April Fools' Day History

The history of April Fools' Day is all about time-management. These days, what isn't?

• April 1st marks this mischievous holiday on the calendar, but before it became a day of high-jinx it was New Years Day throughout Europe.

• Around 1582, Charles IX of France decided to reform its calendar to the version most-widely used today, the Gregorian Calendar. With this new calendar, New Years Day was moved from the beginning of April to January 1st.

• News traveled by foot, carriage, and ships in those days sometimes taking years to communicate a simple message such as a time-shift. Therefore, many people celebrated New Years Day on April 1st long after it had been changed because they hadn't got wind of the new calendar idea. Others rejected the change entirely and celebrated the New Year as they always had on April 1st.

• Given the "off with their heads" trend in France back then, it's pretty remarkable that any one would refute something as trivial as the onset of a new year, but there were a few hold-outs and they were dubbed "fools" along with those not "in the know." These fools were sent on "fool errands" and became targets for tricks.

• Fast-forward hundreds of years and the news had reached the rest of the world along with an excuse for a day of pranks. In Scotland, April Fools' Day is known as Taily Day and is all about one's hindquarters with jokes focused on the buttocks, hence "kick me" signs put on people's backs. In England and a few other countries, pranks actually have a time threshold and are to be executed in the morning. Those who practice Tomfoolery in the afternoon are known as an "April fool" and at risk for bad luck.

• The final kick-in-the-pants about this holiday is that its origin is uncertain, yep, could all just be a joke as many historical accounts mention festivals and days of trickery around the world. However, the French calendar swap theory as the starting point for April Fools' Day is the one that is most accepted and those who believe otherwise, dare I say it, could be modern day April fools (just kidding).