April Fools' Day: Difference between revisions

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Rex or pgk: what is wrong w/ this page? After this i will stop

Unlike most of the other nonfoolish holidays, the history of April Fool's Day, sometimes called All Fool's Day, is not totally clear. There really wasn't a "first April Fool's Day" that can be pinpointed on the calendar. Some believe it sort of evolved simultaneously in several cultures at the same time, from celebrations involving the first day of spring.

The closest point in time that can be identified as the beginning of this tradition was in 1582, in France. Prior to that year, the new year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25. The celebration culminated on April 1. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, the Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year's Day was moved to January 1.

However, communications being what they were in the days when news traveled by foot, many people did not receive the news for several years. Others, the more obstinate crowd, refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the new year on April 1. These backward folk were labeled as "fools" by the general populace. They were subject to some ridicule, and were often sent on "fools errands" or were made the butt of other practical jokes.

This harassment evolved, over time, into a tradition of prank-playing on the first day of April. The tradition eventually spread to England and Scotland in the eighteenth century. It was later introduced to the American colonies of both the English and French. April Fool's Day thus developed into an international fun fest, so to speak, with different nationalities specializing in their own brand of humor at the expense of their friends and families.

In Scotland, for example, April Fool's Day is actually celebrated for two days. The second day is devoted to pranks involving the posterior region of the body. It is called Taily Day. The origin of the "kick me" sign can be traced to this observance.

Mexico's counterpart of April Fool's Day is actually observed on December 28. Originally, the day was a sad remembrance of the slaughter of the innocent children by King Herod. It eventually evolved into a lighter commemoration involving pranks and trickery.

Pranks performed on April Fool's Day range from the simple, (such as saying, "Your shoe's untied!), to the elaborate. Setting a roommate's alarm clock back an hour is a common gag. Whatever the prank, the trickster usually ends it by yelling to his victim, "April Fool!"

Practical jokes are a common practice on April Fool's Day. Sometimes, elaborate practical jokes are played on friends or relatives that last the entire day. The news media even gets involved. For instance, a British short film once shown on April Fool's Day was a fairly detailed documentary about "spaghetti farmers" and how they harvest their crop from the spaghetti trees.

April Fool's Day is a "for-fun-only" observance. Nobody is expected to buy gifts or to take their "significant other" out to eat in a fancy restaurant. Nobody gets off work or school. It's simply a fun little holiday, but a holiday on which one must remain forever vigilant, for he may be the next April Fool!

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+Rex or pgk: what is wrong w/ this page? After this i will stop
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-'''April Fool's Day''' or '''All Fools' Day''', though not a [[holiday]] in its own right, is a notable day celebrated in many countries on [[April 1]]. The day is marked by the commission of [[hoax]]es and other [[practical joke]]s of varying sophistication on friends and neighbours, or sending them on [[snipe hunt|fools' errands]], the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible. In some countries, April Fool's jokes (also called "April fools") must only be made before [[noon|midday]]. <ref>[[BBC]] [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A516791 article]</ref>
+Unlike most of the other nonfoolish holidays, the history of April Fool's Day, sometimes called All Fool's Day, is not totally clear. There really wasn't a "first April Fool's Day" that can be pinpointed on the calendar. Some believe it sort of evolved simultaneously in several cultures at the same time, from celebrations involving the first day of spring.
-== Origin ==
-The origin of this custom has been much disputed, and many theories have been suggested, ''e.g.'' that it is a farcical commemoration of [[Jesus|Christ]] being sent from [[Theophilus ben Ananus|Annas]] to Caiaphas, from [[Caiaphas]] to Pilate, from [[Pontius Pilate|Pilate]] to Herod, and from [[Herod Antipas|Herod]] back again to Pilate, the [[crucifixion]] having taken place about the 1st of April.
+The closest point in time that can be identified as the beginning of this tradition was in 1582, in France. Prior to that year, the new year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25. The celebration culminated on April 1. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, the Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year's Day was moved to January 1.
-What seems certain is that it is in some way or other a relic of those once universal festivities held at the [[vernal equinox]], which, beginning on old New Year's day, the 25th of March, ended on the 1st of April.
+However, communications being what they were in the days when news traveled by foot, many people did not receive the news for several years. Others, the more obstinate crowd, refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the new year on April 1. These backward folk were labeled as "fools" by the general populace. They were subject to some ridicule, and were often sent on "fools errands" or were made the butt of other practical jokes.
