206 Fun Facts About April Fools' Day

Which English poet's 1392 tale of the cock Chauntecleer is a disputed early reference to April Fools' Day?

Modern scholars think a copying error is to blame and that Chaucer meant 2 May.

The earliest clear reference to April Fools' Day is a 1561 poem by Eduard de Dene, writing in which language?

Eduard de Dene wrote in Flemish; his 1561 poem tells of a nobleman who sent his servant on foolish errands on 1 April.

What does 'poisson d'avril', first mentioned by a French poet in 1508, literally mean?

Poisson d'avril means 'April's fish'; the phrase was recorded by the French poet Eloy d'Amerval in 1508.

In France, Italy and Belgium, what do pranksters try to attach to a victim's back on 1 April?

The poisson d'avril prank is to tape a paper fish to a victim's back unnoticed, then shout 'poisson d'avril!' when it is found.

One April Fools' theory cites France's move of New Year's Day to 1 January, made official in which year?

Charles IX's 1564 edict fixed 1 January as the French New Year; the tale that those still marking it around 1 April became 'fools' is doubted by historians.

On 1 April 1698, several Londoners were tricked into going to the Tower of London to see what?

The 'washing of the lions' hoax was repeated for well over a century, complete with printed tickets.

In the United Kingdom, tradition holds that April Fools' pranks must stop at what time of day?

In the UK, April Fools' pranks traditionally stop at noon; anyone who plays a joke after midday is said to become the fool.

What is Scotland's April Fools' prank of sending someone off with a sealed 'Dinna laugh, dinna smile...' note called?

A gowk is a cuckoo, and the message tells each recipient to send the victim on another mile.

In Scotland, what was traditionally pinned to people's backs on the day after April Fools' Day?

Paper tails were pinned to backs on Scotland's 'Tailie Day', 2 April, making the pranks a two-day affair.

Iran's 'Lie of the Thirteenth' prank day, Sizdah Be-dar, falls in which Iranian month?

Sizdah Be-dar falls on the 13th of Farvardin, the first month of the Iranian calendar, which lands on 1 or 2 April.

In Spain, Hispanic America and the Philippines, the day for pranks ('inocentadas') falls on which date?

Día de los Santos Inocentes falls on 28 December, the feast commemorating the biblical Massacre of the Innocents.

Humorina, an annual humour festival with a 1 April parade, is held in which Ukrainian city?

Humorina is Odesa's 1 April festival, begun by the city's KVN comedy team after the Soviet Union cancelled the KVN TV competition.

Poland's April 1 prank belief is so strong that a 1683 alliance signed that day was officially dated to when?

The 1683 Polish–Austrian alliance with Leopold I was backdated to 31 March so nobody would take it for an April Fools' joke.

What is the Danish word for an April Fools' prank or its victim?

Aprilsnar is the Danish term for an April Fools' prank and for the person fooled; the Swedish equivalent is aprilskämt.

On 1 April 1957, the BBC current-affairs programme Panorama aired a three-minute report showing Swiss farmers harvesting what from trees?

Spaghetti was shown being picked from trees by Swiss farmers; hundreds of viewers phoned the BBC the next day asking how to grow their own.

Which respected broadcaster's voice-over made the BBC's 1957 pasta-harvest hoax so believable?

Richard Dimbleby, Panorama's authoritative anchor, narrated the pasta report, and hundreds of viewers phoned the BBC the next day.

The BBC's 1957 pasta harvest was supposedly taking place in which Swiss canton?

The harvest was set in Ticino, the Italian-speaking canton around Lake Lugano, where a pasta crop sounded just plausible.

Roughly how many people watched the BBC's Panorama pasta-harvest report on 1 April 1957?

An estimated eight million people watched; Panorama was one of Britain's most trusted programmes, which is why the joke landed.

In 1980 the BBC announced that which London landmark's clock face was going digital?

The BBC World Service reported that Big Ben's clock face would go digital, offering the old hands to the first listeners who called in.

Which astronomer told BBC Radio 2 listeners in 1976 that a planetary alignment would let them float if they jumped?

Patrick Moore told Radio 2 listeners that a rare planetary alignment would briefly weaken Earth's gravity, and callers duly reported a floating sensation.

In 1962, Swedish television told viewers they could get colour TV by stretching what over the screen?

Technician Kjell Stensson told SVT viewers a nylon stocking stretched over the screen would bend the light into colour; Sweden's real colour broadcasts began in 1970.

The Guardian's 1977 April Fools' island San Serriffe had place names that were all puns on what?

Every San Serriffe place name punned on typography, from the islands Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse to its leader, General Pica.

The map of The Guardian's fictional San Serriffe was drawn in the shape of which punctuation mark?

Designer Geoffrey Taylor drew San Serriffe's two islands, Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse, in the shape of a semicolon.

Sports Illustrated's 1985 hoax pitcher Sidd Finch played for which team and threw how fast?

Sidd Finch was presented as a New York Mets prospect who threw 168 mph, far beyond any fastball ever recorded.

Which author, known for participatory journalism, wrote the Sidd Finch hoax for Sports Illustrated?

