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Discerning the truth isn’t always easy on a normal day, and it’s even more difficult on April Fools’ Day. Every year on the first of April, puckish pranksters pull playful practical jokes, from planting fictitious news stories to placing well-timed whoopee cushions.

But it’s more than just the pranks that make this holiday memorable — April Fools’ has an interesting history and encompasses various traditions around the globe. You’ll just have to trust that we’re not pulling your leg with these five facts about April Fool’s Day.

No One Knows Why the Holiday Is on April 1

For many holidays, there’s a clear reason it’s celebrated on a specific day. But the same can’t be said of April Fools’ Day. While historians and scholars have posited theories as to why it falls on the first of April, nobody knows for sure.

One of the most oft-repeated origin stories is that April Fools’ is derived from an ancient Roman festival called Hilaria, which featured games, parties, and practical jokes. Hilaria fell on March 25, a date the Romans referred to as the “eight days before the Calends of April” — “Calends” being a term for the first of any month. But despite the prank-playing and the similar timeline, it’s not definitively known whether Hilaria gave rise to April Fools’ Day — and even if it did, why the date eventually moved from March 25 to April 1.

Another popular origin story dates to 1582, when the Catholic Church formally switched from the Julian to Gregorian calendar. This moved the New Year up from late March to January 1 in many Catholic countries, though Protestant nations such as England continued to observe the March 25 date (a coincidence that had nothing to with Hilaria, but rather was tied to the Feast of the Annunciation) until 1752. According to this origin theory, people who stuck to the old calendar and celebrated the New Year so close to April were derided as foolish, giving rise to the holiday.

The French Celebrate “April Fish”

In France, April Fools’ Day is called poisson d’avril, which translates to “April fish.” The odd phrase was used to denote a foolish person by 1691; one theory behind the new definition is that it’s easy to catch young fish — many of which are born in the springtime — much like how it’s easy to trick a gullible target.

Today, French children typically celebrate the occasion by cutting out and taping paper fish onto the backs of unsuspecting prankees. When the target realizes, the pranksters shout, “Poisson d’avril!” The tradition extends to other French-speaking regions such as Quebec, Belgium, and Switzerland. It’s also seen in parts of Italy, where it’s known as pesce d’Aprile.

Pranks Are Supposed To Stop at Noon

While some pranksters keep going strong until midnight, it’s tradition in certain parts of the world for all pranks to cease by noon on April 1. This is the case in the United Kingdom and countries in the former British Empire, where anyone who defies the rules and plays a prank in the afternoon or evening is actually considered the “April Fool” themselves. 

The 12 p.m. cutoff  may have originated with a 17th-century British holiday called Shig-Shag Day. While that holiday doesn’t share many similarities with April Fools’, it’s still believed to have laid the groundwork for local celebrations ending at noon. 

On Shig-Shag Day (which typically fell on May 29), celebrants showed loyalty to the monarchy by placing oak sprigs in their hats. Those who failed to participate were ridiculed all morning, though it was understood that all mockery was to stop at midday.

It’s a Two-Day Event in Scotland

While many pranksters celebrate April Fools’ on the first day of April, Scottish folks observe two days’ worth of festivities. The holiday caught on in Scotland during the 18th century, though it’s known there as April Gowk, Gowkie Day, or Huntigowk. The Scottish word gowk means “cuckoo” — a popular regional term for people who end up as the butt of a practical joke.

On the first day, April 1, Scots traditionally celebrate by sending their target out on a fool’s errand. One particularly popular prank is asking for help delivering a sealed letter containing the message “Dinna laugh, dinna smile. Hunt the gowk another mile.” Upon delivery, the letter’s recipient is meant to hand over another sealed envelope (containing a similar, if not identical, message) to be delivered. The prank only ends when the delivery person realizes they’re being sent on one pointless task after another.

The second day, April 2, is known as Preen-Tail Day or Tailie Day. On this day, pranksters go around affixing humorous written messages to people’s backs or behinds. The messages often read “kick me,” “pull my pigtails,” or some other playful physical gag. 

Spain and Latin America Celebrate in December

In Spain and Spanish-speaking regions of Latin America, April 1 is just another day of the week. Instead, the time to pull pranks falls on December 28 — or Día de los Santos Inocentes, which translates to Day of the Holy Innocents. 

This playful holiday has its roots in a dark biblical tale. King Herod is warned about the birth of the baby Jesus and subsequently orders male children under 2 (the “innocents” in question) to be slain to eliminate the threat to his power. In the tale, Jesus is brought to a safe hiding spot, and Herod dies mistakenly thinking his plan has worked.

