Joke's On You
When is April Fools' Day?
A) March 31
B) April 1
C) April 2
April 1
April Fools' Day is an annual custom on the 1st of April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient, who becomes the "April fool".
What year was April Fools' Day canceled?
A) 1960
B) 1980
C) 2020
2020
April Fools' Day took a hit in 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic sapped pretty much everyone's sense of humor. Many large companies, including Google, the king of April Fools', opted out of that year's shenanigans, with one CNN headline reading, "April Fools' Day pranks are not funny right now. Don't do them."
What biblical character has been blamed by some as the originator of April Fools' Day?
A) Jacob
B) Abraham
C) Noah
Noah
On March 13, 1769, the London Public Advertiser printed: "The mistake of Noah sending the dove out of the ark before the water had abated, on the first day of April, and to perpetuate the memory of this deliverance it was thought proper, whoever forgot so remarkable a circumstance, to punish them by sending them upon some sleeveless errand similar to that ineffectual message upon which the bird was sent by the patriarch."
In old world Europe, which holiday used to be celebrated on 1 April?
A) Thanksgiving
B) Christmas Day
C) New Year's Day
New Year's Day
It wasn't until Pope Gregory XIII ordered the implementation of the Gregorian Calendar in 1582 that many European switched New Year's Day from 1 April to 1 January, and even then it still took some places, like England, a while to adapt.
Which technological innovation was once famously believed to be an April Fool's Day prank?
A) Gmail
B) Yahoo!
C) AOL
Gmail
Gmail was launched on 1 April 2004. At that time, many people thought it was a hoax for a webmail service to offer a whole gigabyte of free storage.
According to tradition, what time should April Fools' jokes stop?
A) 6:00PM
B) 6:00AM
C) Noon
Noon
In the UK and countries whose traditions are derived from the UK, a rule has been in place since the 1700s that the April Fools' custom ceases at noon, after which time it is considered bad luck to play pranks. Anyone playing a prank after midday is considered the, "April fool," themselves.
What genuine news story was mistaken for an April Fools' prank?
A) Hurricane Katrina
B) Amelia Earhart lost at sea
C) Death of Marvin Gaye
Death of Marvin Gaye
On April 1, 1984, Motown legend Marvin Gaye's life was taken following an altercation with his father after he intervened in an argument between his parents. Many mistook the story for a prank, including fellow singers Smokey Robinson and Jermaine Jackson, who didn't believe the news until it was confirmed by the police. Al Sharpton during his interview for the VH1 documentary VH1's Most Shocking Moments in Rock & Roll referenced the coincidence of the date when he said that Gaye's death came, "Like a sick, sad joke to all of us."
On April 1, 1962, Swedish viewers were told they could convert their black and white TVs into color TVs using _____.
A) Nylon stockings
B) Their brains
C) Mirrors
Nylon stockings
Sweden's SVT (Sveriges Television) brought their technical expert, Kjell Stensson, onto the news to brief the public on a new technology that could convert their existing sets to display color. Stensson explained that all viewers had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their tv screen, and the mesh would cause the light to bend in such a way that it would appear as if the image was in color. Many Swedes today still remember their fathers rushing through the house trying to find stockings to place over the TV set.
When was the last time Easter Sunday and April Fool's Day occurred on the same day in the 20th century?
A) 1967
B) 1956
C) 1939
1956
Easter, which occurs on the Sunday after the first full moon on or following the vernal equinox, sometimes coincides with April Fool's Day. The last time this happened in the 20th century was in 1956. The first time it happened in the 21st century was in 2018.
A task that has zero chance of success is known as what?
A) Longshot
B) Fool's errand
C) Shot in the dark
Fool's errand
A fool's errand is a common April Fool's Day prank, such as sending a person to search for something that doesn't exist.
In France, what is attached the fool's back on April 1?
A) Fish
B) Feathers
C) Cheese
Fish
In France and French-speaking areas of Switzerland and Canada, the 1 April tradition is often known as, "April fish," (poisson d'avril) and involves attempting to attach a paper fish to the victim's back without being noticed. Many newspapers also spread a false story on April Fish Day, and a subtle reference to a fish is sometimes given as a clue to the fact that it is an April Fools' prank.
What is the victim of an April Fools' joke sometimes called in England?
A) Pastry
B) Noodle
C) Turnip
Noodle
Much like the Eskimo has multiple words for, "Snow," the English have multiple words for, "Fool," including, "Noodle, gob, gobby or noddy."
What was April Fools' Day originally called in Scotland?
A) Kelpy Day
B) Huntigowk Day
C) Lucharachain Day
Huntigowk Day
The holiday was originally known as, "Huntigowk Day," in Scotland. The name is a corruption of, "Hunt the gowk," gowk being Scots for a cuckoo or a foolish person. The traditional prank is to ask someone to deliver a sealed message that supposedly requests help of some sort. In fact, the message reads, "Dinna laugh, dinna smile. Hunt the gowk another mile." The recipient is required, upon reading the note, to agree to help on one condition--that the messenger first deliver another message. The victim is then sent on their way with with an identical sealed message, with the same result.