-It has been suggested that Europe derived its April-fooling from the French <ref>[[University of Kansas]] [http://www3.kumc.edu/diversity/other/aprlfool.html]</ref>. They were the first nation to adopt the reformed [[Gregorian calendar]], [[Charles IX of France|Charles IX]] in 1564 decreeing that the year should begin with the 1st of January. Thus the [[New Year]]'s gifts and visits of felicitation which had been the feature of the 1st of April became associated with the first day of January, and those who disliked or did not hear about the change were fair game for those wits who amused themselves by sending mock presents and paying calls of pretended ceremony on the 1st of April. However, it is unlikely that this explanation of April Fool's Day’s origin is correct. Well before 1582, when King Charles IX of France brought in the new Gregorian calendar, French and Dutch references from respectively 1508 and 1539 describe April Fool's Day jokes and the custom of making them on the first of April.
+This harassment evolved, over time, into a tradition of prank-playing on the first day of April. The tradition eventually spread to England and Scotland in the eighteenth century. It was later introduced to the American colonies of both the English and French. April Fool's Day thus developed into an international fun fest, so to speak, with different nationalities specializing in their own brand of humor at the expense of their friends and families.
-Though the 1st of April appears to have been anciently observed in [[Great Britain]] as a general festival, it was apparently not until the beginning of the 18th century that the making of April-fools was a common custom. In Scotland the custom was known as "hunting the gowk," ''i.e.'' the cuckoo, and April-fools were "April-gowks," the cuckoo being there, as it is in most lands, a term of contempt. In France the person fooled is known as ''poisson d'avril''. This has been explained from the association of ideas arising from the fact that in April the sun quits the [[zodiac|zodiacal]] sign of the fish. A far more natural explanation would seem to be that the April fish would be a young fish and therefore easily caught.
+In Scotland, for example, April Fool's Day is actually celebrated for two days. The second day is devoted to pranks involving the posterior region of the body. It is called Taily Day. The origin of the "kick me" sign can be traced to this observance.
-The Dutch have their own reason. Back in 1572, the [[Netherlands]] were still ruled by [[Spain]]'s King [[Phillip II]]. There were roaming Dutch rebels who called themselves [[Geuzen]], after the [[French language|French]] "gueux", meaning beggars. On April 1, 1572, they took a small coastal town called [[Den Briel]]. This event was also the start of the general civil rising against the Spanish in other cities in the Netherlands. [[Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba|General Alva]] of the Spanish army could not do much. Bril is the Dutch word for glasses, so on April 1, 1572, "Alva lost his glasses". Dutch people find this joke so hilarious they still commemorate the first of April.
+Mexico's counterpart of April Fool's Day is actually observed on December 28. Originally, the day was a sad remembrance of the slaughter of the innocent children by King Herod. It eventually evolved into a lighter commemoration involving pranks and trickery.
-In 1400, Chaucer refers to March 32 (April 1) in the Nun's Priest's Tale,  [[Chanticleer and the Fox]], which is a story of a rooster and a fox, both made fools of by their pride.
+Pranks performed on April Fool's Day range from the simple, (such as saying, "Your shoe's untied!), to the elaborate. Setting a roommate's alarm clock back an hour is a common gag. Whatever the prank, the trickster usually ends it by yelling to his victim, "April Fool!"
-== Hoaxes ==
-Many [[Mass media|media]] organizations have either unwittingly or deliberately propagated hoaxes on April Fools' Day. Even normally serious news media consider April Fools' Day hoaxes fair game and spotting them has become an annual pastime. A number of serious journals would publish hoax articles in their April volumes.
+Practical jokes are a common practice on April Fool's Day. Sometimes, elaborate practical jokes are played on friends or relatives that last the entire day. The news media even gets involved. For instance, a British short film once shown on April Fool's Day was a fairly detailed documentary about "spaghetti farmers" and how they harvest their crop from the spaghetti trees.
-The advent of the [[Internet]] as a worldwide communications medium has also assisted the pranksters in their work.
