April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day (sometimes written, incorrectly, with the apostrophe before the s rather than after), 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 hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends and neighbors, or sending them on fools' errands, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible. In some countries, April Fools' jokes (also called "April Fools") are only made before midday. ^[1] It is widely celebrated on the Internet. For the prime symbol (′) used for feet and inches, see Prime (symbol). ... The word holiday has related but different meanings in English-speaking countries. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... A hoax is an attempt to trick an audience into believing that something false is real. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A snipe hunt, also known as a fools errand or wild goose chase, is one of a class of practical jokes that involves experienced people making fun of newcomers by giving them an impossible or imaginary task. ... Noon is the time exactly through the day, written 12:00 in the 24-hour clock and 12:00 noon in the 12-hour clock. ...

Origin

The origin of this custom has been much disputed. Many theories have been suggested.

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 Years day, the 25th of March, ended on the 1st of April. Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of equinox The vernal equinox (or spring equinox) marks the beginning of astronomical spring. ... This article is about January 1st in the Gregorian calendar. ...

It has been suggested that Europe derived its April-fooling from the French ^[2]. France was one of the first nations to make January 1 officially New Year's Day (which was already celebrated by many), by decree of Charles IX. This was in 1564, even before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar (See Julian start of the year). 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. French and Dutch references from 1508 and 1539 respectively describe April Fools' Day jokes and the custom of making them on the first of April. January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... For the movie, New Years Day, see New Years Day (film). ... Charles IX (June 27, 1550 – May 30, 1574) was born Charles-Maximilien, the son of King Henri II of France and Catherine de Medici. ... The Gregorian calendar is the calendar that is used nearly everywhere in the world. ... A Julian year is on average 365. ... The New Year is an event that happens when a culture celebrates the end of one year and the beginning of the next. ...

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 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. 360-degree panorama of the night sky with constellations superimposed. ...

The Dutch celebrate the 1st of April for other reasons. In 1572, the Netherlands were ruled by Spain's King Phillip II. Roaming the region were Dutch rebels who called themselves Geuzen, after the French "gueux", meaning beggars. On April 1, 1572, the Geuzen seized the small coastal town of Den Briel. This event was also the start of the general civil rising against the Spanish in other cities in the Netherlands. General Alva of the Spanish army could not prevent the uprising. 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. Philip II of Spain (Spanish: Felipe II) - (May 21, 1527 – September 13, 1598), the first King of Spain understood as the whole peninsula of Hispania (r. ... The Watergeuzen (or simply Geuzen) were a fleet of privateers during the Eighty Years War, the Low Countries (or Netherlands) rebellion against the Spanish occupation, which began during the reign of Philip II of Spain (in the 1550s). ... Brielle, also called Den Briel, (population: 15,948 in 2004) is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. ... Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba. ...

The French traditionally celebrated this holiday by placing a dead fish on the back of friends. Today the fish is substituted by a paper cut out.

Chaucer's story, the Nun's Priest's Tale, written c.1400, takes place on March 32; that is, April 1. Chanticleer and the Fox is a story of two fools. The tale of Chanticleer and the Fox is a beast fable popularised by the 14th century Middle English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. ...

Hoaxes

Many 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. The advent of the Internet as a worldwide communications medium has also assisted the pranksters in their work.

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 trees: The BBC television programme 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.
• 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, by which hundreds of people were fooled..
• 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 San Serriffe (sans serif) did not exist except as references to typeface terminology.
• FBI Crackdowns on 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 in which units of time are based on 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. This hoax was also conducted by the Seven Network in Australia in 2005.
• Tower of Pisa: The 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 1990s, 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 Buddhist monastery. The first letter of each line in the opening paragraph spelled out the fact of its being an April Fool joke.
• Assassination of Bill Gates: Many Chinese and South Korean websites claimed that CNN reported Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, was assassinated.
• Write Only Memory: Signetics advertised Write Only Memory 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 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 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 Fools' prank, was started by a student by imitating the design of Ming Pao newspaper website. He was charged for this incident.
  (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.
• Annual BMW Innovations see a new "cutting-edge invention" by BMW advertised across 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,
  • IDS ("Insect Deflector Screen") Technology - using elastic solutions to bounce insects off the windscreen as you drive,
  • 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,
  • Marque-Wiper - mini-wipers for each exterior "BMW" logo coming as standard on all future models,
  • "Uninventing the wheel" to counter the "EU ban" on right-hand drive cars, and
  • Zoom Impression Pixels ("ZIP") to counter new "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 Guardian journalist "Olaf Priol" claimed that Chris Martin of rock band Coldplay had decided to publicly support the UK Conservative Party leader David Cameron due to his disillusionment with current New Labour prime minister Tony Blair [2], even going so far as to produce a fake song, "Talk to David", that could be downloaded via the Guardian website [3]. despite being an obvious hoax, the Labour Party's Media Monitoring Unit were concerned enough to circulate the story throughout "most of the government" [4].

Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... When a circles diameter is 1, its circumference is Ï€. The mathematical constant Ï€ is an irrational real number, approximately equal to 3. ... A photo of a woman harvesting spaghetti in the BBC programme The Spaghetti tree is a fictitious tree; a joke designed to fool those who do not know how spaghetti is produced. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of £4 billion. ... Panorama is a long-running current affairs documentary series on BBC television, launched on 11 November 1953 and focusing on investigative journalism. ... Spaghetti in a bowl. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Terrance and Phillip in Not Without My Anus is episode 201 of Comedy Centrals animated series South Park. ... Burger King, Seoul, South Korea Burger King is a large international chain of fast food restaurants, predominantly selling burgers, french fries, soft drinks, desserts, and various sandwiches. ... USA Today is a national American newspaper published by the Gannett Corporation. ... The Taco Liberty Bell was an April Fools Day joke played by fast food restaurant chain Taco Bell. ... Taco Bell, a fast-food restaurant chain, is a division of Yum! Brands, Inc. ... The New York Times is a newspaper published in New York City by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. ... The Liberty Bell The Liberty Bell, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an American bell of great historic significance. ... Mike McCurry conducts a White House press conference Mike McCurry (born 27 October 1954) is best known as the former press secretary for Bill Clintons administration. ... The Lincoln Memorial, built 1915 - 1922. ... The L.A. Weekly is a weekly free paper in Los Angeles. ... Kremvax was originally a fictitious Usenet site at the Kremlin, named like the then large number of Usenet VAXes with names of the form foovax. ... Usenet is a distributed Internet discussion system that evolved from a general purpose UUCP network of the same name. ... San Serriffe is a fictional island nation created in the spirit of April Fools Day. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... Bodoni is a typeface designed by Giambattista Bodoni (February 16, 1740 in Saluzzo – November 29, 1813 in Parma), an Italian engraver, publisher, printer and typographer of high repute. ... San Serriffe is a fictional island nation created in the spirit of April Fools Day. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Copyright infringement (or copyright violation) is the unauthorized use of material that is protected by intellectual property rights law particularly the copyright in a manner that violates one of the original copyright owners exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make... Metric time is the measure of time interval using the metric system, which defines the second as the base unit of time, and multiple and submultiple units formed with metric prefixes, such as kiloseconds and milliseconds. ... Smell-o-vision is the name given to a type of film where the viewer can smell what is happening in the movie. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of £4 billion. ... Odor receptors on the antennae of a Luna moth An odor or odour (see spelling differences) is a chemical dissolved in air, generally at a very low concentration, which we perceive by the sense of olfaction. ... The Seven Network (ASX: SEV) is an Australian television network. ... Leaning tower of Pisa The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italian: Torre di Pisa) is the campanile, or bell tower, for the Italian city of Pisas cathedral, located in the Campo dei Miracoli. ... Aluminium foil (Aluminum foil in North American English) is aluminium prepared in thin sheets (on the order of 0. ... RTP is the Real-time Transport Protocol, a common initialism for Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, an abbreviation for Rádio e Televisão de Portugal the Portuguese public television network. ... Sidd Finch was the subject of a notorious article by George Plimpton in the April 1, 1985 issue of Sports Illustrated. ... George Ames Plimpton (March 18, 1927 – September 25, 2003) was an American journalist, writer and actor. ... The first issue of Sports Illustrated, August 16, 1954, showing Milwaukee Braves star Eddie Matthews at bat in Milwaukee County Stadium. ... Major league affiliations National League (1962–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Name New York Mets (1962–present) Ballpark Shea Stadium (1964–present) The Polo Grounds (1962–1963) Major league titles World Series titles (2) 1969 â€¢ 1986 NL Pennants (4) 1969 â€¢ 1973 â€¢ 1986 â€¢ 2000 East Division titles (5) 1969... The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. ... A replica of an ancient statue of Gautama Buddha, found in Sarnath, near Varanasi. ... Assassin and Targeted killing redirect here. ... This article is about the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation. ... Motto: (Broadly bring benefit to humanity, ) [citation needed] Anthem(s): Aegukga Capital Seoul Largest city Seoul Official language(s) Korean Government Republic  - President Roh Moo-hyun  - Prime Minister Han Myung-sook Establishment    - Gojoseon October 3, 2333 BC (legendary)   - Declaration of Republic March 1, 1919 (de jure)   - Liberation August 15, 1945... