Until the middle of the 16th century, France celebrated the New Year on the first of April.

Then, in 1564, King Charles IX decided to change this, and the New Year began on the first of January.

The message about this change traveled through the country very slowly.

And some people did not know about the change or did not like it.

When these people tried to give New Year presents on the 1st of April,

other people laughed at them.

and called them fools or stupid people.

After this, the 1st of April was called All Fool's Day, and later, April Fool's Day.

In many countries, it became a day to play jokes on people and laugh at them.

Some people play little jokes on their friends and family.

Perhaps they change the time on the clocks.

or put salt in the sugar bowl, so someone's tea tastes terrible.

Some play jokes on thousands of people on this day.

In 1957, the BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation, showed a television program about Swiss spaghetti trees.

At that time, not many people ate spaghetti in Britain.

It was a new food, so they did not know much about it.

On the program, women took spaghetti from trees and put it in the sun to dry.

When the program finished, a lot of people telephoned the BBC.

They all wanted to buy spaghetti trees for their gardens.

In 1998, there was Burger King's new hamburger.

Millions of people in the USA usually use their left hand to write with, and the left-handed hamburger was for them.

Thousands of people went to Burger King to get a left-handed hamburger.

and thousands of others asked for a right-handed hamburger, please, not a left-handed one.

Every year, there are new jokes on TV, in the newspapers, and on the radio.