-This is an example of an Internet April Fool: "[[Frodo (chimpanzee)|Frodo]] of [[Gombe Streams National Park|Gombe]] is to head [[Roman Catholic Church sex abuse cases|child protection]] in the [[Roman Catholic Church]]." [http://www.iidb.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=160653]
+April Fool's Day is a "for-fun-only" observance. Nobody is expected to buy gifts or to take their "significant other" out to eat in a fancy restaurant. Nobody gets off work or school. It's simply a fun little holiday, but a holiday on which one must remain forever vigilant, for he may be the next April Fool!
-== Well-known hoaxes ==
-* '''Alabama Changes the Value of Pi''': The April 1998 newsletter of [[New Mexicans for Science and Reason]] contained an article claiming that the [[Alabama legislature]] had voted to change the value of the mathematical constant [[pi]] to the "Biblical value" of 3.0. This claim originally appeared as a news story in the 1961 sci-fi classic "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert A. Heinlein.
-* '''[[Spaghetti tree]]s''': The [[BBC]] television programme ''[[Panorama (British television series)|Panorama]]'' ran a famous hoax in 1957, showing the [[Swiss]] harvesting [[spaghetti]] from trees. A large number of people contacted the BBC wanting to know how to cultivate their own spaghetti trees.
-*'''[[South Park]]''': April 1st was advertised as being the premiere of the show's second season-and also the resolution of a cliffhanger where [[Eric Cartman]] was about to discover the identity of his father. Fans spent weeks speculating on the father's identity, but when they tuned in to the episode, they were instead treated to a half-hour of Terrance and Phillip fart jokes. The true resolution to the cliffhanger aired several weeks later. The show's creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone claim during the DVD introduction to this episode that they received death threats over pulling the prank, although there were not any police reports to  prove this.
-* '''Left Handed Whoppers''': In 1998, [[Burger King]] ran an ad in [[USA Today]], saying that people could get a Whopper for left-handed people whose condiments were designed to drip out the right side.
-* '''[[Taco Liberty Bell]]''': In 1996, [[Taco Bell]] took out a full-page advertisement in ''[[The New York Times]]'' announcing that they had purchased the [[Liberty Bell]] to "reduce the country's debt" and renamed it the "Taco Liberty Bell."  When asked about the sale, White House press secretary [[Mike McCurry]] replied with tongue in cheek that the [[Lincoln Memorial]] had also been sold and would henceforth be known as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.
-* '''[http://www.laweekly.com/ink/98/18/first-dare.php Lies to Get You Out of the House]''' In 1985, the ''[[L.A. Weekly]]'' printed an entire page of fake things to do on April Fools day, which hundreds of people were suckered in by.
-* '''[[Kremvax]]''': In 1984, in one of the earliest on-line hoaxes, a message was circulated that [[Usenet]] had been opened to users in the [[Soviet Union]].
-* '''[[San Serriffe]]''': ''[[The Guardian]]'' printed a supplement in 1977 praising this fictional resort, its two main islands (Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse), its capital ([[Bodoni]]), and its leader (General Pica).  Intrigued readers were later disappointed to learn that [[sans serif]] did not exist except as references to typeface terminology.
-* '''FBI Crackdowns on [[copyright infringement|On-line File Sharing]] of Music''':  Such announcements on April Fools Day have become common.
-* '''[[Metric time]]''': Repeated several times in various countries, this hoax involves claiming that the time system will be changed to one where units of time vary by powers of 10.
-* '''[[Smell-o-vision]]''':  In 1965, the [[BBC]] purported to conduct a trial of a new technology allowing the transmission of [[odor]] over the airwaves to all viewers.  Many viewers reportedly contacted the BBC to report the trial's success.
-* '''[[Tower of Pisa]]''': The [[The Netherlands|Dutch]] [[television]] news reported once in the 1950s that the Tower of Pisa had fallen. Many shocked people contacted the station.
-* '''Wrapping Televisions in Foil''': In another year, the Dutch television news reported that the government had new technology to detect unlicensed televisions (in many European countries,  television license fees fund public broadcasting), but that wrapping a television  in [[aluminium foil]] could prevent its detection.
-* '''Breast Exams by Satellite''': In the 1990's, [[Portugal|Portuguese]] national television network [[RTP]] announced the Ministry of Health would perform free breast exams by satellite, causing thousands of women to go out topless.
-* '''[[Sidd Finch]]''': [[George Plimpton]] wrote a 1985 article in ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' about a [[New York Mets]] prospect who could throw a 168 mph [[fastball]] with pinpoint accuracy. This kid, known as "Barefoot" Sidd[hartha] Finch, reportedly learned to pitch in a [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] monastery.