Plimpton later expanded the joke into a novel.

Which social network announced in 2013 that it would charge $5 a month to use vowels?

Twitter's 2013 April Fools' post unveiled 'Twttr', a free tier with no vowels, and said the full alphabet would cost $5 a month.

The $300,000 'Taco Liberty Bell' prank of 1996 is estimated to have generated roughly how much free publicity?

The stunt cost about $300,000 and earned an estimated $25 million in free publicity; sales rose by more than $1 million over the first two days of April.

In 1992, National Public Radio reported that which former president would run for the White House again?

NPR's Talk of the Nation announced Richard Nixon's surprise 1992 candidacy, complete with an impersonator's voice; outraged listeners flooded the switchboard.

What was Google's first April Fools' hoax in 2000, asking users to project a mental image of their search?

MentalPlex (2000) asked users to stare at a spinning spiral and project a mental image of what they wanted, then returned joke error messages.

Which real Google product, announced on 1 April 2004 with a one-gigabyte inbox, was dismissed as an April Fools' joke?

Gmail really launched on 1 April 2004; its one-gigabyte inbox was hundreds of times Hotmail's, so many assumed the announcement was a prank.

In which year did Google cancel its planned April Fools' jokes for the first time?

Google cancelled its 2020 April Fools' jokes as the COVID-19 pandemic spread, telling staff the priority was being helpful to people.

Which soul singer's death on 1 April 1984 was initially disbelieved because of the date?

Marvin Gaye was shot dead by his father on 1 April 1984, the day before his 45th birthday, and many first took the news for a prank.

Why were radio staff announcing Selena's death on 31 March 1995 accused of lying?

Fans only accepted the news once major outlets confirmed it.

Which magazine's April 1995 issue reported the 'hotheaded naked ice borer' of Antarctica?

Discover's April 1995 issue described the hotheaded naked ice borer, a creature that melted through ice to catch penguins; its 'author' Aprile Pazzo is Italian for April fool.

Which British tycoon's UFO-shaped balloon alarmed Surrey on the eve of April Fools' Day 1989?

Richard Branson's silver UFO-shaped hot-air balloon was meant to land in Hyde Park on 1 April 1989; winds brought it down in a Surrey field a day early and police were called.

Per the disputed Chaucer theory, the fox tricks Chauntecleer 32 days from which date, making it 1 April?

The line 'Syn March bigan thritty dayes and two' counts thirty-two days from 1 March, which the theory reads as 'March 32', i.e. 1 April.

The Iranian festival on which the 'Lie of the Thirteenth' is played involves throwing what into moving water?

Families throw their sabzeh, the sprouted greens grown for the Haft-Seen table at Nowruz, into running water to carry away the year's bad luck.

How many major US newspapers carried the 1996 'Taco Liberty Bell' advertisement on 1 April?

Thousands of people phoned Taco Bell and the National Park Service before the noon reveal.

Which columnist's April 1994 PC Computing piece claimed Congress would ban using the internet while drunk?

John C. Dvorak's column described bill 040194 (the date 04/01/94), which would outlaw internet use while intoxicated; readers flooded Congress with protest calls.

The Spanish-speaking world's prank day, the Day of the Holy Innocents, marks which biblical king's massacre?

Herod the Great's massacre of Bethlehem's infants is commemorated on the Day of the Holy Innocents, when Spanish media run elaborate fake stories.

What phrase do Germans shout to reveal an Aprilscherz?

Germans cry 'April, April!' once the victim has fallen for the Aprilscherz, the equivalent of the British 'April fool!'

In the traditional Irish April Fools' prank, what do the words inside the 'important letter' say?

The 'important letter' reads 'send the fool further', so each recipient forwards the victim on to yet another person.

Which newspaper announced in 2009 that it would become the first to publish only on Twitter?

On 1 April 2009 The Guardian announced it would abandon print after 188 years and publish solely on Twitter, its archive rewritten as 140-character tweets.

Which UK supermarket advertised a genetically modified 'whistling carrot' on 1 April 2002?

Tesco's 2002 advert in The Sun claimed a genetically modified carrot with tapered air holes would whistle when it was fully cooked.

How does a Lebanese prankster reveal the joke?

The Arabic phrase kizbat awwal nisan translates as 'First of April Lie'.

Which Swedish rhyme reveals an April Fools' prank?

'April, april, din dumma sill' ('April, April, you silly herring') continues 'jag kan lura dig vart jag vill' – 'I can trick you wherever I want'.

How many false stories do most Nordic news outlets publish on 1 April?

Nordic newspapers traditionally slip exactly one fabricated story into their 1 April edition and reveal it the next day.

What is April Fools' Day called in Poland?

Prima aprilis, Latin for 'the first of April', is the Polish name for the day and its pranks.

Where in Spain is 1 April celebrated as 'Dia d'enganyar' because of British rule in the 1700s?

Menorca spent much of the 18th century under British rule, which is why it marks 1 April as Dia d'enganyar unlike the rest of Spain.

What is 1 April called in Brazil?

In Brazil 1 April is Dia da mentira, the 'day of the lie', a custom inherited from Portugal rather than the Spanish December one.