On Día de los Santos Inocentes, instead of exclaiming “tontos de Diciembre” (“December fools”) when a prank is revealed, pranksters say, “¡Inocente, inocente!” (“innocent, innocent!”). Another holiday tradition is borrowing goods or money without any intention of paying them back. 

One especially notable event is held each year in the town of Ibi, Alicante, Spain. For more than 200 years, locals have partaken in a citywide food fight to celebrate the holiday. It’s tradition for revelers to dress up in military garb and hurl eggs, flour, and even firecrackers at each other.

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Celebrities may seem larger than life, but they aren’t immune to the phobias many of us experience. Take Jennifer Aniston’s fear of flying, for instance, or Justin Timberlake’s aversion to spiders.

But some famous folks have more unusual fears — phobias you’ve possibly never even heard of. Look no further than the Oscar-winning actress who gets freaked out by butterflies or the film star who’s repulsed by old European furniture. Here are six celebrities that have gone on record about their surprising phobias.

Billy Bob Thornton: Antiques

In a 2004 interview with The Independent, actor Billy Bob Thornton discussed his fear of antiques. “I don’t have a phobia about American antiques, it’s mostly French,” he said, noting he’s especially unsettled by items such as “big, old, gold-carved chairs with the velvet cushions.” 

He also noted his aversion to real antique silver: “You know, like the big, old, heavy-ass forks and knives, I can’t do that.” When asked why, Thornton admitted the fear isn’t rooted in logic, saying, “I just don’t like old stuff. I’m creeped out by it, and I have no explanation why.”

Thornton spoke about the fear again in a 2012 interview with The New York Times. That French/English/Scottish old mildewy stuff,” he said. “Old dusty heavy drapes and big tables with lions’ heads carved in it. Stuff that kings were around. That’s the stuff I can’t be around.”

Nicole Kidman: Butterflies

Nicole Kidman may be one of the most talented actresses in Hollywood, but there’s one animal she can’t act calm around: butterflies. The Oscar winner has a fear called lepidopterophobia, defined as an intense and irrational aversion to butterflies. 

Kidman developed the phobia during her childhood in Australia, when she would often come home from school to discover a giant butterfly or moth perched on her home’s front gate. “I would climb over the fence, crawl around to the side of the house — anything to avoid having to go through the front gate,” Kidman told World Entertainment News Network in 2005.

She has also admitted she’s unsuccessfully attempted to overcome her fear. During a trip to New York City, she visited the butterfly cage at the American Museum of Natural History and allowed the insects to crawl all over her — but to no avail.

Christina Ricci: Houseplants

For many people, houseplants add a welcome touch of warmth and greenery into the home. But actress Christina Ricci finds them more disturbing than inviting. 

Ricci’s phobia applies strictly to indoor plants, as she’s never expressed concerns with outdoor gardens or even cut flowers. But in a 2003 interview with British Esquire, Ricci said she considers houseplants to be dirty, and the sheer sight of them makes her uneasy. She said, “If I have to touch one, after already being repulsed by the fact that there is a plant indoors, then it just freaks me out.”

In the interview, Ricci professed a second uncommon fear: swimming in pools alone. “I won’t swim in a pool by myself,” she said. “I think that somehow a little magic door is going to open up and let the shark out.”

Megan Fox: Dry Paper

In a 2009 interview on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, actress Megan Fox admitted to a rare case of papyrophobia, or a fear of touching paper. She further specified, “I don’t like dry paper. Scripts, newspapers, or anything that’s not laminated.” She compared the feel of dry paper to the sound of nails on a chalkboard, adding that it gives her goosebumps and makes her deeply uncomfortable.

Of course, as an actress, Fox has to read scripts, so she’s developed some solutions to work around the phobia. Fox told Fallon that she either continually licks her fingertips to keep them moist or keeps a glass of water nearby so she can repeatedly dip her fingers into the cup to keep them wet. That small bit of moisture is enough to push past the discomfort.

Adele: Seagulls

Unlike ornithophobes who fear every type of bird, Grammy-winning singer Adele has laridophobia — a fear, specifically, of seagulls. In an interview with the U.K. publication Metro, Adele said her fear can be traced back to a formative and harrowing experience she had with the birds when she was 9 years old. 

While strolling along a promenade holding an ice cream cone, a hungry seagull suddenly attacked and snatched the snack from her hands. “I’ve still got a scar from its claw on my shoulders,” Adele said. “I thought it was going to take me away with it.”