-* '''[[Assassination]] of [[Bill Gates]]''': Many [[China|Chinese]] and [[South Korea|South Korean]] websites claimed that [[CNN]] reported Bill Gates, the founder of [[Microsoft]], was assassinated.
-* '''[[Write Only Memory]]''': [[Signetics]] advertised Write Only Memory [[Integrated circuit|IC]] databooks in 1972 through the late 1970s.
-* '''''[[Wheel of Fortune]]''/''[[Jeopardy!]]'' Double Switch''':  In 1997, [[Pat Sajak]], the host of ''Wheel of Fortune'', traded hosting duties with ''Jeopardy!'s'' [[Alex Trebek]] for one show.  In addition to Sajak hosting ''Jeopardy!'', he and co-host [[Vanna White]] appeared as contestants on the episode of ''Wheel'' hosted by Trebek.  White's position was filled by Sajak's wife Leslie.
-* '''[[Comic strip switcheroo]]''': [[Cartoonists]] of popularly syndicated comic strips draw each others' strips.  In some cases, the artist draws characters in the other strip's milieu, while in others, the artist draws in characters from other visiting characters from his own.  Cartoonists have done this sort of "switcheroo" for several years. The 1997 switch was particularly widespread.
-* '''''[[The Trouble with Tracy]]''''': In 2003, [[The Comedy Network]] in [[Canada]] announced that it would produce and air a remake of the 1970s Canadian [[sitcom]] ''The Trouble with Tracy.'' The original series is widely considered to be one of the worst sitcoms ever produced. Several media outlets fell for the hoax.
-* '''National Television Station (TVM) in [[Malta]]''': In 1995, [[TVM]] announced the discovery of a new underground prehistoric temple with a [[mummy]]. Another year, TVM  announced that Malta would adopt the European continent convention of driving on the right-hand side of the road.
-*'''Free wine for all''':The Norwegian newspaper "Bergens Tidende" announced in 1987 that the state's alcohol monopoly had 10,000 litres of illegally smuggled wine that had been confiscated. The inhabitants of Bergen were invited to the main store in town to receive their share of the goods, rather than to spill good wine down the drain. That morning staff were met by about 200 men & women with bottles, buckets, and other suitable vessels for carrying the prized goods.  Legislation in Norway causes alcohol to be relatively expensive and have limited availability.
-*'''Rain drop power''': On April 1st 2006 Norwegian media had a one-page story concerning "rain drop power", which could replace oil as a primary energy source.  One could write to the energy company BKK in Bergen in order to be a volunteer and receive the power generated for free.
-* The Canadian news site [[bourque.org]] announced in 2002 that [[Minister of Finance (Canada)|Finance Minister]] [[Paul Martin]] had resigned "in order to breed prize Charolais cattle and handsome Fawn Runner ducks."
-* '''SARS Infects Hong Kong''': In 2003 during the time when [[Hong Kong]] is seriously hit by [[Severe acute respiratory syndrome|SARS]], it was rumored that many people in Hong Kong had become infected with SARS and become uncontrolled, that all immigration ports would be closed to quarantine the region, and that [[Tung Chee Hwa]], the [[Chief Executive of Hong Kong]] at that time, had resigned. Hong Kong supermarkets were immediately overwhelmed by panicked shoppers.  The Hong Kong government held a press conference to deny the rumor. The rumor, which was intended as an April Fool's prank, was started by a student by imitating the design of [[Ming Pao]] newspaper website. He was charged for this incident. <br>([http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200304/01/0401187.htm Announcement of Hong Kong Government denying this rumor])
-* '''China Decapitates Taiwan''': In 2005, an undergraduate nicknamed [[SkyMirage]], who was well-known in Taiwan for his humor, fabricated a series of news that China's airforce was bombarding Office of President, Taiwan.
-* '''Water on Mars''':  In 2005 a news story was posted on the official [[NASA]] website purporting to have pictures of water on [[Mars]].  The picture actually was just a picture of a glass of water on a Mars Candy Bar.
