What is the origin of April Fool's Day and what are its famous pranks?
Historians aren't holding you back by saying that no one is completely sure about the origins of April Fools' Day.
April 1st, the annual day of pranks, pranks, tricks and hoaxes, falls on a Monday this year. Historians are unsure of the exact origins of this tradition, but they do know that the custom dates back many centuries, at least to Renaissance Europe, and perhaps even as far back as Roman times. Here's what the experts have to say.
Both true and false theories link April Fool's Day to Roman times
Some believe that April Fool's Day dates back to the festival of Hilaria, celebrated in classical Roman times. According to the Library of Congress, the festival was held on March 25, known in Roman parlance as the “eighth of April.”
One theory linking the origins of April Fools' Day to Roman times is a hoax. In 1983, an Associated Press reporter contacted Boston University historian Joseph Boskin to discuss the origins of April Fools' Day. Boskin told a reporter an outrageous story, assuming it would be fact-checked and revealed to be a fabrication.
It wasn't.
According to the story Boskin created, a group of clowns persuaded Emperor Constantine to make one of them king for a day. The appointed clown named Kugel declared that today would be an easy day.
“My editor called me right away, furious that I had ruined a young reporter's career,” Boskin said in the article. Boston University Post. “He said I lied. 'Lies?' I said, 'We were talking about April Fools'.'
middle ages
Some historians believe that France is responsible for this humorous tradition, linking it to the calendar change of 1582, the magazine said. history channel. In that year, France introduced the Gregorian calendar, changing the start of the new year from the vernal equinox, usually around April 1, to January 1.
After the change, people mistakenly celebrating the New Year in late March or early April were called “April Fools.”
According to the Library of Congress, the first explicit mention of April Fool's Day was in a 1561 Flemish poem by Eduard de Dien, in which a servant is sent on a “fool's errand” because it is April 1st. It is said that it will be done.
What is the famous April Fool's prank?
In 1957, the BBC broadcast the following program: Harvesting Italian spaghetti They made it look like the pasta was being harvested from a tree.
The BBC also aired an April Fool's Day report. flying penguin In 2008.
In Los Angeles, airline passengers landing on April 1, 1992, were greeted by a banner that read, “Welcome to Chicago.” CBS Sunday Morning Previously reported.
taco bell The company advertised that it acquired Liberty Bell in 1996 and changed its name to Taco Liberty Bell.
As part of an April Fool's Day joke in 1997, “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek swapped places with “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak, according to “Wheel of Fortune'' host Pat Sajak. Danki.com.
April 1, 2015, streaming giant Netflix shared a fake public service announcement to remind viewers to “binge responsibly”.
Summarize this content to 100 words Historians aren't holding you back by saying that no one is completely sure about the origins of April Fools' Day. April 1st, the annual day of pranks, pranks, tricks and hoaxes, falls on a Monday this year. Historians are unsure of the exact origins of this tradition, but they do know that the custom dates back many centuries, at least to Renaissance Europe, and perhaps even as far back as Roman times. Here's what the experts have to say.Both true and false theories link April Fool's Day to Roman times Some believe that April Fool's Day dates back to the festival of Hilaria, celebrated in classical Roman times. According to the Library of Congress, the festival was held on March 25, known in Roman parlance as the “eighth of April.”
One theory linking the origins of April Fools' Day to Roman times is a hoax. In 1983, an Associated Press reporter contacted Boston University historian Joseph Boskin to discuss the origins of April Fools' Day. Boskin told a reporter an outrageous story, assuming it would be fact-checked and revealed to be a fabrication. It wasn't.
According to the story Boskin created, a group of clowns persuaded Emperor Constantine to make one of them king for a day. The appointed clown named Kugel declared that today would be an easy day. “My editor called me right away, furious that I had ruined a young reporter's career,” Boskin said in the article. Boston University Post. “He said I lied. 'Lies?' I said, 'We were talking about April Fools'.'middle ages Some historians believe that France is responsible for this humorous tradition, linking it to the calendar change of 1582, the magazine said. history channel. In that year, France introduced the Gregorian calendar, changing the start of the new year from the vernal equinox, usually around April 1, to January 1. After the change, people mistakenly celebrating the New Year in late March or early April were called “April Fools.”
According to the Library of Congress, the first explicit mention of April Fool's Day was in a 1561 Flemish poem by Eduard de Dien, in which a servant is sent on a “fool's errand” because it is April 1st. It is said that it will be done. What is the famous April Fool's prank?In 1957, the BBC broadcast the following program: Harvesting Italian spaghetti They made it look like the pasta was being harvested from a tree. The BBC also aired an April Fool's Day report. flying penguin In 2008.In Los Angeles, airline passengers landing on April 1, 1992, were greeted by a banner that read, “Welcome to Chicago.” CBS Sunday Morning Previously reported.taco bell The company advertised that it acquired Liberty Bell in 1996 and changed its name to Taco Liberty Bell.As part of an April Fool's Day joke in 1997, “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek swapped places with “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak, according to “Wheel of Fortune'' host Pat Sajak. Danki.com.April 1, 2015, streaming giant Netflix shared a fake public service announcement to remind viewers to “binge responsibly”.
Aliza Chasan
Aliza Chasan is a digital producer for 60 Minutes and CBSNews.com. She has previously written for media outlets including PIX11 News, The New York Daily News, Inside Edition, and DNAinfo. Araiza covers trending news focused on crime and politics.
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