10 Facts About Today

#19 - April Fools | April 1, 2020

Episode Summary

What does April Fools' Day have to do with fish? What country celebrates April Fools for 48 hours? What popular game started as an April Fools' joke? Let's find out because today is April Fools' Day.

Episode Notes

10 Facts About Today - Podcast

April 1, 2020 - 10 Facts About April Fools.

Today is April Fool’s day. 

Here are 10 facts about April Fools that you didn’t know, that you actually needed to know:

April Fools.

  1. Scottish Celebrate April Fool’s for 2 days. 
  2. 32 percent of workers say they have either initiated or been on the receiving end of an April Fools' Day prank 
  3. Apparently Spaghetti Grows on trees
    1. In 1957 the BBC broadcasted a movie where Swiss Farmers had trees filled with spaghetti
    2. The farmers were picking the trees
    3. They next day the BBC was flooded with requests to buy a spaghetti plant
    4. They got so many requests that they needed to make a public statement that it was a hoax/prank 
  4. Taco Bell claimed it bought the liberty bell and was renaming it thee taco liberty bell. 1996
  5. April Fools Day used to be New Years
    1. It started when we moved over to the Gregorian calendar
    2. New Years was switched from April 1st to January 1st
    3. People who would celebrate on April 1st still were being foolish
  6. It also has ties to Rome’s Laughing Day
    1. Roman Laughing Day is a day where people just joke around
    2. Usually telling jokes, and less tricking
    3. Meant to celebrate the Vernal Equinox
  7. In some countries April fools day is April Fish Day
    1. People try to stick a little paper fish on your back without you noticing
    2. Kind of like a kick me sign 
    3. Italy, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, and French-speaking areas of Switzerland 
    4. Also in france people would publish stories in the news papers that would incorporate a fish as a prank
  8. Ireland “sends the fool further”
    1. Its a prank where you give someone a sealed envelop thats very important
    2. You ask them to deliver it to a very important person
    3. That person opens the envelop puts the letter back, and sends the messenger to give it to someone again
    4. The letter just says “send the fool further”
  9. Pokemon GO was started as an April Fools Joke
    1. In 2014 Google Maps and Pokemon released a video stating there would be an AR real world pokemon game
    2. It got so much hype that Nintendo actually looked for partners to make the game
    3. They ended up going with Niantic because of Ingres
    4. PoGo is the 6th highest grossing mobile game at $4.7M a year all from a joke
  10. In many spanish-speaking countries and the Philippines they celebrate in December
    1. Its called “Holy Innocents day”
    2. Usually december 27, 28, or 29th
    3. They celebrate this is Syria too, but on January 10th

Bonus Fact:

  1. This may be the first year that New York doesn’t release an April fools day parade press release.