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... The Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... Write Only Memory (WOM) is the logical converse of Read Only Memory (ROM). ... Signetics, once a major player in semiconductor manufacturing, made a variety of devices which included integrated circuits, bipolar and MOS, the Dolby circuit, logic, memory and analog circuits and Motorola clone CPUs, some of which were included in the first Atari video games. ... Integrated circuit showing memory blocks, logic and input/output pads around the periphery A monolithic integrated circuit (also known as IC, microchip, silicon chip, computer chip or chip) is a miniaturized electronic circuit (consisting mainly of semiconductor devices, as well as passive components) which has been manufactured in the surface... Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show originally devised by Merv Griffin which runs in local editions around the world. ... Jeopardy! is a popular international television quiz game show, originally devised by Merv Griffin, who also created Wheel of Fortune. ... Patrick Leonard Sajak (born October 26, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois), recognized as Pat Sajak, is best known as the current host of the popular and long-running American television game show, Wheel of Fortune. ... Alex Trebek hosting a 1986 episode of Jeopardy! George Alexander Trebek (born as Giorgi Suka-Alex Trebek [1] on July 22, 1940) is an Emmy Award-winning Canadian-American television personality and game show host, best known as the host of the game show Jeopardy! since 1984. ... Vanna White Vanna White (born February 18, 1957) is an American television personality who is best known as the hostess and puzzle board operator on the long-running game show Wheel of Fortune. ... The comic strip Dilbert as drawn by Family Circus Bil Keane on April Fools Day 1997. ... A cartoonist at work. ... The Trouble with Tracy was a Canadian television series produced by CTV for the 1971–1972 television season. ... The Comedy Network (colloquially often just Comedy) is a Canadian cable television specialty channel with comedy programming. ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... TVM might be an acronym or abbreviation for: Time value of money Track-via-missile, a missile guidance technique. ... A mummy is a corpse whose skin and dried flesh have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold or dryness, or airlessness. ... Bourque Newswatch is a Canadian news website, run by journalist Pierre Bourque. ... The Minister of Finance is one of the most important positions in the Cabinet of Canada. ... For other uses, see Paul Martin (disambiguation). ... 8437 known cases of the disease, with 813 deaths (a mortality rate of 9. ... Tung Chee Hwa (Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: ; Shanghainese IPA: ; Mandarin Wade-Giles: Tung Chien Hua; Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Doong Jiann Hwa (His name is romanized in the above 3 systems. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Economy Education - Geography - History Hong Kong Portal The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: , pinyin: XiānggÇŽng Tèbié XíngzhèngqÅ« Xíngzhèng ZhÇŽngguān; Cantonese Jyutping: hoeng1 gong2 dak6 bit6 hang4 zing3 keoi1... Ming Pao (Traditional Chinese: 明報, Simplified Chinese: 明报, Jyutping ming4 bou3, Hanyu Pinyin: míngbào), a Chinese language newspaper, is a publication by the Ming Pao Group in Hong Kong. ... NASA Insignia Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from an article revision dated 2005-09-01, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Nebkheperure Lord of the forms of Re Nomen Tutankhaten Living Image of the Aten Tutankhamun Hekaiunushema Living Image of Amun, ruler of Upper Heliopolis Horus name Kanakht Tutmesut The strong bull, pleasing of birth Nebty name Neferhepusegerehtawy One of perfect laws, who pacifies the two lands[1] Wer-Ah-Amun... For the new MINI, see MINI (BMW). ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... Sheng Long Sheng Long is a fictional character rumored to be in the Street Fighter series. ... Cover for issue number 203: Too Human. ... Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (1991) was a highly popular and immensely successful fighting game created by Capcom. ... Chun-Li (春麗) is a video game character created by Capcom. ... Super Smash Bros. ... The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (or Zeruda no Densetsu: Kaze no Takuto in Japan) is the ninth game in the well-known The Legend of Zelda series of video games. ... Street Fighter III: New Generation is a fighting game produced by Capcom, released in 1997 on Capcoms CPS-3 hardware, which is a continuation of the famous Street Fighter series. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... Christopher Anthony John Martin (born in Devon on March 2, 1977) is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist and pianist of the band Coldplay. ... Rock group (or later rock band) is a generic name to describe a group of musicians specializing in a particular form of electronically amplified music. ... Coldplay are a pop rock band from London, England. ... The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative & Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), and the largest in terms of public membership. ... David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician, Leader of the Conservative Party, and Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons. ... New Labour is an alternative name of the British political Labour Party. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the UK Labour Party, and Member of the UK Parliament for the constituency of Sedgefield in North East England. ...

