Plan ahead to make sure everything will go as you desire.Ĭonsider whether the prank will be taken as a joke and not be interpreted as mean.Pranks should be harmless – both mentally (doesn’t embarrass or cause stress) and physically (shouldn’t hurt the person or property around them).Ĭhoose someone who will know it is a joke quickly.Īt home, you will have a lot more options then out where you have less control over the environment or who might observe. On April 1, 2014, NPR published an article titled “Why Doesn’t America Read Anymore?” The post sparked heated debate on social media - particularly among those who neglected to actually click on the link.The art of a good prank is to surprise someone with an unexpected event that will cause a reaction that immediately turns positive when they realize it is a joke. In 1992, the show Talk of the Nation ran a hoax story in which Richard Nixon - played by Rich Little - announced he was running for president again with the slogan “I didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.” One of the more famous pranks occurred in 1957, when the BBC aired a segment showing Swiss harvesters picking spaghetti off trees and bushes, claiming the region had had “an exceptionally heavy spaghetti crop” that year. Treasury and stolen $268 million in silver and gold. On April 1, 1905, for example, a German newspaper wrote that thieves had dug a tunnel underneath the U.S. Newspapers, radio, TV stations and websites have all participated in the tradition, making April 1 a day where everyone truly needs to be on their guard. The tradition has evolved over the years with modern forms of media upping the ante on pranks and tricks. ![]() And so, it is kept in Germany everywhere.”Įven in 1760 there was speculation as to the origins of the holiday, with a line in Poor Robin’s Almanac reading: Scholars say one of the first mentions of an April Fools’ Day in English appears in John Aubrey’s 1686 book Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme, which reads, in part: “We observe it on the first of April. The servant eventually realizes that these are “fool’s errands” because the date is April 1. In the poem, a nobleman sends his servant out on a series of wild errands. In 1561, an early, clear-cut reference to April Fools’ Day appears in a Flemish poem written by Eduard de Dene. In other words, an “April fish” was more gullible than fish caught in other seasons. The phrase itself doesn’t necessarily mean there was a holiday on April 1, but the idea of the “April fish” is that fish were more plentiful in the spring and thus easier to catch. One of the first known references to this term, “ poisson d’avril,” is found in a 1508 poem written by Eloy d’Amerval. Some pranks included having a paper fish placed on a person’s back as they were called “ poisson d’avril,” or “April fish.” Those who continued to celebrate in the spring were often ridiculed and made the butt of jokes. News traveled slowly back then, and not everyone knew about or was willing to change when to celebrate the new year. By switching to the Gregorian calendar, the new year would now begin on Jan. The Julian calendar began in March with the spring equinox and was celebrated until April 1. ![]() Other historians believe April Fools’ Day has its origins in the 16th century, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. Some gullible “fish” might also explain the tradition It’s also possible that the medieval celebration of the Feast of Fools, where a mock bishop or pope was elected and church customs were parodied, could have inspired the day. It was a celebration of renewal in which revelers would dress up in disguises and imitate others. Some historians have linked April Fools’ Day to the ancient Roman festival of “Hilaria,” where at the end of March, people would come together to commemorate the resurrection of the god Attis. Nobody seems to know its true origins.įor one thing, we do know that April Fools’ Day customs date back to at least Renaissance Europe, but it’s likely the tradition originated long before then. ![]() WASHINGTON (NPR) – Ever wonder where April Fools’ Day came from? Well, surprise! The joke’s on you. April Fools’ Day might be the world’s longest-running joke.
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