Which Australian entrepreneur towed a fake iceberg into Sydney Harbour on 1 April 1978?

Dick Smith's 'iceberg' was a barge covered in white plastic, firefighting foam and shaving cream; rain washed the disguise away as it entered Sydney Harbour.

In parts of England, an April Fools' victim is traditionally called what?

In some English regions an April fool is a 'noddy'; other local terms include noodle, gob and gobby.

Which artist and activist founded New York City's annual April Fools' Day Parade in 1986?

Joey Skaggs has issued a press release for the New York April Fools' Day Parade every year since 1986; the parade itself never takes place.

According to its annual hoax press release, where does New York's April Fools' Day Parade end?

The press release says the parade runs down Fifth Avenue to Washington Square Park, where a King or Queen of Fools is crowned, but no parade ever takes place.

Who made the first British reference to April Fools', calling it 'Fooles holy day' in 1686?

John Aubrey's 1686 note 'Fooles holy day. We observe it on ye first of April' is the earliest known British mention of the custom.

What do modern scholars think Chaucer's disputed Chauntecleer date actually points to?

Scholars believe 'Syn March was gon' was miscopied; 32 days after March ended is 2 May, the anniversary of Richard II's 1381 engagement to Anne of Bohemia.

Which royal decree fixed 1 January as the start of the French year?

Charles IX's Edict of Roussillon, issued in August 1564, set 1 January as the first day of the year throughout France.

Which biblical episode did an 1789 newspaper claim as the origin of April Fools' Day?

The Public Advertiser argued the dove was sent on a 'sleeveless errand', just like an April fool.

What logo does Ukraine's Humorina humour festival use?

Humorina's emblem, a cheerful sailor in a lifebelt, was drawn by artist Arkady Tsykun; since 2010 the festival has run alongside an international clown festival.

In what year did Ukraine's Humorina April Fools' festival begin?

The first Humorina was held on 1 April 1973, organised by the city's KVN comedy team after the Soviet TV contest was cancelled.

Which phrase do Argentines say after a Holy Innocents prank?

Argentines say '¡Que la inocencia te valga!' – 'may your innocence serve you'; Spain simply shouts '¡Inocente!'

Which coffee chain announced 'Plenta' and 'Micra' cup sizes on 1 April 2010?

Starbucks' 2010 April Fools' post introduced the 128-ounce Plenta and the 2-ounce Micra as new cup sizes.

Which real 1946 event on 1 April was tragically mistaken by some for a hoax?

The 1 April 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake sent a tsunami that killed 165 people in Hawaii and Alaska; some dismissed the warnings as an April Fools' prank.

Which country became the first to recognise same-sex marriage, on 1 April 2001?

The Netherlands' same-sex marriage law took effect on 1 April 2001, and Amsterdam's mayor married four couples just after midnight.

Which comedian's death, announced 1 April 2005, was doubted because of the date?

Mitch Hedberg was found dead in a New Jersey hotel on 30 March 2005; the news broke as April Fools' Day arrived and many fans refused to believe it.

Which short NBA guard's 1 April 2011 draft declaration was doubted as an April Fools' joke?

Thomas went on to become an All-Star despite his height, proving the announcement was no prank.

Which network's cancellation of Guiding Light on 1 April 2009 was disbelieved even by its cast?

CBS announced on 1 April 2009 that Guiding Light would end after 72 years; the crew assumed it was an April Fools' stunt.

What was the Roseanne episode titled 'April Fools' Day' actually about?

The title was the joke: the episode follows the Conners scrambling to file their taxes on 15 April, Tax Day.

Which US state was falsely reported in 1998 to have legislated pi as 3?

Physicist Mark Boslough's April 1998 spoof claimed Alabama had legislated pi to the 'biblical value' of 3; it spread by email as genuine news.

What genre is the 1986 film April Fool's Day?

April Fool's Day (1986) is a slasher film in which college friends are picked off at an island mansion; a direct-to-video remake followed in 2008.

Which author's novel April Fool's Day (1993) is named for the day his son died?

Bryce Courtenay's son Damon, a haemophiliac, died of AIDS on 1 April 1991; the author of The Power of One used the date as his title.

What punishment did Thai police threaten in 2021 for posting fake news on April Fools'?

Thai police warned that posting April Fools' fake news, especially about COVID-19, could bring up to five years in prison under the Computer Crimes Act.

Where was some of the BBC's 1957 pasta-harvest footage actually filmed?

Close-ups were shot at a pasta factory in St Albans, Hertfordshire, and the tree scenes at a hotel in Castagnola on Lake Lugano.

Which cameraman dreamed up the BBC's 1957 pasta-harvest hoax?

Charles de Jaeger, an Austrian-born BBC cameraman, recalled teachers joking that pupils were so dim they would believe pasta grew on trees.

What budget did Panorama's editor give for filming the 1957 pasta-harvest hoax?

Editor Michael Peacock approved a budget of just £100 for the three-minute film.

What did the BBC advise viewers who asked how to grow their own pasta tree?

