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A Few Memorable April Fool’s Day Pranks
moments | April 2015 | www.statesboromoments.com
T
he history of April Fool’s Day, or All Fools’ Day, dates back to 16th century France and the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, when the Gregorian calendar was introduced and New Year’s Day was moved from April 1 to January 1. Back then, word did not spread nearly as quickly as it does now, and some people didn’t find out about the date change until several years after it was initiated. As a result, some still were celebrating the new year on April 1, and the rest of the population ridiculed those people who were not in the know. They were sent on pranks called “fool errands.” Eventually the April pranks spread outside of France into other areas of Europe, and different countries developed their own names and variations of pranks. Today, April Fool’s Day is celebrated with jokes and pranks on unsuspecting friends, coworkers and family members. Here’s a look at a few of the more memorable pranks pulled over the years. • In 1976, British astronomer Patrick Moore announced on BBC radio that at 9:47 a.m., a once-in-a-lifetime event was
Special to MOMents going to happen: Pluto would pass behind Jupiter and create a momentary decrease in the Earth’s gravity, resulting in a strange floating sensation on Earth. The BBC soon began to receive hundreds of phone calls from people saying they had felt the gravitational effects. • In 1998, Burger King printed a full-page advertisement introducing the “Left-Handed Whopper,” with the condiments rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of left-handed customers. • In 1977, British newspaper The Guardian published a seven-page supplement on San Serriffe, a small republic consisting of several semicolon-shaped islands in the Indian Ocean. The two main islands were called Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse. • In 1996, Taco Bell announced it had purchased the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Protesters called the historic park in Philadelphia where the bell was located. Then White House press secretary Mike McCurry added to the prank by announcing the Lincoln Memorial also had been sold and now would be known as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.
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