| April Fool's Day originates from Germany. It | | | | bottoms of Royalty, including his mothers - |
| is believed to be the brain child of Gabriel | | | | Queen Elizabeth! |
| Hoffman who lived in Damstadt during the | | | | |
| 1860's. The day is celebrated in many | | | | There have been many hoaxes and some famous |
| countries with the execution of elaborate | | | | mistakes by media corporations in reporting |
| practical jokes on unsuspecting victims. | | | | stories in error. There are also several |
| April 1st is the accepted date for April | | | | April Fool's Day spoofs on the internet. |
| Fool's Day when both simple and very | | | | Sometimes these seemingly innocent pranks can |
| sophisticated jokes are known to catch out | | | | cause financial damage or panic when things |
| the unwary or the gullible. | | | | are taken too far. |
| | | | |
| There is evidence of a similar day in the | | | | In Birmingham on April 1st 1986, a group of |
| Gregorian calendar of 1582 and even as far | | | | students became convinced that the Black |
| back as ancient Rome when the practice would | | | | plague had returned to the city. Such was the |
| have been observed on New Years Day. | | | | level of confusion and clever manipulation of |
| Originally April Fool's Day jokes typically | | | | a drama class and its students, that |
| would have involved sending a person on a | | | | hospitals in the city were put on full alert |
| ridiculous errand. A builders merchant might | | | | and 900 students were sent home by the |
| send an apprentice to obtain some sky hooks | | | | governor. The full scale of the hoax was not |
| or a long wait ( weight ) and embarrass them | | | | revealed until the following day when |
| after a period of time with the utterance of | | | | embarrassed school committee members faced |
| the words April Fool. | | | | the media and issued an apology to parents. |
| | | | |
| It is tradition for the jokes or pranks to | | | | In 2001 Birmingham Council became embroiled |
| end by noon. Carrying out an April Fool's Day | | | | in an April Fool's Day conspiracy involving |
| joke on someone after this time is said to | | | | Pebble Mill on the Bristol Road. They |
| bring bad luck. Over the years there have | | | | received what they thought was official |
| been some very elaborate hoaxes even by large | | | | notification from the BBC of severe |
| TV corporations. The BBC managed to convince | | | | structural damage to the BBC building, caused |
| its audience in 1957 that Swiss farmers were | | | | they were informed by a severe earth tremor. |
| enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. They showed | | | | The council acted swiftly and informed the |
| footage of spaghetti growing on trees and | | | | BBC that it had secured space in the Mailbox |
| were inundated with calls from the general | | | | for all of the BBC staff and studio teams. |
| public asking for advice on growing | | | | This particular hoax was only discovered on |
| spaghetti. The BBC even had the audacity to | | | | the day of the move when Birmingham County |
| suggest placing a sprig of spaghetti in a tin | | | | Council received a fax message which simply |
| of tomato sauce to assist its growth. | | | | read ' April Fools' and was accompanied by a |
| | | | fax message of the original notification. |
| April 1st is not an officially recognised | | | | Michael Johnson, Assistant Director was |
| holiday or event but it is practised | | | | questioned by Channel 4 in an embarrassing |
| regularly in the UK. Prince Charles has been | | | | fiasco where Johnson looked bewildered and |
| reported to have enjoyed April 1st when until | | | | confused and clearly had no knowledge of |
| as recently as 2003 he would cause havoc at | | | | events leading to the change of location of |
| Buckingham Palace where his favourite trick | | | | the BBC headquarters in Birmingham. |
| was to place a whoopee cushion under the | | | | |