The BBC's stock reply was to 'place a sprig in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best'.

Which network called the 1957 pasta-harvest report the biggest hoax a reputable outlet ever pulled?

CNN later called the Panorama film 'the biggest hoax that any reputable news establishment ever pulled'.

Which Sports Illustrated editor commissioned the 1985 Sidd Finch April Fools' piece?

Managing editor Mark Mulvoy wanted an April Fools' feature; when real sports pranks proved thin, he let the writer invent one.

What footwear did fictional pitcher Sidd Finch wear on the mound?

Finch was also torn between baseball and a career on the French horn.

Where did Sidd Finch supposedly learn the mind-body mastery behind his fastball?

The article said Finch had learned his uncanny control in a Tibetan monastery under 'the great poet-saint Lama Milaraspa'.

Who posed as Sidd Finch in the Sports Illustrated photographs?

Joe Berton, a junior high art teacher from Oak Park, Illinois, posed for the photos; he stood 6 ft 4 in and wore size 14 shoes.

What hidden message did the first letters of the Sidd Finch subhead spell out?

The subhead's initial letters spelled 'Happy April Fools' Day'; even so, two general managers phoned the commissioner about Finch.

Between which two Mets stars did the team place Sidd Finch's locker?

The Mets placed Finch's locker between George Foster's and Darryl Strawberry's, and even issued him uniform number 21.

In what year was the Sidd Finch hoax expanded into a novel?

The Curious Case of Sidd Finch, published in 1987, has Finch briefly recommit to baseball and reach the majors.

Which minor-league team gave away Sidd Finch bobbleheads in 2015?

The Brooklyn Cyclones, a Mets affiliate, marked the hoax's 30th anniversary in 2015 with a Sidd Finch bobblehead night.

What did White House press secretary Mike McCurry joke had also been sold in the Taco Liberty Bell prank?

He said it would be renamed the Lincoln-Mercury Memorial after its Ford Motor sale.

Which advertising agency created the Taco Liberty Bell ad?

Bozell Worldwide, then Taco Bell's agency, created the full-page Liberty Bell ad that ran on 1 April 1996.

Which Norwegian city's Linux group sent real pings by carrier pigeon in 2001?

The Bergen Linux User Group implemented RFC 1149 on 28 April 2001, sending nine pings by carrier pigeon; four came back, with round-trip times over an hour.

What was Google's 2006 April Fools' matchmaking service called?

Google Romance (2006) offered a 'Soulmate Search' and free 'Contextual Dates' on which the couple would be shown targeted ads.

Where did The Guardian originally plan to place San Serriffe before a real air disaster forced a move?

Two 747s collided at Tenerife days before publication, so the island moved to the Indian Ocean.

Which country will the drifting island of San Serriffe eventually collide with?

The supplement said erosion on its west and deposition on its east made San Serriffe creep across the Indian Ocean towards Sri Lanka.

Which real country's shrunken outline was the basis for the San Serriffe map?

Geoffrey Taylor drew the map from a shrunken outline of New Zealand, with the two islands renamed Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse.

Which camera company sponsored a photo competition asking for pictures of San Serriffe?

Kodak ran an advert inviting readers' holiday photos of San Serriffe; themed adverts helped the hoax grow into a seven-page supplement.

Which computer scientist has paid bug bounties with cheques from the fictitious Bank of San Serriffe?

From 2008 Donald Knuth switched his famous error-reward cheques to 'deposits' at the Bank of San Serriffe, after cheque fraud made real ones risky.

What was the capital of The Guardian's fictional island San Serriffe?

San Serriffe's capital was Bodoni, named for the Italian typeface; its ruler was General M.-J. Pica.

Which Michigan newspaper ran the first known 'dihydrogen oxide' water scare on 1 April 1983?

The Durand Express's 1983 April Fools' story warned that 'dihydrogen oxide' in the pipes was fatal if inhaled and produced blistering vapours.

Which 14-year-old's 1997 science project 'How Gullible Are We?' popularised the DHMO hoax?

He gathered petitions to ban 'DHMO', and journalist James Glassman coined the term 'Zohnerism'.

Which country's parliament heard a member announce a campaign to ban dihydrogen monoxide on 1 April 1998?

An Australian MP announced the campaign on 1 April 1998; in 2001 a New Zealand Green Party staffer offered support for the same joke.

Which California city nearly banned foam cups in 2004 because dihydrogen monoxide is used to make them?

Aliso Viejo's council nearly voted to ban foam cups after a paralegal's research put 'dihydrogen monoxide' on the agenda; the item was pulled once the joke was spotted.

Which Monty Python member narrated the BBC's 2008 flying-penguins April Fools' film?

Terry Jones presented the spoof 'Miracles of Evolution' trailer, in which the penguins flew from Antarctica to the Amazon rainforest.

The BBC's flying-penguin hoax credited a filmmaker whose name was an anagram of what?

The film was credited to 'Prof Alid Loyas', whose letters rearrange to 'April Fools Day'.

Which species of penguin starred in the BBC's 2008 flying-penguins hoax?

The hoax featured Adélie penguins on King George Island; animators borrowed the flight pattern of guillemots to make them fly convincingly.

