You may have noticed while you’ve been playing your online casino games that time has been ticking by, and once again, we’re on the cusp of none other than April 1st, which of course, means that April Fools’ day is just around the corner.
In this blog, we’re going to take a quick look at the history of April Fools’ Day and some of the best pranks through the ages to give you some April Fools’ prank ideas.
The history of April Fools
If you’ve ever taken the time between playing casino table games to wonder where April Fools actually originated, then you’re in luck because we’re going to examine where it all started.
Officially, the jury is still out when it comes to the exact origins of April Fools, but there are a couple of interesting theories, as follows:
- Some historians believe that it started in 1582 when France switched from the Julian calendar, which celebrated New Year on the spring equinox around April 1st, to the Gregorian Calendar, which put the date on January 1st. The people who didn’t get the memo continued to celebrate at the end of March and became the recipients of jokes and pranks and were called “April Fools.”
- It’s also believed that it could be linked to the festival Hilaria (meaning “joyful” in Latin). This festival was celebrated at the end of March by followers of the cult of Cybele in ancient Rome. It involved festival-goers dressing up in disguises and mocking other people.
- Finally, there’s also speculation that the vernal equinox has something to do with it. It’s the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when Mother Nature made fools of everyone with constantly changing, unpredictable weather.
Some of the funniest April Fools pranks ever
Of course, every year, there are millions of pranks pulled on April Fools Day and it’s impossible to cover all of the best ones. Here are just a few that stand out from the others:
Grow your own spaghetti
On April 1, 1957, the BBC aired a segment on Ticino in Switzerland, close to the Italian border. The topic of the segment was how they had a bumper crop of spaghetti that year and it even showed videos of people picking spaghetti from trees and bushes, then sitting at home eating their home-grown bounty.
Of course, spaghetti was a relatively foreign concept to Brits at the time and many people fell for the prank and the BBC was inundated with questions about how people could grow their own spaghetti in their gardens.
Changing pi
Pi can be a challenging concept for most people to get their heads around and many people can be forgiven for not wanting to work with an irrational number. So, in 1998, a man by the name of Mark Boslough spread the news that lawmakers in Alabama were working on redefining pi to go from 3.14159…to just 3. The news spread like wildfire and was actually believed by many; alas, it was all for April Fools.
The Taco Liberty Bell
It was April 1 in 1996, and a newspaper ad stating that Taco Bell had bought the Liberty Bell to help out with national debt got all sorts of people in a tizz. Thousands, including senators, were taken in by the prank and the National Park Service eventually had to host a press conference to deny the news. At noon, Taco Bell released a statement and confirmed the prank and that it, in fact, was donating $50,000 for the care of the iconic landmark.
Nylon for color TV
In 1962, the Swedish national network played a great prank on April Fools. They got a technical expert on screen to explain to the public that they could turn the black and white broadcasts into color simply by viewing them through nylon stockings. Needless to say, many Swedes fell for the prank. The sale of nylon stockings went through the roof and it was still a while before color TV made it to their screens.
Digital Big Ben
The Brits really do love a good April Fools joke and in 1980, the BBC’s prank was so good that they actually got themselves into hot water. They managed to convince the public that the iconic clock was getting an upgrade and would go digital. Many people fully believed this and were outraged. Their joke caused a stir and the news site was forced to issue an apology to their audience.
Get endless entertainment even when the jokes are done
Of course, April Fools’ Day only comes around once a year, which is a relief to most people around the globe who are prone to falling for the inevitable pranks. However, that doesn’t mean your entertainment options end there! At Borgata Online Casino, we have a range of live dealer casino games to choose from, or if you play slots online, there are hundreds of different options available.
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