Have you ever wondered where and who started the tradition of April fool’s Day? It is a curious, light-hearted day when individuals play tricks, hoaxes and practical jokes on friends, family, or enemies.

According to Wikipedia, it is not a national holiday, but is celebrated on April 1 by several countries. In the United States it is a full day of practical jokes, but in some countries like: UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa all jokes are played before noon, and if you play a joke after noon in these countries you are called an “April Fool”.

Although its origins are uncertain, some researchers say that it is a celebration of the change in seasons. Another explanation as to the birth of the holiday is that it began as a way to mock French people who were slow to switch to the Gregorian Calendar which changed New Year's from April 1 to January 1. These folks were labeled "fools" and some were sent on "fools' errands."

Some people get into the holiday and strategically plan the best pranks and jokes to embarrass the gullible.
An article in The Huffington Post has classified five of the best April Fool’s Day jokes. First, the Swiss spaghetti harvest, which was in 1957 when the BBC announced that because of the change in seasons, farmers should expect a large spaghetti crop. The “Taco Bell Liberty Bell” prank was in 1996 when Taco Bell announced in newspapers that they were going to purchase the Liberty Bell. Another famous prank pulled off was by National Public Radio (NPR) in 1992 when they announced that Richard Nixon would be running for a second term for the presidency. These are just a few of the national pranks that have been successfully pulled off through the media.

Based on information from Wikipedia on April Fool’s Day, many media outlets have consistently played pranks on the public. Since 2000, Google has consistently played jokes on its users. The most popular search tool created fictitious job opportunities on the moon called Luna/X. It has also marketed a drink called the Google Gulp, which is supposed to make anyone who drinks it more intelligent. These are just two examples of what an internet ‘powerhouse’ can do to fool their gullible users.

The pranks previously mentioned were pulled off on a national scale, but sometimes the best pranks are the small ones done by your friends and families. The white lies to your parents about failing out of school or wrecking the car can cause a large uproar, but a good laugh when it is all said and done.

Thomas Coleman, a junior at Auburn University, has always enjoyed April Fool’s Day jokes. His usual target is his mom, with the help from his brothers. He said that he has pulled off some good pranks which always get a good laugh.

April Fool’s Day is one of the most light-hearted holidays that has a murky history, but for years people have been pulling off clever pranks, that make people look like fools on April 1.