What BBC service was the flying-penguins hoax made to promote?

The trailer promoted the newly launched BBC iPlayer and was billed as footage from a series called 'Miracles of Evolution'.

Which Soviet leader supposedly posted the 1984 Kremvax Usenet message?

Piet Beertema of Amsterdam's CWI forged it because Usenet behind the Iron Curtain seemed absurd.

Who actually forged the 1984 Kremvax April Fools' posting?

Piet Beertema of Amsterdam's CWI forged the posting; six years later a genuine Moscow site, demos.su, named its gateway kremvax in homage.

What was the first humorous RFC, published in June 1973?

ARPAWOCKY (RFC 527, June 1973) parodied Lewis Carroll's 'Jabberwocky'; the annual April Fools' RFCs began in 1989.

What does RFC 1149, the 1990 April Fools' RFC, propose transmitting IP datagrams on?

RFC 1149 describes IP over Avian Carriers – pigeons; a 1999 sequel added quality of service and a 2011 RFC adapted it for IPv6.

What appliance does the 1998 April Fools' RFC 2324 control?

The Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol was updated in 2014 for tea.

Which physics laboratory announced on 1 April 2015 that it had confirmed the Force exists?

CERN's 1 April 2015 press release said its researchers had confirmed the existence of the Force, with staff quoted under Star Wars pun names.

At what exact time did the 1976 BBC gravity hoax tell listeners to jump?

Listeners were told to jump at exactly 9:47 a.m.; callers soon reported floating, and one woman said she and eleven friends had risen from their chairs.

Which two planets were supposedly aligning in the 1976 BBC gravity hoax?

The 'Jovian–Plutonian gravitational effect' had Jupiter and Pluto aligning to weaken Earth's gravity; Pluto was still classed as a planet in 1976.

What did the 1965 BBC hoax claim it could transmit over the airwaves?

Viewers reported the 'Smell-O-Vision' trial worked; the BBC and Google both revived it decades later.

What sold out in Dutch supermarkets after a 1969 TV-tax detector hoax?

Viewers were told wrapping their sets in foil would hide them from roaming inspectors.

Which Massachusetts landmark did Boston's WNAC-TV falsely report was erupting in 1980?

WNAC-TV's bulletin showed Great Blue Hill in Milton erupting using stock volcano footage; residents fled and executive producer Homer Cilley was fired.

Which two game show hosts swapped places for April Fools' Day 1997?

Alex Trebek hosted Wheel of Fortune while Pat Sajak hosted Jeopardy! on 1 April 1997; Sajak and Vanna White played as Wheel contestants.

Which cartoon character 'seized control' of Cartoon Network on April Fools' Day 1997?

Screwy Squirrel 'took over' the channel: the 1944 Tex Avery short Happy-Go-Nutty aired on a loop for most of the day.

Which city did a 1949 New Zealand radio hoax warn of a mile-wide wasp swarm?

Host Phil Shone told 1ZB listeners in 1949 that a mile-wide wasp swarm was heading for Auckland, advising socks over trousers and honey traps outside the door.

Which two late-night hosts swapped shows on April Fools' Day 2022?

Justin Timberlake appeared as an exaggerated Matt Damon, and the pair phoned David Letterman.

Which Madison newspaper's 1933 April Fools' photo showed Wisconsin's state capitol collapsing?

The Capital Times ran a doctored photo of the capitol dome toppling, blaming gas 'generated through many weeks of verbose debate' in the legislature.

Where did San Diego's KGB-FM claim the Space Shuttle would land on 1 April 1993?

KGB-FM said the Space Shuttle was diverting to Montgomery Field; over 1,000 people drove to the small airport during rush hour, though no shuttle was flying.

Which Boston mayor did shock jocks Opie and Anthony falsely declare dead on 1 April 1998?

Opie and Anthony announced on WAAF that Mayor Thomas Menino had died in a car crash; they were fired once the rumour spread across Boston.

Which world leader took a 1998 prank call from a UK DJ pretending to be Tony Blair?

Capital FM DJ Steve Penk, posing as Tony Blair, was put through to Nelson Mandela, who chatted politely before the hoax was revealed.

What did YouTube do to its entire video layout on 1 April 2009?

YouTube flipped its whole site upside down on 1 April 2009, with a help page suggesting users turn their monitors over.

Which inventor did the New York Graphic claim in 1878 had built a soil-to-cereal machine?

The New York Graphic's 1 April 1878 story said Thomas Edison had invented a machine that turned soil into cereal and water into wine; other papers reprinted it as fact.

What was the 'monster' body found floating in Loch Ness on 1 April 1972 actually?

Flamingo Park Zoo's John Shields planted a dead bull elephant seal in Loch Ness; police seized the 'monster' before the prank was admitted.

Which fake sponsor has NPR credited on April Fools' Day?

NPR has credited 'the Soylent Corporation, maker of protein-rich food products in a variety of colours', a nod to the 1973 film Soylent Green.

Which band's fans rushed to a Cork shopping centre in 2009 for a hoax rooftop concert?