By radio stations

• Death of a mayor: In 1998, local WAAF 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. After which they became famous when their show became syndicated.
• 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 a 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, 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 consolidations.
• New format: in 1998, radio station KITS in San Francisco played gay-themed songs and changed its call letters to "KGAY" for an hour.
• 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 p.m. 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 p.m. on April 1st. The prank continued in some form until roughly 4:09:37 p.m., April 1st.
• Sydney Olympics: Australian 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 IOC meeting and that Sydney had lost the 2000 Summer Olympics. New South Wales Premier Bob Carr was also in on the joke. Mainstream media (including Channel 9's Today Show) picked up the story.
• Defying gravity: In 1976, British astronomer Sir Patrick Moore told listeners of 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 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, Australia's biggest tourist destination (particularly amongst 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.

WAAF can refer to: Womens Auxiliary Air Force, a British military service in World War II WAAF (FM) 107. ... A shock jock is a slang term used to describe a type of radio broadcaster (sometimes a disk jockey) who attracts attention using humor that a significant portion of the listening audience may find offensive. ... Opie and Anthony Opie (Gregg Hughes, b. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub of the Universe (The State House, according to Oliver Wendell Holmes, is the hub of the Solar System), Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... Thomas Menino Thomas Michael Menino (born December 27, 1942) is the current mayor of Boston, Massachusetts and the citys first Italian-American mayor as well as being the citys first non Irish-American mayor since 1884. ... Nickname: Scenic City (official), Chatt-Town, River City, Chatty, Chattavegas, The Noo Location within the U.S. State of Tennessee Cities in Tennessee Tennessee Mayor Ron Littlefield Area    - City 370. ... Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), better known by his stage name Eminem, is a Grammy and Academy Award-winning American rapper, record producer and occasional actor. ... Nuisance is a common law tort. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub of the Universe (The State House, according to Oliver Wendell Holmes, is the hub of the Solar System), Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, and is considered one of the most influential bands of the 1990s. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Nickname: The City by the Bay; Fog City Location of the City and County of San Francisco, California Coordinates: Country United States of America State California City-County San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Area    - City 122 km²  (47 sq mi)  - Land 121. ... In contemporary usage, a parody is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... Concentration of media ownership (also known as media consolidation or media convergence) is a commonly used term among media critics, policy makers, and others to characterize ownership structure of media industries. ... KITS is a San Francisco, California, USA-based radio station broadcasting at 105. ... Salt Lake City redirects here. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... WBRU is a commercial radio station in Providence, Rhode Island that broadcasts at 95. ... Alternative rock (also called alternative music[1] or simply alternative) is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. ... Providence is the capital and largest city in Rhode Island, a state of the United States of America. ... WBRU is a commercial radio station in Providence, Rhode Island that broadcasts at 95. ... Primary Jack FM logo Jack FM is the moniker and on-air brand of several radio stations in Canada, the United States and now the United Kingdom. ... A disc jockey scratching a record. ... Triple J (JJJ) is a nationally-networked, government-funded Australian radio station (a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation), mainly aimed at youth (defined as those between 12 and 25). ... Adam Spencer is an Australian radio DJ and media personality. ... Bold textralf is gay IOC redirects here. ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... Emblems: Floral - Waratah (Telopea speciosissima); Bird - Kookaburra (Dacelo gigas); Animal - Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus); Fish - Blue Groper (Achoerodus viridis) Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Slogan or Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Const. ... A premier is an executive official of government. ... For other people of the same name, see Bob Carr (disambiguation). ... The Nine Network is an Australian television network, available in major markets across Australia. ... This article is about Patrick Moore, the astronomer. ... Radio 2 is one of the BBCs national radio stations. ... Edwards Air Force Base is a USAF airbase located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County, California in the Antelope Valley, 7 miles (11 km) due East of Rosamond, USA at 34°57′ N 117°52′ W. An airbase since 1933, Edwards has long been a home... The FCCs official seal. ... Viacom (NYSE: VIA) (NYSE: VIAb) is an American media conglomerate with various worldwide interests in cable and satellite television networks (MTV Networks and BET), and movie production and distribution (the Paramount Pictures movie studio and DreamWorks). ... The Howard Stern Show is Howard Sterns radio show heard four or five days (Monday-Thursday / Monday-Friday) a week on Howard 100 (west coast feed on channel Howard 101), a Sirius Satellite Radio station. ... Gold Coast City is located in the South-east corner of Queensland, Australia. ... Schoolies or Schoolies week (known as Leavers or Leavers week in Western Australia) refers to the Australian tradition of high-school graduates (known as Schoolies) having week-long holidays following the end of their final exams in late November and early December. ... George Michael Dolenz, Jr. ...

