The History of April Fools’ Day

8 dates that bolstered the power of the high jinks holiday

Bill Hangley Jr. and David Colton,

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Published March 25, 2024

illustration of coat with tassles on it in top left; illustration of volcano in top center; illustration of person with fur hat trimming it with scissors in top right; illustration of man looking up at baseball flying over head in bottom left; illustration of noodles with crown on it in bottom center; illustration of people standing on cracked cliffs in bottom right

Illustration by Sam Island

April Fools’ Day dates back more than 400 years; it’s even older than Thanksgiving (no joke!). Which means there have been lots of chances for good mischief.

illustration of calendar of april with jester on it with the year 1582 on left; illustration of lion in tub of water on right with year 1698

Illustration by Sam Island

1582: Fool’s gold

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar, moving the start of the new year to January from April. And thus, those who kept celebrating the old new year were ridiculed as “April fools,” which eventually led to a new unofficial holiday, historians suggest.

1698: A wild start

The first documented April fools’ prank took place in London. A clever Brit announced a special event at the Tower of London: “See the Lions washed.” No such public cleansing of jungle cats was planned, but the announcement drew a crowd of rubes.

illustration of coat with tassles on it with year 1796 on left; illustration of volcano and year 1974 on right

Illustration by Sam Island

1796: New jokes in the New World

The earliest recorded American April fools’ prank took place in Middletown, Connecticut, where an anonymous handbill promised a marketplace with a demand for “fool’s coats.” The ad specified that sellers should bring coats that were “predominante” in yellow, with lots of tin bells and tassels, including “seven on the right shoulder.”

1974: An explosive prank

When residents of Sitka, Alaska, awoke to see smoke rising from the crater of a long-dormant Mount Edgecumbe, officials scrambled to respond to a possible volcanic eruption. It was an elaborate stunt, three years in the making. Oliver “Porky” Bickar led a group of people who had piled hundreds of tires and greasy rags in the volcano’s crater and set them on fire — and spray-painted “APRIL FOOL” on the snow.

illustration of person with fur hat trimming it with scissors with year 1980 on left; illustration of noodles with crown on it and year 1983 on right

Illustration by Sam Island

1980: A new meaning of hat hair

The official magazine of the British army reported that its guards’ fur helmets needed regular trimming because the bear pelts used were so thick that the hair continued growing. The London Daily Express reprinted the article — perhaps because the prank story promised that the bearskin growth hormone “can be put to use in medical research — especially into baldness.”

1983: Some meta mischief

When an Associated Press reporter asked history professor Joseph Boskin about the origins of April Fools’ Day, the Boston University academic jokingly cited a fictitious King Kugel — the name inspired by a friend’s favorite noodle dish. The next day, the professor was shocked to learn that the reporter had run the King Kugel gag as fact.

Illustration of man looking up at baseball flying over head and year 1985 on left; illustration of people standing on cracked cliffs and year 2001 on right

Illustration by Sam Island

1985: A false pitch

A pitcher who can hurl a baseball at 168 mph? That’s what writer George Plimpton claimed about a supposed New York Mets prospect in the April 1 issue of Sports Illustrated. “You can hardly see the blur [of the ball] as it goes by,” a batter was quoted in the fake story, “The Curious Case of Sidd Finch.” “As for hitting the thing, frankly, I just don’t think it’s humanly possible.” Fans fell for the gag, which some called the greatest April Fools’ prank in sports history.

2001: A groundbreaking hoax

For earth-shaking impact, few pranksters can beat the British DJs who announced that a replica Titanic would be visible from the chalk cliffs of Beachy Head in East Sussex. Crowds flocked to see the made-up ship, and a large part of the fragile cliffs cracked — then days later, crumbled. Scientists blamed the collapse on weather and erosion, but the crowds couldn’t have helped.

illustration of cheeseburger in top left, illustration of toilet paper with L on it in bottom left; illustration of car that looks like a bee in center; illustration of pickles on burger bun in top right; illustration of seat reclining on plane with person behind it and the word ding above in bottom right

Illustration by Sam Island

Corporate cutups

How companies tease customers on April Fools’ Day:

Burger King’s Whopper

In 1998, Burger King took out a full-page ad in USA Today explaining that southpaws could order a lefty Whopper, with condiments rotated 180 degrees, creating a left-handed taste.

Cottonelle’s side hustle

In 2015, Cottonelle posted: “America has spoken, and we at Cottonelle have listened — Introducing Cottonelle’s new toilet paper for lefties.”

Audi’s sweet deal

In 2019, Audi Australia announced new model B-tron, a vehicle that ran on honey, “a sustainable, naturally acquired fuel harvested from robina flowers in Bavaria.” The car was to include an onboard toaster for sweet morning treats.

McDonald’s gets in a pickle

In 2019, McDonald’s restaurants in Australia announced the McPickle Burger — “juicy, flavoursome pickles layered between melted cheese, ketchup sauce and toasted sesame seed buns.”

Airline leans in to joke

In 2023, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines unveiled “a revolutionary new cabin feature: The Recline Alert System. We’ve developed a sound effect that notifies passengers when the seat in front of them reclines.”