History of April Fools' Day

By Lars Andersen - Lars Andersen, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1911324

The origin of April Fools' Day is a bit disputed.

There may be an association between April 1 and foolishness is in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, written in 1392.

Although no Biblical scholar or historian is known to have mentioned a relationship, some have expressed the belief that the origins of April Fool's Day may go back to the Genesis flood narrative.

In 1686, John Aubrey referred to the celebration as "Fooles holy day", the first British reference. On April 1, 1698, several people were tricked into going to the Tower of London to "see the Lions washed".

In 1561, Flemish poet Eduard de Dene wrote of a nobleman who sent his servants on foolish errands on April 1.

In modern times, it is common to try and prank someone, who is then an April Fool.