Close Menu
Interesting FactsInteresting Facts
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Interesting FactsInteresting Facts
    • Home
    • Explore
    • Categories
      • Business
      • Games
      • Geography
      • History
      • Movies
      • Music
      • People
      • Sport
      • Technology
      • TV
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram TikTok YouTube
    Subscribe
    Interesting FactsInteresting Facts
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram TikTok YouTube
    Subscribe
    Home»History»April Fool’s Day: 10 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know

    April Fool’s Day: 10 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know

    Henno KrugerBy Henno Kruger6 Mins Read644 ViewsApril 1, 2022
    Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Copy Link

    Today is April Fool’s Day and today you might be reading some weird and wonderful articles and news stories online. It might seem that you woke up in the middle of an episode of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits. Just remember that not everything you read is the truth today…

    NetfloristOfferforge

    Here are 10 Interesting April Fool’s Day facts you might not have known

    1. Ancient cultures, including those of the Romans and Hindus, celebrated New Year’s Day on or around April 1. It closely follows the vernal equinox (March 20th or March 21st.) In medieval times, much of Europe celebrated March 25, the Feast of Annunciation, as the beginning of the new year.

    2. Ancient cultures, including those of the Romans and Hindus, celebrated New Year’s Day on or around April 1. It closely follows the vernal equinox (March 20th or March 21st.) In medieval times, much of Europe celebrated March 25, the Feast of Annunciation, as the beginning of the new year.

    3. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar (the Gregorian Calendar) to replace the old Julian Calendar. The new calendar called for New Year’s Day to be celebrated on the 1st of January. That year, France adopted the reformed calendar and shifted New Year’s day to the 1st of January.

    According to a popular explanation many people either refused to accept the new date or did not learn about it and continued to celebrate New Year’s Day on April 1. Other people began to make fun of these traditionalists, sending them on “fool’s errands” or trying to trick them into believing something false. Eventually, the practice spread throughout Europe.

    April Fools Day

    4. There are at least 2 difficulties with the previous explanation of April Fool’s Day. The first is that it doesn’t fully account for the spread of April Fools’ Day to other European countries. The Gregorian calendar was not adopted by England until 1752, for example, but April Fools’ Day was already well established there by that point. The second is that we have no direct historical evidence for this explanation, only conjecture, and that conjecture appears to have been made more recently.

    5. Another explanation of the origins of April Fools’ Day was provided by Joseph Boskin, a professor of history at Boston University in the United States. He explained that the practice began during the reign of Constantine, when a group of court jesters and fools told the Roman emperor that they could do a better job of running the empire. Constantine, amused, allowed a jester named Kugel to be king for one day.

    Kugel passed an edict calling for absurdity on that day, and the custom became an annual event. This explanation was brought to the public’s attention in an Associated Press article printed by many newspapers in 1983. There was only one catch: Professor Boskin had made the whole thing up. It took a couple of weeks for the Associated Press to realize that they’d been victims of an April Fools’ joke themselves.

    6. On the 1st of April 1996 the Taco Bell Corporation announced it had bought the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds of outraged citizens called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell was housed to express their anger. Their nerves were only calmed when Taco Bell revealed, a few hours later, that it was all a practical joke. The best line of the day came when White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale. Thinking on his feet, he responded that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold. It would now be known, he said, as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.

    7. On April Fool’s Day in 2008, the BBC announced that camera crews filming near the Antarctic for its natural history series Miracles of Evolution had captured footage of Adélie penguins taking to the air. It even offered a video clip of these flying penguins, which became one of the most viewed videos on the internet. Presenter Terry Jones explained that, instead of huddling together to endure the Antarctic winter, these penguins took to the air and flew thousands of miles to the rainforests of South America where they “spend the winter basking in the tropical sun.” A follow-up video explained how the BBC created the special effects of the flying penguins.

