April Fool’s Day which is also known as All Fools’ Day is celebrated April 1st. Although the holiday is not a legal one it is widely recognized for its pranks and shenanigans. Radio stations, national newspapers, and game shows have had their fair share of fun tricking their listeners, readers, and viewers.
As part of an April Fools’ joke in 1997, popular TV icons Alex Trebek and Pat Sajak switched hosting duties. Sajak hosted Jeopardy that day and Trebek hosted Wheel of Fortune where Sajak and Vanna White played as contestants.
Google is perhaps on of the most notorious pranksters on the net. They have pulled a number of stunts over the year but have also used April 1st to launch some of their most popular products. For example, right before midnight on March 31, 2004, Google announced the launch of Gmail. At the time, on gigabyte of storage on a free web-based email account was unheard of. Many people dismissed the launch as a hoax when it really was legitimate.
The Origin of April Fool’s Day
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar that had New Year’s Day changed to January 1st. France decided to adopt the reformed calendar and shifted New Year’s day to January 1st. Traditionalists that were unhappy with the change refused to believe that the New Year wasn’t being celebrated on April 1st. Pranksters gave them a hard time by sending them on “fool’s tasks” throughout the day. The practice spread all around Europe.
On behalf of Signature Pins, we hope that your April Fool’s Day is merry.