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It is believed that April Fools Day began in France in 1582 when the Gregorian Calendar was introduced. Prior to that time, the new year was celebrated the last entire week of March and ending on April 1st. With the new calendar, the new year was moved to January 1st as we know it today.
News and information did not travel quickly in that day and time so many people did not receive the word for several years and there were some who refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the new year on April 1st. These people were considered backward and called "fools". They were often sent on "fools errands" or made the butt of practical jokes.
The tradition spread to England and Scotland in the eighteenth century and later introduced to the American colonies.
In Scotland, for example, April Fool's Day is actually celebrated for two days. The second day is devoted to pranks involving the posterior region of the body. It is called Taily Day. The origin of the "kick me" sign can be traced to this observance.
In France and several other European countries, April 1 is often referred to as April Fish. The prank is to stick a paper fish on the back of another person without being noticed.
~ In 1933 the Madison Capital-Times convinced many of their readers that the State Capitol collapsed from explosions caused by the large quantities of gas generated by the politicians.
~ Taco Bell announced in 1996 that they had purchased the Liberty Bell and would be renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell.
~ National Public Radio ran a story in 1994 claiming that teenagers were accepting offers to have a corporate logo (KFC or the GAP) tattooed on their ears which would grand them a lifetime 10% discount.
~ The BBC pulled the "Smellovision" prank in 1965 when they told their audience that a new technique would allow viewers to actually smell aromas from the TV studio as they were pumped through to home television sets. An expert demonstrated by brewing a pot of coffee and chopping an onion, then instructed viewers to stand 6 feet away from the set and sniff for best results. Viewers called in reporting that they could catch a whiff of the distinctive scents. Apparently they couldn't sniff out the bull.
~ George Plimpton wrote an article in 1985 for Sports Illustrated Magazine about the discovery of a superhuman baseball pitcher who throws 168-mph fastballs. This 28 year old "eccentric mystic" named Hayden Sidd Finch who had learned to throw in Tibet and was currently quietly training with the New York Mets. The swooning fans should have paid closer attention to the first letters of the story's secondary headline for a clue: "He's a pitcher, part yogi and part recluse. Impressively liberated from our opulent lifestyle, Sidd's deciding about yoga -- and his future in baseball." (Happy April Fools' Day-- ah fib.)
~ Burger King ran a full page ad in USA Today on April 1, 1998 announcing their new Left-Handed Whopper. It claimed to get the condiments in just the right place for lefties. The restaurant reported that lots of left-handers, and righties too, swallowed the prank whole by lining up to get the correct burger.
Happy April Fools Day everybuddy ;-D