-* '''[http://www.bmweducation.co.uk/coFacts/view.asp?docID=49&topicID=5 Annual BMW Innovations]''' see a new ''"cutting-edge invention"'' by '''[[BMW]]''' advertised across [[United Kingdom|British]] newspapers every year, examples including:
-**Warning against counterfeit BMWs: the blue and white parts of the logo were reversed
-**The ''"Toot and Calm Horn"'' (after [[Tutankhamun]]), which calms rather than aggravates other drivers, so reducing the risk of road rage,
-**[[MINI]] cars being used in upcoming space missions to [[Mars]],
-**''[http://www.bmweducation.co.uk/coFacts/linkDocs/bmwNoFlies.asp IDS ("Insect Deflector Screen") Technology]'' - using elastic solutions to bounce insects off the windscreen as you drive,
-**''[http://www.bmweducation.co.uk/coFacts/linkDocs/bmwShefTech.asp SHEF ("Satellite Hypersensitive Electromagnetic Foodration") Technology]'', which sees the car's GPS systems synchronise with home appliances to perfectly cook a meal for the instant you return home,
-**''[http://www.bmweducation.co.uk/coFacts/linkDocs/bmwMarqueWiper.asp Marque-Wiper]'' - mini-wipers for each exterior "BMW" logo coming as standard on all future models,
-**''[http://www.bmweducation.co.uk/coFacts/linkDocs/bmwWheel.asp "Uninventing the wheel"]'' to counter the "[[European Union|EU]] ban" on right-hand drive cars, and
-** ''[http://www.bmweducation.co.uk/coFacts/linkDocs/bmwCameraLies.asp Zoom Impression Pixels ("ZIP")] to counter new ''[http://www.slowcameras.com/ "Slow Cameras"]''.
-* '''[[Sheng Long]]''' - [[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'s infamous hoax of a secret character in [[Street Fighter II]].
-** There have been several other EGM pranks that readers have fallen into.  Among them: claiming that some Street Fighter II characters possessed unlisted special moves, including [[Chun-Li]] hurling her bracelets at an opponent, Sega mascots Sonic and Tails appearing as playable characters in [[Super Smash Bros. Melee]], and the release of a graphically-remade [[The Legend of Zelda:  The Wind Waker]] as a preorder bonus.  All such pranks have been met with praise and equal hatred from its readers, as can be seen in the "April Fools" letters section in the May issue.
-** EGM tried the Sheng Long hoax again with [[Street Fighter III]] and once again got some people to believe it.
-* '''Coldplay to back the Tories''' - On April 1 2006 the UK [[The Guardian|Guardian]] journalist "Olaf Priol" claimed that [[Chris Martin]] of [[rock band]] [[Coldplay]] had decided to publicly support the UK [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] leader [[David Cameron]] due to his disillusionment with current [[New Labour]] [[prime minister]] [[Tony Blair]] [http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1744447,00.html], even going so far as to produce a fake song, "Talk to David", that could be downloaded via the Guardian website [http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-audio/Guardian/audio/2006/03/31/talk_to_david.mp3]. despite being an obvious hoax, the Labour Party's Media Monitoring Unit were concerned enough to circulate the story throughout "most of the government" [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,,1745033,00.html].
-===By radio stations===
-* '''Death of a mayor''': In 1998, local [[shock jocks]] [[Opie and Anthony]] reported that [[Boston]] mayor  [[Thomas Menino]] had been killed in a car accident. Menino happened to be on a flight at the time, lending truth to the prank as he could not be reached. The rumor spread quickly across the city, eventually causing news stations to issue alerts denying the hoax. The pair were fired shortly thereafter.
-* '''Free concert''': Radio station 98.1 KISS in [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]] falsely announced in 2003 that rapper [[Eminem]] would be doing a free show in a discount store parking lot.  Several police were needed to deal with traffic gridlock and enraged listeners who threatened to harm the DJs responsible.  Both DJs were later jailed for creating a [[public nuisance]]. Also, radio station WAAF 107.3 in Boston announced that [[Pearl Jam]] was having a free concert in fictional city in [[New Hampshire]]. A gas station in New Hampshire reported that several streams of car drivers stopped in asking for directions to the fictional town.
-* '''New format''': Radio station KFOG in [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], claiming new corporate ownership, switched to a new format - the best 15 seconds of every song.  All morning they mixed in false calls from perky listeners calling with compliments.  This hoax can also be considered a [[parody]] of late 1990s [[media consolidation]]s.
-*'''New format''': in 2006, radio station KOSY in [[Salt Lake City, Utah]], switched to a new format of year-round [[Christmas music]].
