April Fool’s Day April Fool's Day started in the sixteenth century in Europe. Before that time, New Year's Day was celebrated on April 1. Then a new calendar was introduced called the Gregorian calendar. January 1 became the first day of the year, but many people did not know about it. Therefore, those who continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1 were laughed at. They were called fools. People following the new calendar played tricks on the “April fools” by sending them on “fool’s errands.” They had the “April fools” deliver invitations to big New Year’s celebrations that weren’t really going to happen. In France, “April fools” were called “Poisson d'Avril,” which is French for “April Fish.” This began because people thought fish were easy to catch since they could be fooled into taking the bait on a hook. Children would tag a paper fish on a person’s back to mark them as an “April Fish.” When the person discovered the fish, the prankster would yell “Poisson d'Avril.” Not everyone is convinced that this is actually how the tradition of April Fools’ Day began. People have tried to pinpoint the exact date of the first April Fool’s Day, but this only led to more pranks. A professor from Boston University pranked a reporter by making up a story about a court jester who said he could run the empire better than the king. The jester was made king for a day on April 1. This turned out to be a big April Fools’ Day trick, because the reporter thought the story was real. 1. In the 1500s, which people were given the nickname “April fools”?

April Fool’s Day April Fool's Day started in the sixteenth century in Europe. Before that time, New Year's Day was celebrated on April 1. Then a new calendar was introduced called the Gregorian calendar. January 1 became the first day of the year, but many people did not know about it. Therefore, those who continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1 were laughed at. They were called fools. People following the new calendar played tricks on the “April fools” by sending them on “fool’s errands.” They had the “April fools” deliver invitations to big New Year’s celebrations that weren’t really going to happen. In France, “April fools” were called “Poisson d'Avril,” which is French for “April Fish.” This began because people thought fish were easy to catch since they could be fooled into taking the bait on a hook. Children would tag a paper fish on a person’s back to mark them as an “April Fish.” When the person discovered the fish, the prankster would yell “Poisson d'Avril.” Not everyone is convinced that this is actually how the tradition of April Fools’ Day began. People have tried to pinpoint the exact date of the first April Fool’s Day, but this only led to more pranks. A professor from Boston University pranked a reporter by making up a story about a court jester who said he could run the empire better than the king. The jester was made king for a day on April 1. This turned out to be a big April Fools’ Day trick, because the reporter thought the story was real. 2. In France, what did children do on April 1?

April Fool’s Day April Fool's Day started in the sixteenth century in Europe. Before that time, New Year's Day was celebrated on April 1. Then a new calendar was introduced called the Gregorian calendar. January 1 became the first day of the year, but many people did not know about it. Therefore, those who continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1 were laughed at. They were called fools. People following the new calendar played tricks on the “April fools” by sending them on “fool’s errands.” They had the “April fools” deliver invitations to big New Year’s celebrations that weren’t really going to happen. In France, “April fools” were called “Poisson d'Avril,” which is French for “April Fish.” This began because people thought fish were easy to catch since they could be fooled into taking the bait on a hook. Children would tag a paper fish on a person’s back to mark them as an “April Fish.” When the person discovered the fish, the prankster would yell “Poisson d'Avril.” Not everyone is convinced that this is actually how the tradition of April Fools’ Day began. People have tried to pinpoint the exact date of the first April Fool’s Day, but this only led to more pranks. A professor from Boston University pranked a reporter by making up a story about a court jester who said he could run the empire better than the king. The jester was made king for a day on April 1. This turned out to be a big April Fools’ Day trick, because the reporter thought the story was real. 3. What is the author’s purpose for the above article?