Ever wonder why April 1st is the day for being a fool? Well, we have the reason why April Fools Day became a thing.

According to the Midland Reporter-Telegram, the simple reason comes from the National Day Calendar which says April Fools Day comes from the birth of spring and Mother Nature's wishy-washy weather that happens during the month of April.

Traditions of faiths and cultures are also acknowledged as a reason April Fools Day has come about.

In India, the tradition of "Holi" is celebrated on March 31 and is pretty much the same as April Fools Day, as well as the Roman Festival "Hilaria" that is celebrated on March 25.

Now let's look at some epic April Fools Day pranks.

  • The number one prank of all pranks, according to the Museum of Hoaxes, was a prank dubbed the "Swiss Spaghetti Harvest" where a British news show broadcast a segment on April 1, 1957 about a spaghetti harvest in Switzerland. This is believed to be the first time a prank was aired on television.
  • Here in the U.S., on April 1, 1974, a practical joker by the name of Porky Bickar (if you had a name like that wouldn't you be a prankster too?) had hundreds of old tires flown to the long-dormant volcano crater of Mount Edgecumbe and set them on fire to cause a plume of black smoke. This caused the residents of Sitka, Alaska to think the volcano was about to erupt.
  • The most recent prank ranked as one of the best by the Museum of Hoaxes was one The Taco Bell Corporation pulled on April 1, 1996. They took out a full-page ad in six newspapers across the country and announced they had bought the Liberty Bell and would change its name to the Taco Liberty Bell, this caused hundreds of outraged citizens in Philadelphia to call the National Historic Park and express their anger.

So whatever you do on April Fools Day today, make it memorable.

 

 

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