Channing Tatum: Porcelain Dolls

On a 2014 episode of Ellen, actor Channing Tatum was asked about his unresolved fears. He replied, “I am terrified of porcelain dolls,” noting the fear may stem from a childhood viewing of a Friday the 13th TV episode featuring a possessed porcelain doll. 

“I just think they’re freaky,” said Tatum. “I just imagine when I walk by them their heads turn with you the whole time.” Of course, host Ellen DeGeneres then brought out two porcelain dolls, causing Tatum to viscerally recoil in fear.

The actor mentioned the fear again in a 2024 interview with IGV Presents. “I will smash them, I’ll burn them, I hate them,” said Tatum. He noted being particularly icked out by porcelain dolls whose eyes open when you pick them up and close when you lay them down.

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When you see the Nike Swoosh on a sneaker, spot one of Tiffany’s blue boxes, or recognize the unique contour of a Coca-Cola bottle, you’re not just noticing design flourishes. Those are trademarks, the symbols that signal a company’s identity. 

A trademark can be a name, logo, slogan, color, sound, shape, or, in rare cases, even a scent — anything that tells consumers, quickly and clearly, who stands behind a product or service.

Because trademarks are meant to prevent consumer confusion, not to eliminate competition, trademark law has firm restrictions. Federal protection applies only to marks that truly function as source identifiers. 

Over the years, applicants have tried to claim exclusive rights to everything from everyday phrases to pieces of shared culture, only to discover that the system carefully defines what can and cannot be monopolized. Here are five examples of what cannot be protected as a trademark.

Cultural Symbols and Historic Phrases

Some symbols and phrases are too culturally significant to be privately owned. After the September 11 attacks, for example, multiple applications sought to trademark “9/11” and related phrases for merchandise. Those attempts were quickly rejected, as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has concluded such terms refer to a historic event, not a commercial source. Similar efforts involving national symbols, patriotic slogans, and civil rights references have consistently failed.

In limited cases, a historic symbol or phrase can receive trademark protection when it becomes closely associated with a specific organization. The National September 11 Memorial, for example, has trademarked a stylized “9/11 Memorial” logo — with “11” represented by two parallel vertical bars evoking the form of the World Trade Center’s twin towers — to protect its official identity.

Another example is Smokey Bear, the wildfire prevention mascot who began as a public service character for the U.S. Forest Service in 1944. Congress later granted the federal government exclusive rights to his name, image, and famous slogan — “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires” — to prevent misuse and commercial exploitation, while leaving the public free to reference the character.

Famous Names That Aren’t Yours

A personal name can function as a trademark — but only under the right circumstances, and usually only with the consent of the person whose name it is. Elvis Presley’s name, for instance, became a valuable commercial asset after his death in 1977. His estate consolidated control of licensing in the 1980s through Elvis Presley Enterprises, which registered trademarks covering his name, signature, and likeness for everything from recordings to memorabilia. 

Over the years, outsiders have tried to register “Elvis” for unrelated merchandise, only to be rejected or challenged. Courts have consistently held that a famous name can’t simply be claimed by someone with no connection to it.

Under U.S. trademark law, living individuals must give written consent before their name can be federally registered as a trademark. After death, the commercial value of a name is typically controlled by the person’s estate or designated heirs, often through a combination of trademark rights and what’s known as the right of publicity, which governs the commercial use of someone’s identity.

Names of Geographic Places

Trademark law generally bars companies from claiming exclusive rights to real-life place names because those words describe geographic origin, not brand identity. Under the Lanham Act, trademark claims that are primarily geographically descriptive are typically refused. 

A business can’t simply trademark “Brooklyn” for clothing made in Brooklyn or “Napa” for wine from Napa Valley, since competitors in those areas have a legitimate need to describe where their products come from. Courts have repeatedly reinforced this principle, particularly in disputes involving wine, beer, and regional food products.

However, a geographic term can be registered if it develops secondary meaning, meaning consumers associate it primarily with a specific company rather than a place. That’s why brands including American Airlines, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Amazon can function as trademarks. In those cases, the geographic reference is either indirect or outweighed by strong brand recognition.

Functional Features

Trademark law cannot protect product features that serve a practical purpose. Known as the functionality doctrine, this rule prevents companies from monopolizing useful designs. 

In the 2001 Supreme Court case TrafFix Devices v. Marketing Displays (2001), the court rejected an attempt to trademark a dual-spring mechanism used to stabilize road signs, ruling that features improving performance must remain available to competitors. Similar efforts to trademark tread patterns, ergonomic shapes, and mechanical components have failed for the same reason.