-*'''New format''': On March 29th, 2006 95.5 [[WBRU]], an [[alternative rock]] station in [[Providence, RI]] announced that they were being bought out, and would cease operations by 5 PM on Friday, March 31st.  Soon after WBRU went off the air, [[Buddy FM]], a parody of the [[Jack FM]] radio format, began broadcasting random pop and techno music along with occasional pre-recorded station bumps until a mock takeover was staged by WBRU [[DJs]] at 12:16 PM on April 1st. The prank continued in some form until roughly 4:09:37 PM, April 1st.
-* '''Sydney Olympics''': [[Australia]]n radio station [[Triple J]] breakfast show co-host [[Adam Spencer]] announced in 1999 that he had a journalist on the line at the site of a secret [[International Olympic Committee|IOC]] meeting and that Sydney had lost the [[2000 Summer Olympics]].  [[New South Wales]] [[Premier]] [[Bob Carr (Australian politician)|Bob Carr]] was also in on the joke.  Mainstream media (including [[Nine Network|Channel 9's]] ''Today Show'') picked up the story.
-* '''Defying gravity''': In 1976, British astronomer [[Sir Patrick Moore]] told listeners of [[BBC Radio Two|BBC Radio 2]] that unique alignment of two planets would result in an upward gravitational pull  making people lighter at precisely 9:47 a.m. that day. He invited his audience to jump in the air and experience "a strange floating sensation." Dozens of listeners phoned in to say the experiment had worked.
-* '''Shuttle landing''': In 1993, a San Diego radio station fooled many listeners into believing that the space shuttle had been diverted from [[Edwards Air Force Base]] and was about to make an emergency landing at a small local airport.
-* '''Cancellation of the Howard Stern Show''': The April 1st, 2004 show started off with an announcement by the station manager stating that due to increased pressure from the [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]], [[Viacom]] had cancelled the [[Howard Stern Show]].  The station played pop songs until 7:00 am, when Stern came back on.
-* '''Change of drinking age''': On the [[Gold Coast, Queensland|Gold Coast]], Australia's biggest tourist destination (particularly amongst [[Schoolies Week|schoolies]]), radio station [[Sea FM]] announced the drinking age would be changed from 18 to 21. This left a huge number of under-21s angry and frustrated, and incited protests. It was later announced at the Sea FM dance party that it was a hoax.
-* '''Second Audio Program (SAP)''':  In 2005, [[Micky Dolenz]] told listeners WCBS-FM was broadcasting in foreign languages, and they could make use of the SAP Language control. Callers to the radio station were told that if you didn't have an SAP button, then twist the antenna a bit.
-* '''End of the Lockout''': In 2005, on Vancouver's 99.3 the fox, they announced at around 7:30 in the morning that the NHL lockout was over and a new Collective Bargaining Agreement had been reached. Half an hour later they admitted the joke and then proceeded to play numerous phonecalls from disgruntled listeners for another hour.
-===By television stations===
-*In April 2006, the "[[Best Damn Sports Show Period]]" staged a fight between [[Tom Arnold]] and [[Michael Strahan]]. On Friday March 31st the show went off the air as Tom Arnold was wrestling NY Giant's defensive end Michael Strahan to the ground over comments Tom made in a tell-all book. Strahan pretended to be very hurt by screaming and clutching his shoulder as the cameras cut to black. It fooled cast members Rodney Peete and Rob Dibble enough to have them interject in the fight. Rodney Peete went so far as to give Tom rabbit punches while he broke up what he thought was a real fight. It also worked enough to fool the popular internet site "deadspin.com" into reporting it as a real event.
-* The [[TSR]] (Télévision Suisse Romande), on April Fool's Day every year, they will broadcast a totally ridiculous report, usually at the end of the 19.30 news. (e.g., in 2005, it was that instead of being helicoptered when you are injured whilst skiing, you are parapented.  In 2006, it was that the town of [[Fribourg]] was planning to make people to relase their handbrakes in designated areas, so that if the parking space was too tight, all you would have to do was to call for the police and they would push the car.)
-* In 2006, the night-time channel [[Adult Swim]] significantly changed its programming. [[Inuyasha]] was replaced by the 1980s cartoon [[Karate Kommandos]] starring [[Chuck Norris]], while [[Neon Genesis Evangelion]] was replaced by [[Boo Boo Runs Wild]] and [[Cowboy Bebop]] was replaced by the [[Mr. T#Acting roles and work|Mr. T]] animated series. [[Full Metal Alchemist]] and [[Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG]] had their episodes edited so characters farted throughout the show, although they showed an unedited version of the Ghost in the Shell episode later in the night. There was no prank in 2005 because it fell on a friday, but in 2004, [[mustache]]s were drawn on characters during the shows.
