The Origins and Pranks of April Fool's Day
TLDR April Fool's Day may have originated from the Roman festival known as Hilaria or the change in the calendar. It is a day where people play jokes on others, with famous pranks including a spaghetti harvest in Italy and a report about a colony of flying penguins.
Timestamped Summary
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April Fool's Day is a day where people try to trick others, and it occurs on April 1st.
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The origin of April Fool's Day is shrouded in mystery, but it may have originated from the Roman festival known as Hilaria or the change in the calendar.
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April Fool's Day may have originated from making fun of people who still celebrated the New Year on March 25th after the calendar changed in 1582, but there were mentions of things happening on April 1st before the calendar change, so it's unlikely that this was the true origin; instead, April Fool's Day may have originated from April Fish Day in France, where people would play jokes on gullible individuals and pin paper fish on their backs.
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The BBC has a long history of famous April Fool's jokes, including a segment in 1957 about a spaghetti harvest in Italy and a report in 2008 about a newly discovered colony of flying penguins.
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The BBC is not the only one known for April Fool's Day pranks, with examples including an iceberg in Sydney Harbor, a baseball prodigy named Sid Finch, Taco Bell purchasing the Liberty Bell, and Burger King's left-handed whopper.
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The mild winter has resulted in an exceptionally heavy spaghetti crop, which is a concern for spaghetti farmers due to the possibility of a late frost.
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The Swiss spaghetti harvest is a family affair and this year is expected to be a bumper year due to the virtual disappearance of the spaghetti weevil, with the spaghetti being picked, dried, and served fresh at the peak of condition.