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.
• Swiss network TSR (Télévision Suisse Romande), broadcast a totally ridiculous report every year, usually at the end of the 19.30 news. For example, in 2005, they reported that instead of being helicoptered out when a person is injured while skiing, they are parachuted down the mountain. In 2006, it was that the town of Fribourg was planning to make people to release their handbrakes in designated areas, so that if parking spaces were too tight, all people 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 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, mustaches were drawn on characters during the shows.
• On April Fools' Day, 1997, Cartoon Network ran the 1944 Screwy Squirrel cartoon Happy-Go-Nutty repeatedly from 6 AM to 6 PM, suggesting that the cartoon character had taken over the network.
• In 1998 instead of ending a season 1 cliffhanger, which the fans waited 4 weeks to see, the creaters of South Park played an irrelevant episode. ( See Terrance and Phillip in Not Without My Anus )
• In 1989, Seattle area TV program Almost Live! set up a phony broadcast room and dressed up actors as TV anchors to pull an April Fools' 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 trees 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 Fools' 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.
• NESN, a New England sports network, announced that Tom Brady, the quarterback for the New England Patriots, had resigned, and that he would become a Pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.

The Best Damn Sports Show, Period is a sports talk show on Fox Sports Net. ... Tom Arnold is the name of: Tom Arnold (actor), an American actor. ... Michael Anthony Strahan (born November 21, 1971, in Houston, Texas) is an American Football player who currently plays Defensive End for the New York Giants of the National Football League. ... Rodney Peete (born March 16, 1966 in Mesa, Arizona) was an American Football quarterback from the University of Southern California. ... Rob Dibble pitching for the Cincinnati Reds in 1991 Robert Keith Dibble (born January 24, 1964 in Bridgeport, Connecticut) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. ... Rodney Peete (born March 16, 1966 in Mesa, Arizona) was an American Football quarterback from the University of Southern California. ... A rabbit punch also known as a Coleman Punch is a punch to the neck or to the base of the skull. ... TSR 1 and TSR 2 are French-language TV channels in Switzerland, part of SRG SSR idée suisse. ... Fribourg (French; German: Freiburg or Freiburg im Ãœechtland, often Fribourg) is a city in the country of Switzerland and the capital of the Swiss Canton of Fribourg on the river Saane/Sarine. ... The Adult Swim logo Adult Swim, usually rendered [adult swim] on bumps, is the name for the adult-oriented television programming block on Cartoon Network in the United States and Australia, and Bravo in the United Kingdom, featuring absurdist and often ribald comedy in contrast to the more tame daytime... InuYasha ), full title InuYasha, A Feudal era Fairy Tale ), is a Japanese shōnen adventure romantic comedy manga created by Rumiko Takahashi . ... Karate Kommandos is an American animated television series from the 80s. ... Chuck Norris reciving the Veteran of the Year award by the U.S Air Force Carlos Ray Chuck Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist, action star, and Hollywood actor. ... Neon Genesis Evangelion ) is a popular Japanese anime that began in 1995. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Cowboy Bebop ) is a Japanese anime series created by Sunrise and directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, later continued onto a motion picture and manga series. ... This article is about the actor. ... Fullmetal Alchemist DVD cover by FUNimation Fullmetal Alchemist (鋼の錬金術師, Hagane no Renkinjutsushi in the original Japanese) is a 51-episode anime TV series which ran in Japan from October 4, 2003 to October 2, 2004. ... Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG (japanese title: 攻殻機動隊 S.A.C. 2nd GIG) is the second season from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. ... A moustache (sometimes spelled mustache in the United States) is an outgrowth of hair above the upper lip. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Terrance and Phillip in Not Without My Anus is episode 201 of Comedy Centrals animated series South Park. ... Nickname: The Emerald City Location of Seattle in King County and Washington Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County King County Incorporated December 2 1869 Mayor Greg Nickels Area    - City 369. ... See TV (disambiguation) for other uses and Television (band) for the rock band European networks National In much of Europe television broadcasting has historically been state dominated, rather than commercially organised, although commercial stations have grown in number recently. ... Cast of Almost Live! Almost Live! was a local sketch comedy television show in Seattle, Washington, USA, produced and broadcast by NBC affiliate KING-TV from 1984 to 1999. ... A phony is a person who relies on a false persona, deceit, or putting on an act to achieve his or her goals, or ideal perception of self, as opposed to acting how one feels. ... Space Needle from Downtown Seattle. ... A windstorm is a severe weather condition indicated by high winds. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of £4 billion. ... A photo of a woman harvesting spaghetti in the BBC programme The Spaghetti tree is a fictitious tree; a joke designed to fool those who do not know how spaghetti is produced. ... Football Focus is a BBC television show covering football. ... The West Ham United Crest West Ham United F.C are a professional English football club based in East London. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The British television sport programme Grandstand is one of the BBCs longest running sports shows, alongside BBC Sports Personality of the Year. ... Channel 4 is a public-service television broadcaster in the United Kingdom (see British television). ... The Big Breakfast was a British light entertainment television show shown on Channel 4 each weekday morning from September 28, 1992 until March 29, 2002. ... The Millennium Dome, with the Canary Wharf complex in the background, seen from the River Thames Aerial view of the Millennium Dome The Millennium Dome, seen from the Isle of Dogs. ... Alternative 3 is a famous television programme, broadcast in the UK in 1977. ... Thats Life! was a BBC television series, which began in 1973 and ran until 1994. ... An Old English Sheepdog is a breed of dog formerly used for herding livestock, and now primarily kept as a pet. ... Bulgarian National Television is a Bulgarian language public television station founded in 1959 which began broadcast on December 26. ... Chernobyl area. ... Thomas Edward Brady, Jr. ... City Foxboro, Massachusetts Other nicknames The Pats Team colors Nautical Blue, New Century Silver, Red, and White Head Coach Bill Belichick Owner Robert Kraft Mascot Pat Patriot League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960–69) Eastern Division (1960–69) National Football League (1970–present) American Football Conference (1970–present) AFC... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1 • 4 • 8 • 9 • 27 • 42 Name Boston Red Sox (1907–present) See Nicknames before Red Sox for disputed nicknames Ballpark Fenway Park (1912–present) Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds (1901-1911) Major league titles World...

