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