april fools day pranks

April Fool's Day originated (some think) in the 1500s & is still celebrated to this day, much to the dismay of the general public.

April 1 is the one day each year where even the most sensible person becomes vulnerable to the kinds of pranks usually only drunk children find hilarious — think about the classic "loosen the salt shaker lid" trick. These types of juvenile pranks practiced on April Fool's Day appear far removed from a holiday that began in the 1500s. While its exact origins are doubtful, associate professor Amy Bix, associate professor of history who teaches history of American popular culture, said some historians think April Fool's began in Spain in the coursework of the switch from the Julian calendar to the modern Gregorian calendar.

Before these calendar changes were instated, Bix said, people would celebrate the new year April 1, in lieu of Jan. 1. However, some people didn't get the memo regarding the calendar changes & proceeded to celebrate April 1, which made them the brunt of ridicule & thus fools - April fools, in case you will.

â"It's not impossible, but there's no reason to take it as historical gospel," Bix said.

However, this theory may be simplistic, & there is no facts that the actual origins of the holiday lie in this account, Bix said.

Bix said there is also history dating back centuries of people playing jokes & teasing one another in the Roman period.

Thinking about all the feasible origins, there is no simple answer to where & when this holiday actually began, but Bix said spring is historicallyin the past a time to celebrate the rebirth of nature, & April Fool's Day may have broader connections to spring festivals. April 1 is the one day a year where it's historicallyin the past acceptable to "suspend your normal method," Bix said. "People accept that to blow off steam."

So go ahead & Saran-Wrap a friend's automobile, because April 1 is the only day when that's thought about a light-hearted joke.

Historic April Fools-pranks

In 1996, Taco Bell released a statement announcing the corporation had bought the historic Liberty Bell & had designs to rename it "The Taco Liberty Bell."

Memorable pranks throughout history - information from "Museum of Hoaxes" compiled by curator Alex Boese:

In 2008 BBC released a video of Antarctic flying penguins. BBC explained that the penguins took flight to escape the harsh Antarctic temperatures & travelled to South The united states.

In 1995, the Disney Corporation supposedly made negotiations with the Russian government to buy the body of Communist leader Vladmir Lenin to display in a mausoleum at Euro Disney.

In 1957, a BBC news document featured a document about the harvest of a pasta crop in Switzerland. The document cited the elimination of the "spaghetti weevil" as well as a gentle winter for the Pasta harvest. People actually believed this.

In 1940, a press agent from the Franklin Institute released a statement announcing astronomers discovered the world would finish tomorrow. A radio station broadcast the news, which the public found upsetting.

In 2002, a British grocery store announced it had created a genetically-modified carrot with holes along its side that would permit the vegetable to whistle when fully cooked.

In 1998, Burger King released an commercial announcing their "left-handed Whopper," as a brand spanking new menu item. The ingredients remained the same, but were shifted 180 degrees to accommodate left-handed people.

Andy Mumgons, senior in computer engineering: "I don't have any memory of pranks happening on April Fool's, but it is my dad's birthday on April Fool's Day & no one seems to think me."

April Fools' Day memories:

Brooke Palmer, junior in history: "One year I pranked my grandma & told her I was five times pregnant. He was speechless to be honest. She's a colorful woman, though."

Ashley Skjerping, sophomore in business promotion: "I think I was five times in middle school & I didn't need to go to school that day so I poured a can of soup in to the toilet bowl & told my mom that it was puke. I didn't go to school that day."

Matt Bogaard, junior in animal ecology: "Last year my roommate tried to get my other roommate with the rubber band over the nozzle on the faucet joke. They got me the next morning before class. I had to go class with a wet T-shirt & it was chilled."

By Allison Suesse
Ames247 writer

Tags: april fools day, april fools, april fool s day, april fools pranks

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