By Game Shows

As part of an April Fools' joke on April 1, 1997, Alex Trebek and Pat Sajak switched hosting duties. Pat hosted Jeopardy! that day and Alex hosted Wheel of Fortune where Sajak and Vanna White played as contestants. Jeopardy! announcer Johnny Gilbert did double duties that day. Alex Trebek hosting a 1986 episode of Jeopardy! George Alexander Trebek (born as Giorgi Suka-Alex Trebek [1] on July 22, 1940) is an Emmy Award-winning Canadian-American television personality and game show host, best known as the host of the game show Jeopardy! since 1984. ... Patrick Leonard Sajak (born October 26, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois), recognized as Pat Sajak, is best known as the current host of the popular and long-running American television game show, Wheel of Fortune. ... Jeopardy! is a popular international television quiz game show, originally devised by Merv Griffin, who also created Wheel of Fortune. ... Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show originally devised by Merv Griffin, who also created Jeopardy!. The show debuted as a daytime program on NBC on January 6, 1975. ... Vanna White Vanna White (born February 18, 1957) is an American television personality who is best known as the hostess and puzzle board operator on the long-running game show Wheel of Fortune. ... Johnny Gilbert (born c. ...

The Price is Right notoriously gave away April Fools' day themed showcases in the 1980s featuring assortments of gag prizes (such as trips to made up locations) or by staging the entire showcase to fall apart. However, once the deception was revealed, the real showcase the contestant was to bid on usually consisted of extravagant prizes, such as two new cars. The Price Is Rights US 35th season logo. ...

By websites

• April Fools' Day RFC
• Google's hoaxes
• RISKS Digest publishes a special April 1st issue.
• Slashdot's 2006 hoax
• NationStates runs an annual hoax on April 1st. In 2004, the hoax was that there was a population bug and all nations' populations would be reset to 5 million people. In 2005, there was a message (supposedly from the United States Department of Defense) that NationStates was illegal by US law. 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.
• Neopets has performed numerous April Fools' jokes, including releasing 50 new pets, abolishing "NeoPoints" completely, and charging Neopoints to use the site.
• Homestar Runner creators, The Brothers Chaps, now regularly put up April Fools' jokes, such as the most recent one in which the entire site is flipped upside-down.
• Throughout production of the 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 Fools' joke; it is incumbent upon the viewer to notice the date of the instalment.
• April 1, 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 [5], 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 addresses were being logged. Within seconds, the user was redirected to the regular forums page.
• April 1, 2000 - Soviet website buran.ru made a joke about a possible fake shuttle named Baikal.
• April 1, 2006 - The webmasters of MuggleNet (Emerson Spartz) and The Leaky Cauldron (Melissa Anelli) temporarily shut down their sites to redirect to one called The Leaky Mug. The site claimed that the two webmasters were to marry.
• April 1, 2006 - The homepage of Stick Figure Death Theatre was changed to that of 'San Francisco Dance Troupe'. Clicking any links would redirect you back to the real website.
• April 1, 2006 - Gamefaqs.com had their homepage changed to a page saying:We have closed this site because of the new law that says game cheats are illegal.The producers work for months thinking out scripts for game and you ruin them with cheats.WE DO NOT ALLOW THIS ANYMORE!!!!After 15 seconds you were directed to the homepage and you could see a text at the bottom of the page saying that it`s a hoax and you are directed to our page after 15 secs.

