For over 500 years, the first of April has been a day set aside for pranks and mirthful deception. The April Fool Archive documents the history and folklore of this custom. It catalogs the various pranks, hoaxes, tall tales, and mischievous deeds that have been perpetrated on this day, from the sixteenth century to the present day.
The archive is a work in progress. If you know of any examples that we've missed, let us know.
1500s | 1600s | 1700s | 1800s-1840s | 1850s | 1860s | 1870s | 1880s | 1890s |
1900 | 1901 | 1902 | 1903 | 1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1907 | 1908 | 1909
1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 |
1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929
1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949
1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969
1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989
1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
Advertising | Animals: Birds, Fictitious Creatures, Loch Ness Monster | Anti-April Fools Day | Art | Beauty and Grooming | Botany | Business: Banks, Employment, Fictitious Companies, Fictitious Products, Finance | Cartoons | Climate | Crime | Death | Energy and Fuel | Entertainment & Celebrities | Fashion | Fictitious Geography | Food and Drink | Government: Taxation History and Archaeology | International Relations | Literary: Poetry Measurements | Medical | Mistaken for April Fools | Music | National Landmarks | Politics | Poorly Received: Caused Panic Religion | Romance | Royalty | Science | Sex | Social Commentary | Space and Astronomy: Extraterrestrials Sports | Technology: Cars Computers Internet Technology Strange Inventions Time and Date | Traffic and Transportation | War and Military
Children | Corporations | Freelance Pranksters | Government Officials | Magazines and Journals | Military Personnel | Newspapers | Student Papers | Radio Stations | Scientists | Television | Websites
Brick in Hat | Fake Warnings | False Financial Windfall | Fictitious Disasters | Format Change Prank | Left-Handed Products | Loof Lirpa | Morgue Prank | Phony Bargains | Stupid Laws | Unlikely Acquisitions | Wallet On A String | Wild Goose Chase | Zoo Prank
Africa | Australia | Canada | Central Asia | China | Denmark | Eastern Europe | France | Germany | Greece | Ireland | Israel | Italy | Japan | Benelux | New Zealand | Norway | Poland | Russia | Scotland | Singapore | S. & Central America | Sweden | Switz. & Austria | Taiwan | Middle East | United Kingdom | United States
BBC | BMW | Daily Mail | Google | Guardian | Honolulu Star-Bulletin | London Times | NPR | Virgin
House Pranks | In The Wild | Internet | Office Pranks | Photo Hoaxes | School Pranks | Street Pranks | Telephone Pranks
