When did the April Fools' Day celebration start?

On this day in 1700, English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools' Day by playing practical jokes on each other. Although the day, also called All Fools' Day, has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, its exact origins remain a mystery. read more

April Fools' Day is an annual celebration in some European and Western countries commemorated on April 1 by playing practical jokes and spreading hoaxes. The jokes and their victims are called April fools. read more

While various cultures around the world do have celebrations around the same time, like the Hindu holiday Holi and the Jewish holiday Purim, the prank-centric nature of April Fools’ Day is particular to Europe and North America, Bronner says. read more

At least one April Fools' Day origin story is a prank on its own. In 1983, Boston University tapped Joseph Boskin, a history professor, to act as an expert on the occasion, The Washington Post reported. read more