RedFM told listeners U2 were playing a surprise rooftop gig at a Cork shopping centre; the band on the roof was the tribute act U2opia.

What did the Berliner Tageblatt report had been stolen from the US Treasury in 1905?

The Tageblatt claimed thieves had tunnelled under the Treasury and carried off all its silver and gold; US papers angrily reprinted the 'news'.

Which language app's 2019 April Fools' video showed its owl mascot stalking users in person?

Duolingo's 2019 'Duolingo Push' video had a life-size Duo the owl follow users around to nag them into finishing their lessons.

Which two Belgian comics magazines swapped covers on 1 April 1965?

Spirou editor Yvan Delporte devised the swap with Tintin's editors.

Which columnist's 1975 April hoax claimed a computer had proved chess's best opening move?

Martin Gardner's April 1975 Scientific American column listed six fake discoveries, including a computer proof of a winning chess opening.

Which emperor supposedly named a jester king for a day, per a 1983 hoax that fooled the Associated Press?

Boston University's Joseph Boskin told the AP that Constantine I let his jester Kugel rule for a day; the invented story ran nationwide.

What happened on the comics pages on April Fools' Day 1997?

The 'comic strip switcheroo' saw dozens of artists trade characters for the day.

Which Paris newspaper claimed in 1986 that the Eiffel Tower would be moved to Euro Disney?

Le Parisien's 1 April 1986 front page said the Eiffel Tower would be dismantled and rebuilt at the planned Euro Disney park, with an Olympic stadium on its site.

Which Star Wars creature inspired a 2009 ThinkGeek April Fools' sleeping bag that became real?

ThinkGeek's joke Tauntaun sleeping bag, complete with a lightsaber-shaped zip pull, drew so many orders that it went on sale for real later in 2009.

Which airline announced the world's first 'glass-bottomed plane' on 1 April 2013?

Virgin Atlantic's 1 April 2013 announcement promised a glass-bottomed plane for its new Scottish routes, complete with a video of passengers gazing at the ground.

What did National Geographic tweet in 2016 that it would stop publishing?

National Geographic tweeted on 1 April 2016 that it would no longer publish photographs of naked animals, playing on its famously unclothed wildlife.

Which joke HTTP status code was introduced by the 1998 April Fools' RFC 2324?

RFC 2324 defined status 418 'I'm a teapot', returned by a teapot asked to brew coffee; the code was kept in the 2014 HTCPCP-TEA update.

What did Signetics jokingly advertise in its databooks from 1972?

Signetics' 25120 'write-only memory' datasheet began as an engineer's joke that the company kept printing in its databooks through the 1970s.

How did prankster 'Porky' Bickar fake a volcanic eruption at Sitka, Alaska?

He flew the tyres in by helicopter after planning the stunt for four years.

What did King's College, Cambridge claim in 2014 it would use instead of boy trebles?

King's College Choir's 2014 video claimed men who had inhaled helium would replace the boy trebles, and showed them squeaking through the repertoire.

What was the fictional pitcher Sidd Finch's real first name, Sidd being his middle name?

Sports Illustrated introduced him as Hayden (Sidd) Finch, an English-raised orphan who had drifted from Harvard to a Tibetan monastery.

Which video-game character was 'murdered' in a free visual novel released on 31 March 2023?

The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is set at Amy Rose's birthday party.

In a classic prank, what replaces the cream filling in a sandwich cookie?

White toothpaste goes in; similar swaps trade sugar for salt or vanilla frosting for sour cream.

What Vocaloid-style character began as a 2008 April Fools' joke on Japan's 2channel?

Kasane Teto was invented as a fake Vocaloid by 2channel users on 1 April 2008 and later received real UTAU and Synthesizer V voicebanks.

What did Pornhub rename itself on April Fools' Day 2016?

Pornhub became 'Cornhub' for 1 April 2016, with its thumbnails replaced by videos of corn on the cob.

What earlier 4chan bait-and-switch trick did Rickrolling grow out of?

Duckrolling – linking to a picture of a duck on wheels – was the 4chan gag Rickrolling replaced around 2007, before it went mainstream in 2008.

On 1 April 2008, what did YouTube do to every featured video on its international home pages?

Redirected them to 'Never Gonna Give You Up', Rickrolling everyone who clicked; it was YouTube's first year joining Google's April Fools' tradition.

Which 2010 Google UK hoax app claimed to turn animal noises into English?

Google UK's 'Translate for Animals' Android app, launched on 1 April 2010, claimed to render the grunts and barks of farm animals and pets as English.

Which fictional Canadian MiG-21 variant appears in a convincing April Fools' story?

The CF-121 Redhawk write-up, with fake photos of Canadian MiG-21s, was polished enough to be cited as genuine by some readers.

Which impressionist voiced the 'former president' in NPR's 1992 April Fools' candidacy hoax?

Rich Little supplied the voice for NPR's Talk of the Nation hoax on 1 April 1992, hosted by John Hockenberry.

What did Google's 2002 hoax claim really powered its PageRank system?

'PigeonRank' came with charts of the birds' linseed consumption and Linux puns.

