April Fools' Day

April Fools' Day

How did April Fools' Day start and what are some famous pranks?

The annual day of jokes, pranks and tricks falls on April 1 each year, but no one is quite sure how the tradition started. Some believe it dates back to the 16th century when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, moving New Year's Day from late March to January 1. Those who continued to celebrate the old New Year's date were called "April fools" and were often the victims of pranks.

Today, April Fools' Day is celebrated around the world with various jokes and hoaxes. Some famous pranks include the BBC's 1957 broadcast of a spaghetti tree harvest, Taco Bell's 1996 ad announcing they had purchased the Liberty Bell and would rename it the Taco Liberty Bell, and Google's 2007 launch of Gmail with 1GB of storage, which was initially believed to be a joke.