The Fools of All Fools
April Fools’ Day is the only day you can get away with playing practical jokes and spreading hoaxes. We all celebrate the occasion on the first of April every year, but did we not stop to question why it’s even celebrated?
It’s often referred to as All Fools’ Day for the reason that it’s a day where millions of people were fooled at a time. Let’s go back in time to the year 1564. France’s king decided to switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar without effectively informing the public. Many continued to believe that the new year was marked on March 25, and continued to celebrate until the first of April, when, in fact, the new year was moved to the first of January. Those who were slow at receiving the news became the “fools” of the ongoing joke.
Those who knew about the change, pranked those who didn’t, plastering paper fish cutouts on their backs, known as “poisson d’avril” (April fish), and symbolized the gullibility of those people.
It took a step further when newspapers and magazines published fake stories, which would be later explained the next day. But we won’t be doing that today.
This year Google wanted to add to their list of hoaxes and announced a new product, Google Tulip, on the Google Blog. This new technology supposedly helps you understand what your plant wants, and works with the Google Home device, and speaks to let you know when it requires more water or sunlight. The video released to advertise the product looks incredibly authentic, you won’t believe it’s a hoax.
In 1998, Burger King advertised a burger known as the “Left-Handed Whopper” which was the exact same sandwich as their regular “Whoppers.” Nonetheless, the new burger was purchased by many. In more recent news, Burger King introduced “The Chocolate Whopper” in the United States and “Whopper Toothpaste.” Coca-Cola too embraced the celebration by advertising their new product “Coca-Cola Helium” meant to alter your voice to a much higher pitched when consumed.
April Fools’ Day allows all to spread false information and play pranks on others but remember to stay on the safe side of things.
Disclaimer: No one was pranked into writing this article.
