April Fools' Day

April Fool’s Day is one of those days that doesn’t really matter in society, but boy do people like to celebrate it.  College students especially, in their ‘prankster’ mindset, love playing tricks on their friends and having an excuse for the victim not to get mad about it.  These pranks can be anything from a simple little statement such as, “I just got kicked out of college…April fools!!” or they can be really intense pranks such as saran-wrapping someone’s car.  Either way, April Fool’s Day is a day to be celebrated in the most untraditional ways.  Here are some of the best pranks done around the country.

Alabama Changes the Value of Pi:  In 1998, the April edition of the New Mexicans for Science and Reason announced that the value of pi had been changed from 3.14159… to the “Biblical Value” of 3.0.  It didn’t take long for the article to spread to the internet and, in turn, get around the world. 

Planetary Alignment Decreases Gravity:  in 1976 the British astronomer Patrick Moore announced on BBC Radio 2 that at 9:47 AM a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event was going to occur that listeners could experience in their very own homes.  He said that Pluto was passing behind Jupiter, which would cause the gravitational alignment to be off and there would be a temporary decrease in gravity.  At 9:47 AM the station received hundreds of calls from listeners saying that they had experienced the loss of gravity.

Computer Pranks:  This is a prank that is easily done if you feel like playing a trick on an unsuspecting study buddy.   All you need to do is take a screenshot of the computer background (icons and shortcuts included) and set that picture as the computer background.  Then you delete the person’s icons so when they go to click on them, they can’t.  I witnessed this prank done first hand.  The prankster got quite a reaction from the prank-ee because there were important things on the prank-ee’s computer that he didn’t think he could get to.  He restarted his computer multiple times without success before the prankster told him what he had done. 

The Taco Liberty Bell:  In 1996, the Taco Bell Corporation announced that it had bought the Liberty Bell from the federal government and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Naturally, hundreds of outraged citizens called up the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell is housed to express their anger. Things only calmed down when Taco Bell revealed a few hours later that it was just a practical joke.

Here’s a prank to keep in mind for if you ever work in an office with a coworker you can joke around with:  Foil Everything-- buy several restaurant-size rolls of aluminum foil. Wait 'til the "victim" leaves for the day on March 31 then go into their cubicle or office and wrap EVERYTHING in foil: desk, chair, computer, books, pencils, etc. If enough people chip in and help, it won't take too long. Be sure to take lots of pictures!

I hope you had a playful and fun April Fool’s Day and keep these pranks in mind for next year!