-* In 1989, [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]] area [[TV]] program ''[[Almost Live!]]'' set up a [[phony]] broadcast room and dressed up actors as TV anchors to pull an April Fool's joke explaining that the [[Space Needle]] had collapsed in a [[windstorm]]. After 50 years, the 1957 [[BBC]] report of the purported bumper annual spaghetti harvest (see '''[[Spaghetti tree]]s''' above) remains one of the most successful TV hoaxes of all time.
-* The BBC's Saturday lunchtime show ''[[Football Focus]]'' broadcast a piece centred on the upcoming change of the size of goals. Using [[West Ham United]] manager, [[Harry Redknapp]], the report claimed that the size of the goals would increase by two feet in height and four feet in length. Redknapp was being 'interviewed' on the training ground where his goalkeepers were getting to grips with bigger goals.  They told the truth on the following week's show, where outtakes of Redknapp messing up his lines were also shown. The BBC's [[Grandstand]] sports magazine programme once featured a dispute between two production staff that turned into a fight, while the presenter continued oblivious to the scuffle behind him.
-* In 1998, the [[Channel 4]] morning show ''[[The Big Breakfast]]'' got into trouble with various authorities for pulling an April Fools stunt showing video footage of the [[Millennium Dome]] on fire.
-* The 1977 British documentary ''[[Alternative 3]]'' was originally intended as an April Fool's Day hoax and the date of April 1, 1977 is specifically given in the programme's credits. This documentary detailed the discovery of a major cover-up involving the American and Soviet Space Agencies, who had been collaborating on plans to make the moon and Mars habitable in the event of a terminal environmental catastrophe on Earth. The programme led to a large number of conspiracy theories.
-* In 1979 the BBC programme ''[[That's Life!]]'', which often featured talented pets, fooled many viewers with its story about an [[Old English sheepdog]] that could drive a car.
-* In 1991, during the time block of the student comedy show [[Coo-Coo]], the [[Bulgarian National Television]] airs breaking news that “...the situation in the nuclear power plant of Kolzoduj is fully under control.” This brings back memories of the communist censorship during the reporting of the [[Chernobyl]] disaster half a decade earlier. 90% of the viewers are convinced that reactor No.4 in Kozloduj has exploded. The authors of the comedy show are later accused of manipulating the public in order to destabilize the Bulgarian government.
-=== By websites ===
-* [[April 1st RFC]]
-* [[Google's hoaxes]]
-* [[RISKS Digest]] publishes a special April 1st issue.
-* [[Slashdot]] false news stories and theme changes
-* '''[http://blog.capitalex.com/paypal-acquires-e-gold-april1 Capitalex.com]''' announces on April 1, 2006 that PayPal has acquired e-gold
-*[[NationStates]] runs an annual hoax on April 1st. In 2004, the hoax was that there was a population bug and all nation's populations would be reset to 5 Million people to make the game fair. In 2005 there was a message, supposedly from the US Department of Defense, that NationStates was illegal by US law. And in 2006 'NationDates' was created. It used a quiz similar to the one taken at the sign up page, and matched that nation with a random country in the same region (Some people think the code change required for NationDates caused the 0 of 0 error for the third time on April 2nd, 2006).
-* The popular website [[Neopets]] is well-known for its annual April Fool's jokes including releasing 50 new pets, abolishing currency (neopoints) completely, and charging "Neopoints" to use the site. There is usually no trace of them the next day.
-*[[Homestar Runner]] creators [[The Brothers Chaps]] now regularly put up April Fool's jokes, such as the most recent one in which the entire site is flipped over.
-*Throughout production of the [[King Kong (2005 film)|2005 remake of ''King Kong'']], director [[Peter Jackson]] produced behind-the-scenes featurettes for the Internet providing updates on the project. On April 1, 2005, Jackson (aided by cast members, crew members, and even a studio representative) announced that ''King Kong'' would be followed by a sequel, ''Son of Kong'', which would see Kong's offspring battling Nazis after being equipped with shoulder mounted machine guns. Jackson went so far as to have faux production drawings and computer animation test footage created for the film. The joke report was later included on the ''Peter Jackson's Production Diaries'' DVD set but was not identified as an April Fool's joke; it is incumbent upon the viewer to notice the date of the instalment.
