April Fool’s Trivia Answers

1. Where is the earliest recorded association between April 1st and foolishness found?

In the Canterbury Stories (1392) by Geoffrey Chaucer.

2. If a fellow is fooled by a pretty girl what is his fate?

He will end up married to her, or at least will enjoy a healthy friendship with the lass.

3. On April Fools’ Day, 2009, travel site Expedia offered exclusive flights to this highly what desired space destination?

Mars

4. According to a CareerBuilder.com survey, what percent of workers say they have either initiated or been on the receiving end of a workplace April Fools’ Day prank?

32 percent

5. What do children in certain areas of Belgium do on April Fool’s Day?

Children lock out their parents or teachers and only let them in if they promise to give them sweets.

6. What author wrote, “It’s better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and leave no doubt;”  and “Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed.”  and  “The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year?”          Mark Twain

7. What late 1980s April Fool’s Day joke about a futuristic technological advance ultimately became a reality?

A British television Saturday morning kids’ program ran an April Fool hoax about a device named Chippy (a “chippy” is a common term for a fish and chips takeway). The claim was that this new type of walkman could hold hundreds of songs on a microchip, thus rendering CDs and radio obsolete. Fast forward to the 2000s, and MP3 players…

8. On April 1, 1946 what happened when a pacific island population didn’t believe a weather warning, thinking it was an April Fool’s hoax?

A powerful tsunami killed scores of unsuspecting people.
9. What hoax did the Dutch television news once report?

That the famous Tower of Pisa had fallen over. Many shocked and even mourning people contacted the television studio.

This Worth1000.com award winning photo from hank101 would have been a great accompaniment to the April Fool’s story.

10. In Scotland, an April fool is called an April _gowk__ — Scottish for ___cuckoo_______, which is an emblem of ____simpletons_________.

11. c. In 1983, Joseph Boskin, professor emeritus of American humor at Boston University, spun the false tale of Constantine for an Associated Press reporter writing about April Fool’s Day. The news agency was not pleased. (No one really knows how April Fool’s Day started, but a. and b. are both historical theories.)

12. b. Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds broadcast did take place, but it was on Halloween, and it was intended as a radio show, not a prank.

Orson Welles scared many during his live Halloween radio show , H.G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds.”

13. True. How does the BBC take people in every year? Spaghetti trees in 1957, Smell-a-vision in 1965, Big Ben in 1980 (the famous clock never did go digital). See the BBC’s trickery at the Museum of Hoaxes.

14. c. The Granite Mountain Vault isn’t a safe house for high-ranking officials during a national disaster (at least that we know of ….)

Joseph Conrad “Mule” Sprinz

The poor infielder, who almost caught the ball only to have it rebound and remove several of his teeth, was Joe Sprinz. This Wikipedia page has names of those killed in the Molasses Disaster. And if you want your memorabilia sent to the moon, go to LunarLegacy.

15. b. Sorry to break it to you: You’ll never see that $1,000 from Bill Gates.  According to Snopes.com, fabric softener sheets can leave a waxy buildup on the lint filter in your dryer. Who knew? But a quick wash in warm, soapy water should take care of it.

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Happy April Fool’s Day – Coloring Page

Color the Court Jester. For find more information about April Fool’s Day, click here.

The earliest recorded reference to April Fools’ Day was in “Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1392.

April Fool’s Trivia Test

Have a Dog-Gone Great Day!

How much do you know about this informal holiday?

1. Where is the earliest recorded association between April 1st and foolishness found?

2. If a fellow is fooled by a pretty girl what is his fate?
3. On April Fools’ Day, 2009, travel site Expedia offered exclusive flights to this highly what desired space destination?
4. According to a CareerBuilder.com survey, what percent of workers say they have either initiated or been on the receiving end of a workplace April Fools’ Day prank?
5. What do children in certain areas of Belgium do on April Fool’s Day?
6. What author wrote “It’s better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and leave no doubt.;” and “Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed.” and “The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year?”
7. What late 1980s April Fool’s Day joke about a futuristic technological advance ultimately became a reality?
8. On April 1, 1946 what happened when a pacific island population didn’t believe a weather warning, thinking it was an April Fool’s hoax?
9. What hoax did the Dutch television news once report?
10. In Scotland, an April fool is called an April ___________ — Scottish for _____________, which is an emblem of _____________.

11. Which of the following theories for the origin of April Fool’s Day did a professor provide to an AP reporter in 1983—as a prank?

a. It comes from spring festivals of renewal and joviality.

b. It was the name for rural French citizens who continued to celebrate the New Year in April, despite France having changed its calendar to start a new year in January.

c. The first April Fool’s Day happened in the third or fourth century, when Roman jesters successfully petitioned Constantine to make his jester king for a day.

d. In the 1723, a dignified British businessman invented April Fool’s Day to make an excuse for the “Kick Me” note he’d inadvertently been wearing on his back all day.
12. Which of the following is NOT an actual April Fools’ Day prank?

 a. In 1957, the BBC ran a segment showing how the mild winter resulted in a bumper spaghetti crop for the Swiss. Callers wanting to grow their own spaghetti trees were advised to put a stick of spaghetti in a can of tomato sauce.

b. In 1938, Orson Welles directed an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds” as a series of radio news bulletins, convincing many listeners that a Martian invasion was in progress.

c. In 1992, NPR reported that Nixon was seeking another term as president with the slogan, “I didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.”

d. Taco Bell, in 1996, purchased ads in several newspapers announcing it had bought the Liberty Bell to help reduce the national debt, and renamed it the Taco Liberty Bell.

13. True or false?

On April Fool’s Day In 1965, the BBC pretended to hold a trial of a new technology allowing the transmission of odor over the airwaves to television viewers. Reportedly, many viewers contacted the BBC to report the trial’s success.

14. Which of the following statements is not true?

Which of the following statements is not true?

a. A Cleveland Indians infielder was injured trying to catch a baseball dropped from a blimp at the World’s Fair in 1939.

b. For $10, you can have a family photo or letter sent to the moon for eternity.

c. The Family History Library’s Granite Mountain Vault has served as a secure location for government officials in case of national disaster.

d. In 1919, a huge wave of molasses killed 21 people in Boston.
15. Which of the following Internet “hoaxes” isn’t really a hoax?

a. The Alabama legislature passed a law rounding the value of Pi to 3.

b. Fabric softener sheets create a film over the lint filter in your clothes dryer, raising the risk of the appliance overheating.

c. Delete the file called SULFNBK.EXE from your computer or it will wipe out your hard drive June 1.

d. Bill Gates will give $1,000 to everyone who forwards this e-mail message.

 

Check out later today to find the answers.

No Foolin’… it’s April!

Click the image to find out more about this informal “holiday.”