attach a paper fish to the victim's back without being noticed. This fish feature is prominently present on many late 19th- to early 20th-century French April Fools' Day postcards. Many newspapers also spread a false story on April Fish Day, and a subtle reference to a fish is sometimes given as a clue to the fact that it is an April Fools' prank.
Ukraine April Fools' Day is widely celebrated in Odessa and has the special local name Humorina. This holiday arose in 1973. April Fools’ pranks are revealed by saying to the recipient "Первое Апреля, никому не верю" — Pervoye Aprelya, nikomu ne veryu — which means "April the First, I trust nobody." The festival includes a large parade in the city center, free concerts, street fairs and performances. Festival participants dress up in a variety of costumes and walk around the city fooling around and pranking passersby. One of the traditions on April Fool's day is to dress up the main city monument in funny clothes. Humorina even has its own logo — a cheerful sailor in lifebelt — whose author was the artist Arkady Tsykun. During the festival, special souvenirs bearing the logo are printed and sold everywhere. Since 2010, April Fools' Day celebrations include an International Clown Festival and both celebrated as one. In 2019, the festival was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Odessa Film Studio, and all events were held with an emphasis on cinema.
Lebanon In Lebanon, an April Fools’ prank is revealed by saying كذبة أول نيسان — which means "April First Lie" — at the recipient.
Spanish-speaking countries In many Spanish-speaking countries and the Philippines, "Día de los Santos Inocentes" or Holy Innocents Day is a festivity which is very similar to April Fools' Day, but it is celebrated in late December — 27, 28 or 29 depending on the location.
Great April Fools’ Day pranks
The greatest pitcher of all time George Plimpton, always a wry writer, invented the tale of Mets pitcher Siddhartha “Sidd” Finch for Sports Illustrated. The story about Finch, who could throw 168 miles per hour, ran in the magazine’s April 1, 1985, issue, and eagle-eyed readers caught on immediately: The first letters in the words of the story’s secondary headline spelled out “Happy April Fools’ Day.” But others wondered whether the Mets had added another fireballer to their top-notch staff. Plimpton later turned the story into a novel.
Redefining pi Pi is so challenging. How can anybody work with an irrational number that goes on and on and on? Lawmakers in Alabama allegedly thought so, passing a law in 1998 that redefined 3.14159 … to, simply, 3. Though the news was a hoax from a man named Mark Boslough, it became widely disseminatd and believed. No wonder: In 1897, the Indiana legislature attempted to pass a bill establishing pi as 3.2, among other numbers.
Left-handed toilet paper Why should right-handers be closer to cleanliness? In 2015, Cottonelle tweeted that it was introducing left-handed toilet paper for all those southpaws out there.
The Taco Liberty Bell In this now-classic 1996 prank, Taco Bell took out newspaper ads saying it had bought the Liberty Bell “in an effort to help the national debt.” Even some senators were taken in, and the National Park Service even held a press conference to deny the news. At noon, the fast-food chain admitted the joke, along with donating $50,000 for the bell’s care. The value of the joke, of course, was priceless.
Big Ben goes digital
The Brits are masters of April Fools’ gags, and in 1980, the BBC’s overseas service said the legendary clock was getting an update. The joke did not go over well, and the BBC apologized. That hasn’t stopped it from popping up again in the digital era, however.
Color TV? Try nylon. Sweden's most famous April Fool's Day hoax occurred on April 1, 1962. At the time, SVT or Sveriges Television was the only television channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station announced that their "technical expert" Kjell Stensson, was going to describe a process that would allow people to view color images on their existing black-and-white sets. He told the public that its black-and-white broadcasts could be made color simply by viewing through nylon stockings. Many Swedes fell for the hoax. There’s no truth to the rumor, however, that some have gotten their revenge by burning a giant goat every year.
Goodbye Space Needle In 1989, a Seattle comedy show went on the air and said the city’s Space Needle had fallen down. It even had photos. The news was a joke, of course, but that was little comfort to 700 panicky callers alarmed at the story. Skip to the 2:25 mark on the video.
Don’t drink and surf
An article in PC Computing magazine written by John Dvorak described a bill going through Congress that would make it illegal to use the internet while drunk, or to discuss sexual matters over a public network. The bill was supposedly numbered 040194 (i.e. 04/01/94), and the contact person was listed as Lirpa Sloof (April Fools backwards). The article said that the FBI was going to use the bill to tap the phone line of anyone who "uses or abuses alcohol" while accessing the internet. Passage of the bill was felt to be certain because "Who wants to come out and support drunkenness and computer sex?" The article offered this explanation for the origin of the bill: "The moniker 'Information Highway' itself seems to be responsible for SB 040194, which is designed to prohibit anyone from using a public computer network (Information Highway) while the computer user is intoxicated. I know how silly this sounds, but Congress apparently thinks being drunk on a highway is bad no matter what kind of highway it is. The bill is expected to pass this month." The article generated so many outraged phone calls to Congress that Senator Edward Kennedy's office had to release an official denial of the rumor that he was a sponsor of the bill.
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