    8. On the 1st of April 1978 a barge appeared in Sydney Harbor (in Australia) towing a giant iceberg. Sydney residents were expecting it. Dick Smith, a local adventurer and millionaire businessman (owner of Dick Smith’s Foods), had been loudly promoting his scheme to tow an iceberg from Antarctica for quite some time. Now he had apparently succeeded.

    He said that he was going to carve the berg into small ice cubes, which he would sell to the public for ten cents each. These well-traveled cubes, fresh from the pure waters of Antarctica, were promised to improve the flavor of any drink they cooled. Slowly the iceberg made its way into the harbor. Local radio stations provided excited blow-by-blow coverage of the scene. Only when the berg was well into the harbor was its secret revealed. It started to rain, and the firefighting foam and shaving cream that the berg was really made of washed away, uncovering the white plastic sheets beneath.

    9. On April Fool’s Day in 1915, in the midst of World War I, a French aviator flew over a German camp and dropped what appeared to be a huge bomb. The German soldiers immediately scattered in all directions, but no explosion followed. After some time, the soldiers crept back and gingerly approached the bomb. They discovered it was actually a large football with a note tied to it that read, “April Fool!”

    Big Ben - April Fool's Day

    10. On April Fool’s Day in 1980 the BBC reported a proposed change to the famous clock tower known as Big Ben. The reporters stated that the clock would go digital.

    Well, there you have it, 10 interesting facts about April Fool’s Day. If I left out something funny or interesting, leave a comment below.

    Hope you all have an excellent Easter Weekend and Happy April Fool’s Day too!

    Watch this space for updates in the History category on Interesting Facts.

    Related articles:

    • Ancient Rome: 25 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know
    • Ancient Egypt: 19 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know
    • The Aztecs: 30 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know
    • The Tower Of London: 16 Interesting Facts You Might Know

    Craving fresh facts in your Inbox? Get Factual! Subscribe To Our Newsletter.

    Feel free to explore our website.

    NetfloristOfferforge

    Looking for a gift for that special person in your life? Check out Netflorist.co.za, South Africa's top online florist and gift service. They offer flowers, gifts, and hampers for all occasions AND reliable nationwide delivery.

    Latest News

    Loading posts...
    April Fool's Day Holidays
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Copy Link
    Next Article The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster: 10 Facts You Might Not Know
    Henno Kruger
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • X (Twitter)
    • Instagram

    Founder and owner of Running Wolf's Rant, Interesting Facts and SA Music Zone.

    1 Comment

    1. Interesting Facts on February 6, 2025 13:20

      @followers

      Reply
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    NetfloristOfferforge
    Categories
    More History Facts
    Jim Morrison - Dead in 1971
    June 12, 2025

    24 Notable Events in 1971

    4,440 Views7 Mins Read
    Mount Saint Helens in 1980
    May 26, 2022

    20 Notable Events in 1980

    2,808 Views5 Mins Read
    Star Wars in 1977
    July 29, 2023

    22 Notable Events in 1977

    9,203 Views5 Mins Read
    VHS in 1976
    May 23, 2022

    20 Notable Events in 1976

    5,783 Views5 Mins Read
    More Facts
    Reykjavík - Iceland
    August 6, 2025

    Iceland: 25 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know

    23 Views6 Mins Read
    The Disciple
    February 21, 2023

    The Disciple: 10 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know

    458 Views3 Mins Read
    Springboks
    September 14, 2025

    The Springboks: 38 Interesting Facts you might not know

    3,616 Views7 Mins Read
    The Police Band in 1983
    February 2, 2023

    The Police: 10 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know

    1,171 Views3 Mins Read
    Leigh Avenue
    Follow Us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
    Recent Comments
    • David Devo Oosthuizen on Celeste Swift: 10 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know
    • David Devo Oosthuizen on Celeste Swift: 10 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know
    • David Devo Oosthuizen on Celeste Swift: 10 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know
    Subscribe to Our Newsletter

    Let's Get factual!

    Get fresh facts via email

    Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram TikTok
    © 2025 Interesting Facts - Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.