What was Google Gulp, announced on April Fools' Day 2005?

Its four flavours included Glutamate Grape and Sero-Tonic Water.

What did Google TiSP, a 2007 April Fools' hoax, use to deliver broadband?

Users would flush a fibre-optic cable and wait for a 'Plumbing Hardware Dispatcher'.

What did Gmail Paper offer to do with your emails in a 2007 hoax?

Ads printed in bold red on the back would pay for the '94% post-consumer organic soybean sputum' paper.

With which company did Google announce a hoax Mars settlement, 'Virgle', in 2008?

Virgle was a joint Google–Virgin Group venture to colonise Mars, announced with videos featuring the two companies' founders.

What did Gmail Custom Time (2008) claim to let users do?

Its slogan promised 'Be on time. Every time.'

What was CADIE, Google's 2009 April Fools' invention?

The 'Cognitive Autoheuristic Distributed-Intelligence Entity' even had a blog and wrote INTERCAL.

Which Kansas city did Google jokingly rename itself after in 2010?

Topeka had temporarily called itself 'Google' to court the company's fibre project.

What did Google's 2010 hoax claim you could upload to Google Docs?

The 2010 hoax said Google Docs could now store physical objects like keys and remotes, which would be shipped back to you on request.

What did Gmail Motion (2011) claim to replace typing with?

Gmail Motion claimed to read body gestures through your webcam – pointing over your shoulder to reply, licking a stamp to send.

What did Google Maps' 2013 April Fools' mode turn the map into?

Google Maps' 2013 'Treasure Mode' redrew the world as a pirate treasure map, said to be based on a chart recovered from Captain Kidd.

Which much-mocked font did Google announce in 2011 as the new default for all its products?

Searching 'helvetica' also switched the whole page to the mocked font.

With which game company did Google create an 8-bit NES version of Maps in 2012?

Google built the 8-bit Maps with Square Enix, whose Dragon Quest sprites decorated landmarks in the 'Quest' layer.

What input did the 2012 hoax Gmail Tap use for typing?

Gmail Tap replaced the keyboard with two Morse-code keys; Google later added real Morse input to Gboard in 2018.

Which motorsport did Google claim to be entering with self-driving cars in 2012?

Google's 2012 'Google Racing' announcement claimed a NASCAR partnership to field self-driving stock cars.

With which satire outlet did YouTube claim in 2013 that it was closing to pick the best video?

YouTube's 2013 video, made with The Onion, said the site had been an eight-year contest and would return in 2023 to post the single winning video.

What was Google Nose, unveiled on April Fools' Day 2013?

Users were told to click a 'Smell' button on select Knowledge Graph items.

Which 2014 Google Maps April Fools' hunt later inspired a real hit mobile game?

Pokémon Challenge hid 150 Pokémon across Google Maps; Niantic's 2016 hit Pokémon Go grew out of the idea.

Which celebrity did Google say it would randomly insert into your Google+ photos in 2014?

Google+'s 'Auto Awesome Photobombs' promised to drop David Hasselhoff into your photos; the announcement appeared on the official Google Blog.

What did visitors to the domain com.google find on 1 April 2015?

Google registered com.google for April Fools' 2015 and served its homepage flipped into a mirror image, results and all.

Which song did YouTube suggest for every search on April Fools' Day 2015?

The joke referenced the 'Darude – Sandstorm' comment meme.

What did Google Chrome's 2012 'Multitask Mode' hoax let you use at the same time?

Chrome's 2012 'Multitask Mode' video claimed you could browse with two mice at once, one in each hand, and even add more for your feet.

What did the 2016 Gmail 'Mic Drop' button insert into sent emails?

'Send + Mic Drop' added a GIF of a Minion dropping a microphone and muted the thread; Google pulled it within hours after users hit it by accident.

Which rapper fronted YouTube's 360-degree 'SnoopaVision' hoax in 2016?

Snoop Dogg fronted 'SnoopaVision', which promised to make every YouTube video viewable in 360 degrees with Snoop watching alongside you.

What was Google Cardboard Plastic (2016)?

Users would simply see real life through it.

What was Google Gnome, the 2017 April Fools' product?

Its announcement video spawned memes much like the Amazon Echo ad had.

What did Google Wind (2017) claim Dutch windmills could do?

Google Wind claimed to network the Netherlands' old windmills to blow rain clouds away, promising clear skies nationwide.

What was Google's 2017 Mars data centre nicknamed?

Google Cloud's Mars facility was nicknamed 'Ziggy Stardust' and came with a Street View walk-through of the fictional data centre.

Which fictional alien language did Google Translate claim to support in 2017?

It came from 'Story of Your Life' and its film adaptation Arrival.

Which arcade game could you play on Google Maps on 1 April 2017?

Google Maps' 2017 April Fools' let users play Ms. Pac-Man on real street grids, two years after its original Pac-Man stunt.

What did a 2018 Google hoax claim 80% of Aussies call the search engine?

Designer Jazza made the video with fake survey results.

What classic game could you play on Google Maps in several cities in 2019?