April Fool's Day is celebrated using what?
A) Jokes and hoaxes
B) Pinches and pokes
C) Parties and food
Jokes and hoaxes
April Fool's Day is full of jokes and hoaxes, sometimes even by those you won't expect, so on this day a person always needs to be on their guard!
In 2015, which company held an unbelievable, "April Fool's Day Special," many believed was a prank but wasn't?
A) Trader Joe's
B) BP
C) BMV
BMV
In 2015, a BMW dealership in New Zealand advertised an "April Fools Day Special" which promised to swap a new car for old model to the first person who brought one in, along with the coupon. A woman named Tianna Marsh responded to the ad and walked away with a new, £25,000 BMW saloon car in place of her 15-year old Nissan!
What fake plant was part of a famous April Fools' prank by the BBC?
A) Whistling plant
B) Peashooter
C) Spaghetti plant
Spaghetti plant
In 1957, the BBC broadcast a film purporting to show Swiss farmers picking freshly-grown spaghetti, in what they called the Swiss spaghetti harvest. The BBC was soon flooded with requests to purchase a spaghetti plant, forcing them to declare the film a hoax the next day.
What fast food restaurant famously claimed to have purchased an iconic American symbol on April Fools' Day?
A) Taco Bell
B) Pizza Hut
C) McDonald's
Taco Bell
On April 1, 1996, Taco Bell took out a full-page ad in seven leading U.S. newspapers announcing that the company had purchased the Liberty Bell to, "Reduce the country's debt," and renamed it the, "Taco Liberty Bell." Thousands of outraged customers called Taco Bell headquarters before it was revealed that the story was a hoax. White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry responded that the federal government was also, "Selling the Lincoln Memorial to Ford Motor Co. and renaming it the Lincoln-Mercury Memorial."
Who was announced as a U.S. presidential candidate as part of a 1992 April Fools' joke?
A) Pee-Wee Herman
B) Richard Nixon
C) Arnold Schwarzenegger
Richard Nixon
On April 1, 1992, National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation revealed that, in a surprise move, Richard Nixon was running for President again. His new campaign slogan was, "I didn't do anything wrong, and I won't do it again." Accompanying this announcement were audio clips of Nixon delivering his candidacy speech. Voters were outraged until they realized that Nixon's voice was impersonated by comedian Rich Little.
On 1 April 1946, which disaster struck Hawaii which people initially thought was a hoax?
A) Volcano Eruption
B) Hurricane
C) Tsunami
Tsunami
This disaster, which resulted in the death of over 160 people, has been dubbed the April Fools Day Tsunami due to some in Hawaii believing that initial warnings of such were a hoax.
Which American sitcom once aired an episode entitled, "April Fool's Day," which was actually about Tax Day?
A) Friends
B) Roseanne
C) The Big Bang Theory
Roseanne
The hit 1990's sitcom Roseanne aired such an episode on 10 April 1990 which actually centered on the family scrambling to file their taxes on time.
What country has banned April Fools' Day?
A) China
B) Russia
C) Turkey
China
In 2016, the ancient tradition of hoaxing and playing practical jokes on the first day of April fell victim to a Chinese government crackdown. According to state news agency Xinhua, the holiday "is not consistent with our cultural tradition, or socialist core values."
What new sandwich did Burger King introduce on April 1, 1998?
A) Meatless Whopper
B) Gobstopper Whopper
C) Left-handed Whopper
Left-handed Whopper
Burger King published a full page ad in USA Today announcing the introduction of a new item to their menu: a, "Left-Handed Whopper," specially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. The new whopper included the same ingredients as the original Whopper, but the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers. The following day, the company revealed the hoax. They also revealed that thousands of customers had gone into their restaurants to request the new sandwich.
What fake invention was part of a 1965 April Fools' hoax?
A) Walking suitcase
B) Smellovision
C) Time-shifting remote control
Smellovision
In 1965, BBC TV played another epic April Fools' joke on their viewers, airing an interview with a man who had invented a new technology called, "Smellovision," that allowed viewers to experience aromas produced in the television studio. The inventor explained that his machine broke scents down into their component molecules which were then transmitted through the screen. He demonstrated by placing some coffee beans and onions into the smellovision and asking viewers to report whether they smelled anything at home. Viewers called in from across the country to confirm that they had indeed experienced these scents. Some even claimed the onions made their eyes water!
In theory, April Fool's Day is related to which Greco-Roman festival of old?
A) Hilaria
B) Saturnalia
C) Lupercalia
Hilaria
Hilaria was held shortly before 1 April during the March equinox and as the name implies featured a lot of joking and merriment.
In Spain and Latin America, a day for pranks equivalent to April's Fool Day is held in which month of the year?
A) December
B) November
C) October
December
December 28th, which also marks the observance of, "Holy Innocents Day," is a traditional day for pranking in Spain and several parts of Latin America.