If you hear weird stories or see strange things on Tuesday, April 1, be suspicious. It’s April Fools’ Day!

Lots of people get into the spirit of fun on this holiday. Your family and friends might play silly tricks. Even serious groups such as NASA and the news media play tricks that day.

The important thing to remember is that April Fools’ Day tricks should all be friendly. If someone could be embarrassed or hurt, it’s not funny, and it’s not in the spirit of April Fools’ Day.

How did it start?

Many cultures have a day for fun and jokes, and often those days come in the early spring. Experts believe April Fools’ Day may have started in France in the 1500s.

At that time in France, many people celebrated the new year around April 1. In 1564, the king moved the new year to Jan. 1. A new calendar was developed in 1582.

When the calendar changed, people got confused. There were no daily newspapers, internet or TV back then. It took a while for news to get around.

People who hadn’t heard the news showed up on April 1 for New Year’s celebrations. Those in the know called them fools and played tricks on them. For example, tricksters would send them to New Year’s parties that didn’t exist.

April Fish

The French call April Fools’ Day Le Poisson d’Avril (PWAW-sown dah-VRIL), or April Fish. Experts are not sure why fish became part of April Fools’ Day. Some believe it’s because young, inexperienced fish are easily caught.

On April 1, French kids stick pictures of fish on people’s backs.

Joking around

In the 1800s, students in many parts of the United States played April Fools’ jokes on their teachers. Sometimes all the students would run into the woods before school started and stay out until lunchtime. In other places, all the students would rush into the school, locking the teacher out.

The media of the times got into the act too. In 1878, a year after Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, a New York newspaper printed an April Fools’ story about him. They reported that Edison had invented a “food creator” that could turn dirt into cereal. Many newspapers reprinted the story, thinking it was true.

Mini Fact: In 2017, on April 1, Burger King announced a new Whopperflavored toothpaste.

Famous pranks

The British Broadcasting Corp., or BBC, produces many serious news shows, nature shows and dramas. It is also known for its April Fools’ jokes.

In 1957, the BBC played one of the most famous April Fools’ jokes of all time. The BBC news carried a story about the great spaghetti crop in Switzerland that year. It showed farmers pulling spaghetti noodles from trees. Reporters said farmers had developed plants that would produce noodles that were all the same length.

In 1980, the BBC announced that London’s famous Big Ben clock would be updated to a digital format and would be known as Digital Dave. The bongs of the famous bells would be replaced with digital beeps. Many people called the BBC in anger about the proposed “update.”

Resources

On the Web:

• bit.ly/MPpranks At the library:

• “Pranklopedia: The Funniest, Grossest, Craziest, Not-Mean Pranks on the Planet!” by Julie Winterbottom photo by malavoda