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Few days back was April Fool's Day which is a yearly holiday observed on the 1st of April. Its origins are not entirely clear, but there are several theories about how the holiday began.
One theory suggests that April Fool's Day dates back to the 16th century when the Julian calendar was replaced with the Gregorian calendar in France.
The new calendar moved the start of the year from April 1st to January 1st. People who continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1st were mocked and became the butt of jokes and pranks.
Another theory suggests that April Fool's Day may have originated from ancient Roman festivals, such as Hilaria, which was held at the end of March and involved people dressing up in costumes and playing pranks on each other.
Regardless of its origin, the holiday has evolved over time and is now observed in many countries around the world.
On April Fool's Day, people play pranks and practical jokes on each other, such as telling outrageous lies, sending fake emails or text messages, and setting up fake events or activities.
The most famous "April Fool's" hoaxes in history:
"Noodles grow on trees."
On April 1, 1957, the BBC TV show Panorama showed a segment on the Swiss "spaghetti harvest", telling them to enjoy a "fun year" thanks to the mild weather and the eradication of the spaghetti weevil.
"The fastest baseball player of all time"
George Plimpton, long considered a satirist, invented the story of New York Mets pitcher Siddhartha Finch for Sports Illustrated, and the story of Finch, who could pitch a ball at 168 miles per hour, was published in the magazine's April 1 issue. 1985.
"Redefinition of the number (pi)"
The number "pi" presents a huge challenge.. How can anyone work with an infinite number, which goes on and on? Allegedly, Alabama lawmakers thought so, so they passed a law in 1998 that redefined the number... 3.14159, simply to 3. Although the news was a hoax by a man named Mark Boslog, it was widely spread and believed by many.
"toilet paper for left-handed people"
Why should the right hand be closer to the clean one? In 2015, Cottonelle tweeted that it was giving away toilet paper to left-handed people. Which made few people believe the news.
Big Ben has gone digital.
Brits are masters of April Fool's, and in 1980 the BBC Foreign Service said the legendary clock was in the process of being updated. The joke didn't go over well, forcing the BBC to issue an apology.
"Want color TV? Try nylon stockings."
In other television-related jokes, in 1962 Sweden's national network hired a technical expert who told audiences that its black-and-white broadcast could be rendered in color simply by watching through nylon stockings.
"Drink (Google Ghalib)"
In 2005, Google said it was branching out with a new drink: "Google Gulp" that would help "maximize the improvement of the cerebral cortex to feel grateful soon," and, well, low-carb!
"don't drink and surf"
In 1994, PC Magazine published an article about a bill making its way through Congress banning drunken Internet use. Although the name of the person in charge is "Lirpa Sloof" and if you read the name from the back it says it all (April Fool's Day... End of article). Many people took that story seriously. However, perhaps The bill, fake or not, wasn't a bad idea.
It's important to note that while April Fool's Day is meant to be a fun and harmless holiday, it's always a good idea to make sure that the pranks and jokes you play on others are not hurtful or malicious.
By the 19th century, April Fools' Day had become a mainstay of American culture, and Mark Twain said, "April 1st is the day we remember who we are in the other 364 days of the year." may be that's the best description of the that day.
Source: Agencies - https://ar.rt.com/v1oq