Did you know?
It’s not exactly a “holiday,” but April Fool’s Day has been celebrated around the world for a long time.
Like that almost-holiday, Halloween, when ghouls and goblins are at the forefront, the first day of April each year allows the very gullible to have their own day.
I’ve tried, but with little success, to pin down the origins of “All Fools Day,” or April Fool’s (Fools’) Day.
Some historians claim that Geoffrey Chaucer first made mention of it in his Canterbury Tales in 1392. But some other historians claim that it was first practiced in Italy, France or Belgium.
The first local reference I’ve found to April Fool’s Day, and an associated prank, was on the front page of the Uniontown Daily News Standard on April 1, 1897.
“The April fool joke was worked pretty hard among the officials at the court house. All were called to the telephone to answer a call only to find no one at the other end. One official was even called out of town,” it was reported.
That probably wasn’t as creative as my generation’s most infamous telephone prank:
Prankster: “Hello, is your refrigerator running?” Person the other end: “Yes.”
Prankster: “Then you’d better run out and catch it before it gets away.” Click!
Over the years, though, there have been all kinds of published warnings about the possible perils of April Fool’s shenanigans.
“WARNING – Watch your step tomorrow. April Fool,” it said in the March 31, 1955 edition of the Uniontown Evening Standard.
The Uniontown Morning’s front page on April 1, 1930 carried another warning, but with a long story about the supposed origins of April Fool’s Day.
“Watch Your Step – Today Is April Fool’s Day. Don’t Be Caught-Read About It,” was the headline for that story, which included two theories about why many people feel compelled to ‘fool” unsuspecting friends, neighbors – and even strangers.
“The Romans played burlesque tricks on Feb. 17, the Feast of Fools, and similar Jokes are played on friends by Hindus during the celebration of the Hull festival, which ends March 31,” it said.
I found one local April Fool’s warning that could have become a recipe for somebody thinking about a creative way to wreak havoc on a potential mark.
“April Fool’s Day!
Keep alert and think, then you will not be tricked — maybe. But would you pass up a billfold you spot on a sidewalk, even if it is attached to a piece of cord and drawn quickly,” it was asked on the front page of the April 1, 1961 edition of the Uniontown Evening Standard.
For some reason, April Fool’s Day has, for some people, carried some meteorological significance.
“The weather man hereabouts apparently attempted an April Fool stunt yesterday with heavy wind, snow, slush and more snow,” it was reported in the April 2, 1924 edition of the Morning Herald.
But it was also reported in the April 2, 1952 edition of the Evening Standard that, “Yesterday, as typical April Fool weather was seen, the temperature rose to the surprising high of 65 degrees despite lowering skies and some rain.”
There were also unseasonably warm temperatures recorded on April Fool’s Day in 1934. Although that wasn’t considered as much of an April Fool’s Day, as much as it was a real holiday.
“Smiling Spring greeted Easter crowds yesterday with a maximum temperature of 72 recorded at Burgess Field,” said the Daily News Standard article on April 2, 1934.
The Daily News Standard had signaled the rare incidence of April Fool’s Day and Easter being on the same day, in it’s March 28, 1934 edition.
“Sunday’s not April fool day; it’s Easter. Join the style parade with a new outfit bought in Uniontown,” said a report encouraging that readers “buy locally.”
I had to search the internet to find just how rare it was that April Fool’s Day and Easter occurred on the same day.
Here’s what I found: In 1714, 1725, 1736, 1804, 1866, 1877, 1888, 1923, 1934, 1945 and 1956 that happened. The next time Easter and April Fool’s Day will share the same day will be on April 1, 2018.
While I was at it, I checked the years that April Fool’s Day and Palm Sunday took place on the same day. That happened in 1793, 1708, 1787, 1792, 1798, 1849, 1855, 1860, 1917, 1928, 2007 and last year – 2012.
Since I discovered somebody had actually gone back and found the dates that April Fool’s Day coincided with Easter Sunday or Palm Sunday, I just knew somebody else would have combed through calendars and found the dates when April Fool’s Day and Good Friday were the same.
Here’s that list: 1763, 1768, 1774, 1825, 1831, 1836, 1904, 1983, 1988 and 1994. The next time will be 2067.
I couldn’t end any discussion about the merits (or lack of them) of April Fool’s Day, without asking you one question.
Is your refrigerator running?