The history of April Fools' Day: 5 things you didn't know

Historians still have not been able to pinpoint the exact origins of April Fools' Day.

That is not to say that there haven't been some options, as there are many theories and stories surrounding its history.

It's just that none have been conclusively proven.

One of the more prominent theories suggests that April Fools' Day dates back to ancient Roman times, to a festival called 'Hilaria'.

It was a religious festival associated with the Cybele cult, where people celebrated the arrival of spring with laughter and joy.

During this particular festival, people would apparently dress up in disguises and play pranks on each other.

Another theory links the holiday to the vernal equinox: the day that marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

This moment of transition from winter to spring was believed to be a time of chaos and confusion.

This may have led to the creation of a holiday where people played pranks on each other.

While these two theories are interesting, there is no concrete evidence to link them with the modern-day observance.

One other popular theory about the origins of April Fools' Day that we didn't mention above, actually links the holiday to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar by many European countries in the late 16th century.

Prior to the introduction of the new system, the Julian calendar was used. In England, this system indicated that New Year's Day was on March 25th, known as 'Lady Day'.

Then, when the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582, New Year's Day was moved to January 1st.

However, not all countries adopted the new calendar at the same time, and some people continued to celebrate New Year's Day on the old date. England, for example, did not adopt the calendar until 1752.

In this version of the argument, April 1st, which falls exactly a week after Lady Day, morphed into a way to ridicule those who refused to change.

They were made the subject of practical jokes by those who had adopted the new calendar.

According to some records, they were sent on fools' errands or invited to nonexistent parties and events.

The earliest known reference to something similar to April Fools' Day can be found in 1561 in a poem by Flemish writer Eduard de Dene.

In it, a nobleman sends his servant on ridiculous errands on April 1st, which the poem refers to as a "day of foolishness".

April Fools' Day, also known as All Fools' Day, has been celebrated in different ways around the world.

In Scotland, April Fools' Day is traditionally celebrated for two days. The first day is called 'Gowk Day' and involves sending people on wild goose chases.

The second day is called 'Taily Day', which is marked by playing pranks involving the backside, such as pinning "kick me" signs on people's backs or sticking fake tails onto their clothing. 

In France, April Fools' Day is known as poisson d'avril or 'April fish'. The holiday is celebrated by taping paper fish to people's backs without them knowing or drawing fish on paper and sticking them to people's doors.

Meanwhile, in Brazil, April Fools' Day is known as Dia da Mentira or 'Day of Lies'. 

There, media outlets and individuals publish false stories and play pranks on others.

April Fools' Day has even been the subject of many famous hoaxes throughout history.

The earliest recorded April Fools' Day prank occurred on April 1, 1698. Several people were invited to the Tower of London to witness the 'Washing of the Lions', which, of course, did not happen.

This event was reported in the April 2 edition of Dawks’ News-Letter, which noted that several individuals were deceived by the invitation.

This hoax continued to be repeated throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, often involving printed tickets that specified entry through a fictitious 'White Gate'.

One of the most famous hoaxes was the BBC's 1957 news report about the Swiss spaghetti harvest.

The television report showed footage of people harvesting spaghetti from trees. Then, it encouraged viewers to grow their own spaghetti trees.

Many viewers believed the report to be true and called the BBC for more information.

Another famous hoax was the 1976 announcement by British astronomer Patrick Moore that a rare astronomical event would occur at 9:47am.

He elaborated by saying that it would cause a unique gravitational alignment that would temporarily reduce Earth's gravity.

Moore advised viewers to jump in the air at the precise moment of the alignment in order to experience the 'feeling of weightlessness'.

A surprisingly large number of people called in to report that they had indeed felt the effect.

Thankfully, there were no reports of injuries and it was quickly revealed to be a hoax.

Then, in 1989, Richard Branson orchestrated a memorable April Fools' Day prank involving a hot air balloon shaped like a UFO.

The plan was to land the balloon in Hyde Park, London, to promote his new airline.

However, the balloon was blown off course and landed in a field in Surrey.

This unexpected landing fooled some motorists on the M25 motorway, leading several to make emergency calls to the police, reporting sightings of an alien spaceship

In 1996, Taco Bell announced that it had purchased the Liberty Bell and planned to rename it the 'Taco Liberty Bell'.

The announcement caused outrage among many Americans, who believed the historic bell had been sold to the fast-food chain.

The hoax was later revealed to be a publicity stunt, but not before it had generated some ill will towards the company.

Google has regularly been involved in April Fools' Day hoaxes, including their 2007 announcement of a new feature called 'Google TiSP'.

This oddly named gimmick claimed to provide free wireless internet through a toilet.

In 1976, the Apple Computer was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak on April 1st. 

The two young entrepreneurs started the company in Jobs' garage in Cupertino, California, with the goal of creating innovative and user-friendly computer technology.

Interestingly, the date of April 1st was not intentional. In fact, Jobs later said that they didn't even realize it was April Fools' Day until after they had formed the company.

Nevertheless, some have speculated that the date may have been a subtle nod to the playful and innovative culture that would come to define the Apple brand.

As you can see, April Fools' Day is a celebration that has a strange but interesting history.

According to a survey conducted in 2020 by Statista, 54% of Americans reported that they have participated in an April Fools' Day prank, while 25% said they have been the victim of a prank on this day.

So, from the playful and lighthearted to the more serious and political, April Fools' Day has a little something for everyone.