-*1 April 2006--Bittorrent website TokyoToshokan's main page showed a United States Supreme Court order, saying that it will be shutdown due to illegal data trafficking. But careful people will notice a link to the actual page, saying "TokyoToshokan's April Fools you idiot" in white text, rendering it invisible. Also, the website [[eAthena]] [http://www.eathena.ws], a site distributing potentially illegal server software for the [[MMORPG]] [[Ragnarok Online]], modified its home page, claiming that the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] had shut down its website and [[IP address|IP addresses]] were being logged. Within seconds, the user was redirected to the regular forums page.
-*1st April 2006--GameFaqs replaced its front page with one that says that it had been shut down by an Anti-Cheating Organization, later a link was included at the bottom of the page for careful people linking to the real homepage.
-== Lists of April Fool hoaxes ==
-*[[April 1, 2002]]
-*[[April 1, 2003]]
-*[[April 1, 2004]]
-*[[April 1, 2005]]
-*[[April 1, 2006]]
-== Other prank days in the world ==
-The [[April 1]] tradition in [[France]] includes [[:fr:Poisson d'avril|poisson d'avril]] (literally "April's fish"), attempting to attach a paper fish to the victim's back without being noticed. This is also widespread in other nations, such as [[Italy]] (where the term "April's fish" is also used to refer to any jokes done during the day).
-In [[Spanish language|Spanish]]-speaking countries, similar pranks are practiced on [[December 28]], the [[Massacre of the Innocents#Feast days|Day of the Holy Innocents]]. This custom also exists in certain areas of [[Belgium]], including the province of [[Antwerp]].  The [[Flanders|Flemish]] tradition is for children to lock out their parents or teachers, only letting them in if they promise to bring treats the same evening or the next day.
-In [[Iran]], people play jokes on each other on [[April 3]], the 13th day of the [[Persian calendar]] new year ([[Norouz]]). This day is called "Sizdah bedar" (Outdoor thirteen).  It is believed that people should go out on this date in order to escape the [[unlucky number|bad luck of number]] [[13 (number)#As lucky, unlucky, or significant number|13]].
-In the [[United Kingdom]], [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]] the [[April 1]] tradition exists, however it is accepted that if somebody pulls an April Fool's Trick after 12pm (mid-day), then the person pulling the trick is actually considered the fool (this caveat may also exist in other countries).
-In [[Denmark]] the 1st of May is known as "Maj-kat", meaning quite simply "may-cat", and is identical to April Fool's day.
-Some Jewish communities have the tradition to have a [[Purim spiel]], which is similar in many ways to April Fool's Day. Fake newspaper articles are common.
-== Quotes about April Fool's Day ==
-:"April 1st: This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three-hundred and sixty-four." &mdash; [[Mark Twain]]
-:"On April 1st, you understand why the French appreciate the British sense of humour. We have one." {{fact}}
-== See also ==
-*[[April Fool (double agent)|April Fool]] is the codename for a spy and [[double agent]] who played a key role in the downfall of the Iraqi President [[Saddam Hussein]].
-*[[Pigasus Award]]
-== References ==
-* {{1911}}
-<references />
-== External links ==
-{{wikinews|Wikipedia victim of onslaught of April Fool's jokes}}
-*[http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool/ The Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time]
-*[http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/100_Worst_April_Fools_Jokes Uncyclopedia's list of the 100 worst April Fool's Jokes]
-*[http://am.novopress.info/?p=1610 April Fool's Day Origins]
-*[http://www.snopes.com/holidays/april/aprlfool.htm  April Fool's Day Origins] (Snopes.com)
-*[http://www.snopes.com/holidays/aprilfools/pranks.asp  April Fools' Day Pranks] (Snopes.com)
-*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/1/newsid_2819000/2819261.stm 1957: BBC fools the nation]
-*[http://www.thefoolsday.com/ The Fools Day - Includes hoaxes, pranks, trivia, history, quotes, messages, funny party ideas and April Fool recipes.]
-*[http://www.godfatherof.nl/kremvax.html Perpetrator's Account of the Kremvax Hoax]
-[[Category:April Fool's Day|*]]
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-[[he:אחד באפריל]]
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