April Fool's Day: A Date in History

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April Fool's Day wasn't such a joke for people in the 16th Century. In fact, many people didn't even know about it.

For hundreds of years, people had celebrated the New Year for eight days, beginning on March 25 and ending on April 1. In 1582, Pope Gregory changed all that. He introduced a new calendar, which all people in the Christian world were supposed to follow. On this new calendar, the year began on January 1.

Some people who hadn't heard about the new calendar or didn't really believe or care still celebrated on April 1. Other people called these people "April Fools" and played tricks on them.

This was the beginning of April Fool's Day.

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