Google Maps' 2019 Snake game ran in Cairo, London, San Francisco, São Paulo, Sydney and Tokyo, with a train as the snake.

What did Google Nederland's 2019 flower app claim to translate?

Google Tulip claimed to decode the signals tulips send through their roots and turn them into speech, so you could chat with your garden.

What kitchen utensil did Google Japan's 2019 Gboard hoax use for typing?

Google Japan's 2019 Gboard was a bendable spoon: flex it to select characters, a nod to spoon-bending psychics.

On which date did Google Japan release its 2022 novelty bar keyboard instead of 1 April?

Google Japan launched its single-row Gboard 'bar version', about 1.65 metres long, on 1 October 2022, having moved its keyboard jokes off April Fools' Day.

What shape was Google Japan's 2024 double-sided novelty keyboard?

The 2025 version was based on rotary-dial phones.

Which pioneering scientist's birthday did Google mark on 1 April 2020 instead of a hoax?

A doodle for Australian polio researcher Jean Macnamara's 121st birthday ran on 1 April 2020 after Google cancelled its jokes during the pandemic.

What claim did Burger King make about its 1998 'Left-Handed Whopper'?

Burger King's 1998 ad said the Left-Handed Whopper's condiments were rotated 180 degrees for left-handed customers; thousands asked for one the next day.

What Latin species name was given to the hoax Pacific Northwest tree-dwelling cephalopod?

Lyle Zapato's 1998 site named the tree octopus Octopus paxarbolis, gave it the Sasquatch as chief predator, and has been used in lessons on web literacy.

What slogan did NPR's 1992 hoax give its former president's surprise comeback campaign?

NPR's 1 April 1992 hoax had the 'candidate' declare 'I didn't do anything wrong, and I won't do it again'; listeners flooded the switchboard in outrage.

Which goddess was honoured at the ancient Roman Hilaria festival, sometimes linked to April Fools'?

Hilaria honoured Cybele, the Great Mother, around 25 March with games and masquerades in which anyone could impersonate even magistrates.

What retro operating system did Microsoft's 2015 April Fools' claim to bring to Lumia phones?

Microsoft's 1 April 2015 video unveiled 'MS-DOS Mobile' for Lumia phones, complete with a command-line camera app and a downloadable demo.

Who created the Museum of Hoaxes website in 1997?

Boese has also written the books Hippo Eats Dwarf and Elephants on Acid.

What did Tesla's 2015 April Fools' 'Model W' announcement turn out to be?

Tesla's 1 April 2015 blog unveiled the Model W, a wristwatch that 'also tells the time', mocking the then-imminent Apple Watch.

On 1 April 1989, a staged fight broke out among staff behind which BBC Grandstand presenter as he praised his team's professionalism?

Des Lynam was mid-sentence on the professionalism of his team; the brawl was revealed as a joke at the end of the show.

Which BBC radio programme featured a spoof theatrical manager, Sir Harry Whitlohn, in 1963?

Desert Island Discs' castaway on 1 April 1963, theatrical manager 'Sir Harry Whitlohn', was an invented guest, an early BBC radio April Fool.

In 1992, Norfolk, Virginia DJs falsely reported leaking methane at which landfill-turned-park?

Mount Trashmore Park in Virginia Beach really is built on a capped landfill, which made WNOR's methane-explosion bulletin plausible enough to flood police lines with calls.

Which website launched the collaborative pixel canvas r/place on 1 April 2017?

Reddit's r/place opened on 1 April 2017: a 1,000-by-1,000-pixel canvas where any user could colour one pixel every few minutes, closing after about 72 hours.

Who wrote the 1990 April Fools' RFC 1149?

David Waitzman of BBN wrote RFC 1149 on 1 April 1990 and returned in 1999 with RFC 2549, which added quality of service to the pigeons.

In which newspaper did Burger King's 1998 'Left-Handed Whopper' advert appear?

Burger King's full-page Left-Handed Whopper ad ran in USA Today on 1 April 1998; the next day it admitted the joke and said thousands had asked for one.

Every April until 2007, GamePro magazine printed a 2-5 page satirical spoof of itself under what parody title?

Lamepro carried humorous game titles and fictional news, though some content, such as ways to trigger useless glitches, was real.

How much did the 'mummified fairy' from a 2007 April Fools' hoax eventually fetch on eBay?

Dan Baines, a designer of illusions for magicians, posted the 20 cm 'fairy corpse' on his site for 1 April 2007 and later sold it on eBay for £280.

What did Google Australia's 2008 'gDay with MATE' claim to let you search?

Google Australia's 2008 'gDay with MATE' claimed to search web pages 24 hours before they were created, using 'Machine Automated Temporal Extrapolation'.

Which 2009 Gmail 'feature' claimed to read your mail and write your replies for you?

Gmail Autopilot, credited to Google's hoax AI of that year, promised to answer your email automatically in your own writing style.

What new name did Volkswagen of America falsely announce in a backfired 2021 April Fools' stunt?

Volkswagen of America leaked a 'Voltswagen' rename on 29 March 2021 to plug its ID.4 electric car, then admitted it was an early April Fools' joke amid criticism.