All Fools' Day
Don't be deceived. The proper way to spell this day is "April Fools' Day." This spelling has been used since the 1800s. Why? If you understand your apostrophes, then you know that placing the apostrophe after an S indicates a plural. There is not just one fool on this day; there are many tricksters roaming around!
No one knows for sure how April Fools’ Day began, but there are some theories that trace it back to centuries ago. One possible origin is an ancient Roman festival called Hilaria, which took place at the end of March. During this celebration, people would wear costumes and masks and make fun of or mimic others.
A possible origin of this tradition is 16th-century France. Charles IX changed the start of the new year from around Easter and spring festivals, which lasted a week, to January 1. Some people did not know or accept the change and kept celebrating the old new year. Others made fun of them by sticking paper fish on their backs and calling them "poisson d'avril", which means April fish.
In Scotland, a common prank was to send someone on a phony errand called "hunting the gowk," or to attach fake tails or "kick me" signs to their backs without their knowledge.
Some people think that the name "All Fools" was intended as a mocking contrast to All Saints' (November 1) and All Souls' (November 2) Day.
Some people like to take April Fools’ Day to the next level by creating elaborate hoaxes or fake news. Here are some examples:
- In 1905, a German newspaper called Berliner Tageblatt claimed that a group of robbers had tunneled under the U.S. treasury and stolen $268 million worth of silver and gold.
- In 1957, the BBC broadcasted a story about how Swiss farmers had a record harvest of spaghetti, along with a video of people picking noodles from trees. You can watch the video here:
https://lnkd.in/eZKZeaxc
- In 1962, SVT (Sveriges Television) was the only TV station in Sweden that broadcast in black and white, and it announced that viewers could convert their existing sets to display color by pulling a nylon stocking over the screen.
- In 1983, Boston University professor Joseph Boskin created a story about the origin of April Fools’ Day when speaking to an AP reporter. He said the day originated when Roman Emperor Constantine agreed to let one of his jesters, “Kugel,” become “king for a day.” Boskin, of course, made the entire story up.
- In 1985, Sports Illustrated published a fictitious story by George Plimpton about a never-before-heard-of pitching prospect by the name of Sidd Finch, who could throw a baseball 168 miles per hour.
- In 1992, NPR aired an interview with Richard Nixon, in which he declared his intention to run for president again. It was, of course, not Richard Nixon, but rather an actor.
Ref: https://www.almanac.com
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