April Fool’s Day is celebrated yearly on April 1 where people play pranks or practical jokes and spread hoaxes. This is a popular activity since the 19^th century where even newspapers, magazines and other published media report fake stories which are explained the next day or below the news section in small letters.

April Fool’s Day Traditions

In UK, an April Fool joke or prank is revealed by shouting “April Fool!” at the recipient. The joking ceases at midday and a person playing a joke after midday is the “April Fool” themselves.

In Ireland, a victim is entrusted with an important letter to be given to a specific person, the person would then ask the victim to send it to someone else and so on. The letter actually contains the message “send the fool further.”

In Poland, April 1 is celebrated with so many jokes told, various hoaxes prepared by people, media and even public institutions.

In Italy, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, and French-speaking areas of Switzerland and Canada, the tradition is known as “April fish,” where people attempt to attach a paper to the victim’s back without being noticed.

Top April Fool’s Day Pranks and Jokes

In 1962, in Sweden, there was only one television channel and it was shown in black and white. The station announced that their researchers discovered that covering the television screen with a pair of tights would cause the image in the television appear with colors. Thousands of viewers fell for the hoax where even fathers rushed through the house to find stocking to place over their tv sets.

In 1957, a news show broadcast by Panorama reported a 3-minute video footage of a family in southern Switzerland pulling pasta off spaghetti trees. Hundreds of people phoned the BBC to know how they could have their own “home-grown spaghetti.”

In 1977, the Guardian published a “special report” about a country located in the Indian Ocean called San Serriffe, consisting of several islands that form the shape of a semi-colon. The Guardian’s phones rang all day that the readers want more information about the “perfect sounding” holiday spot.

In 1998, Burger King published a full-page advertisement in USA Today about their new menu: the Left-Handed Whopper, especially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. It had the same ingredients as the original Whopper, but all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees. Thousands of customers went into the restaurant to order the new sandwich while many others requested for the right-handed version

In April 1978, a barge towing a giant iceberg appeared in Sydney Harbor. Dick Smith, a local adventurer and millionaire businessman, promoted this iceberg from Antarctica saying he was going to carve the berg into small cubes and sell it to public for ten cents each. These cubes promised to improve the taste of any drink they cooled. Local radio stations provided blow by blow coverage but when it started to rain, the firefighting foam and the shaving cream which made the berg, washed out and the white plastic sheets beneath were revealed.

On March 25, 2017 at 8:30 pm, the whole world will be celebrating Earth Hour.

Earth Hour is a worldwide movement organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) encouraging individuals, communities, households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. as a symbol to their commitment to the planet. The event started in Sydney, Australia in 2007 which grew to engage 7000 cities and towns worldwide.

Here are the world’s famous landmarks that participated for Earth Hour.

Asia

The Blue Mosque in Turkey – This popular mosque is famous for its interior walls’ hand-painted blue tiles. At night, the mosque is bathed in blue as lights frame the mosque’s five main domes, six minarets and eight secondary domes.

Burj Khalifa in Dubai UAE – This is the tallest building and the tallest structure in the world, which stands a total height of 2,722 ft. Its construction began in 2004 and its exterior was completed 5 years after.

Tokyo Tower in Japan –   This is a communications and observation tower in the Shiba-koen district of Tokyo, Japan. With a total height of 1,092 ft, it is the second tallest structure in Japan.

India Gate in New Delhi, India – This site is a memorial to 82,000 soldiers of the undivided Indian Army who dies in the period of 1914 – 1921.13,300 names are inscribed on the gate.

Marina Bay Skyline in Singapore – The 360 hectares of prime waterfront site began its land reclamation work in 1962 and finished in 1992. Today, the place boasts with luxurious establishments for commercial, residential, leisure and entertainment.

Australia

Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia – This is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Australia and is one of the 20th century’s most famous and distinctive buildings.

Parliament House in Canberra, Australia – This is the meeting place of the Parliament of Australia which was opened on 9 May 1988 by Elizabeth II. It cost more than $1.1 billion to build.

Africa

The Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt – This is the tallest man-made structure in the world for more than 3,800 years and is the oldest among the Seven wonders of the Ancient World and the one to remain largely intact.

Table Mountain in South Africa – This is a flat-topped mountain in South Africa. The level plateau of the mountain is approximately 3 kilometers. The mountain has an unusually rich biodiversity of unique and endangered flora and fauna.

Europe

The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France – This global cultural icon of France is the most-visited paid monument in the world. It was constructed in 1887 to 1889 and is one of the world’s most recognizable structures.

Acropolis of Athens in Greece – This ancient citadel which is believed to have been constructed at around 5 century BC, showcases ancient buildings of great architectural and historic significance. It is located on the rocky outcrop in the city of Athens.

Brandenburg Gate in Germany – This 18th century neoclassical monument in Berlin and one of the most famous landmarks in Germany, was often a site for major historical events. Today, it is considered not only as a symbol of the tumultuous history of Europe and Germany, but also of European unity and peace.

The London Eye in England – Also known as the Millennium Wheel, this giant Ferris wheel stands 443 feet tall and has a diameter of 394 feet. It is Europe’s largest Ferris wheel and is the most popular paid tourist attraction in UK.

La Cupola de San Pietro in Italy – More popularly known as St. Peter’s Dome, it is the symbol of the Vatican Basilica. It is one of the largest ever built in the shell wall and one of Rome’s most famous symbols.

North and South America

Times Square New York City, USA – This is one of the world’s busiest pedestrian areas and the major center of the world’s entertainment industry. It is one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions which draws an estimated of 50 million visitors annually.

Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California USA – This is a suspension bridge known to be the most beautiful and the most photographed bridge in the world. This connects the city of San Francisco to Marin Country across a 1.6-kilometer wide and 2.7-kilometer long channel.

Empire State Building in Manhattan New York City – This is a 102-storey skyscraper which stood as the world’s tallest building for almost 40 years. The building is an American Cultural Icon and hailed as one of the Seven wonders of the Modern World.

Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro Brazil – The statue which is a symbol of Christianity across the world has become a cultural icon of both Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. The statue which is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone was listed as one of the New Seven wonders of the World.

The Space Needle in Seattle Washington USA – This observation tower which is an icon of Seattle, was built to withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour and earthquakes of up to 9.1 magnitude. The trip to this 605 ft tall structure on normal days, takes only 41 seconds to the top through its elevators.

This year, it is expected that more establishments, organizations, celebrities and individuals will join this initiative to save Mother Earth.