Google has often adopted a light-veined approach in a variety of circumstances. ... The RISKS Digest or Forum On Risks to the Public in Computers and Related Systems is an online periodical published since 1985 by the Committee on Computers and Public Policy of the Association for Computing Machinery. ... // Slashdot (often abbreviated as /.) is a technology-related news website which features user-submitted and editor-evaluated current affairs news with a nerdy slant. ... Created by Max Barry, Jennifer Government: NationStates is a game on the World Wide Web that is based on, and is a promotional tool for, his novel Jennifer Government. ... The United States Department of Defense, abbreviated as DoD or DOD and sometimes called the Defense Department, is a civilian Cabinet organization of the United States government. ... Screenshot of the Neopets homepage viewed with Internet Explorer Neopets is an online virtual pet simulation game. ... Homestar Runner is a Flash cartoon series. ... The Brothers Chaps: Mike and Matt Chapman (left to right). ... King Kong is the three-time 2006 Academy Award-winning remake of the original 1933 King Kong film about a fictional giant ape called Kong. ... Peter Jackson CNZM (born October 31, 1961) is a three-time Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA winning New Zealand filmmaker best known as the director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which he, along with his long time partner, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens adapted from the novels... The BitTorrent logo BitTorrent is the name of a peer-to-peer (P2P) file distribution protocol, and is the name of a free software implementation of that protocol. ... eAthena eAthena is a Ragnarok Online Server emulator made in C by reverse engineering. ... Players interacting in Ultima Online. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... // At present, the FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes and is second to only the United States Marshal Service in terms of law enforcement jurisdiction (although the USMS by practice relegates itself to judicial duties, making the FBI the de-facto lead... An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a unique address that devices use in order to identify and communicate with each other on a computer network utilizing the Internet Protocol standard (IP). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... MuggleNet is a Harry Potter fansite founded by Emerson Spartz, from LaPorte, Indiana. ... The Leaky Cauldrons Masthead The Leaky Cauldron, or Leaky as it is often called, is a popular Harry Potter fansite. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ...

Lists of April Fool hoaxes

• April 1, 1999
• April 1, 2000
• April 1, 2002
• April 1, 2003
• April 1, 2004
• April 1, 2005
• April 1, 2006

April 1, 1999 was an April Fools Day. ... April 1, 2000 was an April Fools Day falling on a Saturday. ... April 1, 2002 was an April Fools Day falling on a Monday. ... See also March 31, 2003 - April 2003 - April 2, 2003 Hong Kong movie and Cantopop star Leslie Cheung commits suicide at the age of 46. ... April 1, 2004 was an April Fools Day that fell on a Thursday. ... See also March 31, 2005 - April 2005 - April 2, 2005 Hamas and Islamic Jihad have declared, in principle, their intention to join the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). ... April 1, 2006 was an April Fools Day falling on a Saturday. ...

Side-effects of April Fools' Day

The frequency of April Fool hoaxes sometimes affect people to doubt actual, legitimate news stories release on that date.

Hawaiians running from an approaching tsunami in Hilo, Hawaii

The April 1 Aleutian Island earthquake tsunami that killed 165 people on Hawaii and Alaska resulted in the creation of a tsunami warning system (specifically The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center), established in 1949 for Pacific Ocean area countries. The tsunami is known in Hawaii as the April Fools Day Tsunami due to people thinking the warnings were an April Fools prank. Image File history File links Tsunami_large. ... Image File history File links Tsunami_large. ... Aleutian Island earthquake was an earthquake near the Aleutian Islands on April 1, 1946, and was followed by a Pacific-wide tsunami wave. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,854 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ... A tsunami warning system is a system to detect tsunamis and issue warnings to prevent loss of life. ... Tsunameter and buoys used by DART system The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), operated by NOAA in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, USA, is a tsunami warning system, overseeing international tsunami prediction and issuing warnings for the Pacific Ocean area. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Gmail's April 2004 launch was widely believed to be a prank, as Google was known to include joke pages on their website, until that point. Gmail, officially Google Mail in the United Kingdom and Germany, is a free webmail and POP3 e-mail service provided by Google. ...

The 2005 death of comedian Mitch Hedberg was originally dismissed as an April Fools' Joke. The comedian's March 29, 2005 death was announced on April 1, 2005. 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mitchell Hedberg (February 24, 1968 – March 29, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian known for his odd subject matter, stylistic elocution and routines that often consisted of a string of one-line non sequiturs. ... March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (89th in Leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z was announced for production by Aniplex, Cartoon Network, and Toei Animation in 2005 and was originally discredited, but turned out to be true when poster art and clips from the series were revealed days later. [6] Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z , roughly And Theyre Off! Powerpuff Girls Z) is the name for a Japanese anime based upon the American animated television series The Powerpuff Girls. ... Aniplex Inc. ... Cartoon Network is a cable television network created by Turner Broadcasting which primarily shows animated programming. ... Toei Animation Co. ...

Other prank days in the world

The April 1 tradition in France includes 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). April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ...

In Spanish-speaking countries, similar pranks are practiced on December 28, the Day of the Holy Innocents. This custom also exists in certain areas of Belgium, including the province of Antwerp. The 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. December 28 is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 3 days remaining. ... The Holy Innocents by Giotto di Bondone. ... The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal (Cathedral of our Lady) at the Handschoenmarkt, in the old quarter of Antwerp is the largest cathedral in the Low Countries and home to several triptychs by Baroque painter Rubens. ... Flanders (Dutch: Vlaanderen) has several main meanings: the social, cultural and linguistical, scientific and educational, economical and political community of the Flemings; some prefer to call this the Flemish community (others refer to this as the Flemish nation) which is, with over 6 million inhabitants, the majority of all Belgians...

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 bad luck of number 13. April 3 is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 272 days remaining. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Norouz (Persian: ‎ ​, Kurdish: Newroz, NûRoj, IPA2: Nowruz; also spelled Noe-Rooz, Nawroz, Norooz, Noruz, Novruz, Noh Ruz, Nauroz, Nav-roze, Navroz, Naw-Rúz, Nevruz or Nowrouz) is the traditional Iranian new year holiday in Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, India, Turkey, Zanzibar, Albania, various countries of Central Asia, as well... Numerology is an arcane study of the purported mystical relationship between numbers and the character or action of physical objects and living things. ... 13 (thirteen) is the natural number following 12 and preceding 14. ...

In the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand the April 1 tradition exists, however it is accepted that if somebody pulls an April Fools' Trick after 12pm (mid-day), then the person pulling the trick is actually considered the fool (this caveat may also exist in other countries). April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ...

In Denmark the 1st of May is known as "Maj-kat", meaning quite simply "May-cat", and is identical to April Fools' day, though Danes also celebrate April Fools' day ("aprilsnar").

Some Jewish communities have a traditional event called a Purim spiel, which is similar in many ways to April Fools' Day. Fake newspaper articles are common. A Purim Spiel is what could be termed the Jewish equivalent of an April Fools Day joke. ...

Quotes about April Fools' Day

"April 1st: This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three-hundred and sixty-four." — Mark Twain

"On April 1st, you understand why the French appreciate the British sense of humour. We have one." ^{[citation needed]}

Retorts to pranksters when April fool jokes are attempted on the wrong day: To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ...

• "April Fools' a-comin' and you're the biggest fool a-runnin'."
• "April Fools' past, and you're the biggest fool at last."

See also

• 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

April Fool is the codename for a spy who played a key role in the downfall of the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. ... A double agent pretends to spy on a target organization on behalf of a controlling organization, but in fact is loyal to the target organization. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majidida al-Tikriti (Arabic: ‎ [1]; born April 28, 1937[2]), was the President and dictator of Iraq from July 16, 1979 until April 9, 2003, when he was deposed during the United States-led 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... The Pigasus Award is the name of an annual tongue-in-cheek honor recognized by noted skeptic James Randi. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

1. ^ BBC article
2. ^ University of Kansas [1]

Encyclopædia Britannica, the 11th edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of £4 billion. ... The University of Kansas (often referred to as KU or Kansas) is an institution of higher learning located in Lawrence, Kansas. ...

External links

Wikinews has news related to:

Wikipedia victim of onslaught of April Fools' jokes

• April Fools' Parade Pictures - London 2006
• The Top 100 April Fools' Day Hoaxes of All Time
• Uncyclopedia's list of the 100 worst April Fools' Jokes
• April Fools' Day Origins
• April Fools' Day Origins (Snopes.com)
• April Fools' Day Pranks (Snopes.com)
• 1957: BBC fools the nation
• The Fools Day - Includes hoaxes, pranks, trivia, history, quotes, messages, funny party ideas and April Fool recipes.
• Perpetrator's Account of the Kremvax Hoax
• CBC Digital Archives - April Fools' Day: The Joke's on Us!