The logic here is that trademarks identify brand origin, not product utility. Useful innovations belong under patent law, which grants temporary protection before releasing designs into the public domain. Once patents expire, competitors can copy those features, encouraging competition and lowering prices. Only purely ornamental elements — such as the distinctive curves of the Coca-Cola bottle — can qualify for trademark protection.

Generic Terms 

In 2008, technology company Dell applied to trademark the term “cloud computing,” just as the phrase was becoming the go-to shorthand for online data storage and remote software services.The move sparked protests within the tech industry at a time when the internet was dramatically expanding; competitors argued the term described an entire category of technology, not a single company’s product. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ultimately agreed, rejecting the application on the grounds that “cloud computing” was a common descriptor already in widespread use.

Trademark law is especially strict about generic terms because granting exclusive rights to them could stifle competition almost overnight. For example, imagine if only one company controlled the word “email” or “smartphone.” 

Instead, businesses can protect distinctive brand names, such as “iPhone,” but not the name of the product category itself. Once a term becomes the accepted label for a type of product or service, it no longer points to a single source. It belongs to the marketplace — and to the language — not to the company that got to the trademark office first.

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Everyday life is filled with familiar noises we rarely stop to question: the hum of a dial tone, the chime of a computer, or the beep of a microwave to let us know our food is ready. From the earliest telephones and centuries-old clock towers to modern computers and electric vehicles, the chirps and chimes we’ve grown used to hearing didn’t happen by accident — they were carefully created to convey a message. Here are some of their stories.

Phone Dial Tones

In the early days of telephones, dial tones weren’t necessary because people couldn’t call each other directly. Instead, phones relied on human operators, who answered calls and connected them at a central switchboard.

That changed in 1919 when the Bell System adopted automatic dialing, becoming the first U.S. commercial company to do so. But with no operator on the line, callers needed a clear signal that the system was ready to dial; if you began dialing too soon, the first digits of the number wouldn’t register. The solution was a dial tone, an audible clue that you could start dialing.

The U.S. wasn’t the first country to use automatic dialing. One of the earliest adopters was Germany, where the dial tone was invented in 1909 by engineer August Kruckow in Hildesheim. The sound was known as the “Amtston” (German for “office tone” or “exchange tone”), and it was designed to emulate the sound of the letter “A” in Morse code, repeated. 

Audible Morse code consists of two sounds: “dits” and “dahs.” Each letter corresponds to a series of “dits” (dots), which are short tones, and “dahs” (dashes), which are long tones. The letter “A,” for instance, looks like “.-” and sounds like “Di-Dah” (the “T” is dropped when followed by another sound). 

The Amtston, however, didn’t become universal, and dial tones instead evolved differently across regions. Dial tones came in various sounds until the system became standardized in the 1960s. Today, modern landlines, such as those in offices and hotels, use standard dial tones that vary by country or continent. 

In North America, the Precise Tone Plan specifies the dial tone must be a combination of two simultaneous frequencies at 350 Hz and 440 Hz, which were chosen because they don’t interfere with the dialing system’s frequency and are audible above background noise, such as human voices. This results in one steady, recognizable tone, which is very different from Kruckow’s original “Di-Dah” tone. Other regions have different standard tones, such as Europe’s 425 Hz.

Microwave Beeps

You may have noticed that most microwaves produce a very similar “beeping” tone, regardless of the brand. That’s because the same sound technology is employed across much of the industry — it’s known as the “piezoelectric buzzer.”

The piezoelectric effect was discovered in 1880 by French physicists Pierre Curie (husband of Marie Curie) and his brother Jacques. They found that applying pressure to specific materials, such as crystals and ceramics, generates an electric charge. The effect’s name comes from the Greek word “piezein,” meaning “to squeeze.”

Nearly a century later, during the 1970s and ’80s, this electricity was harnessed by various Japanese manufacturers and used to make buzzers that were placed in many household gadgets, from microwaves to smoke detectors. Piezoelectric buzzers became the standard because they’re inexpensive, energy-efficient, and they work across a wide range of voltages. While some high-end microwaves now use digital sound chips that allow for more varied tones, piezoelectric buzzers are still the norm.

However, piezoelectric buzzers do have limitations, including the sound they produce. The frequency and length of the tone can be adjusted, but the buzzer’s general “beep” noise remains consistent. That’s why most microwaves sound so similar, even decades after the appliance’s debut. Because the sharp, simple tone is widely recognizable and easily cuts through background noise, microwave manufacturers have little incentive to change it.

Computer Startup Tones

Computers come with an array of distinct sounds: email swooshes, keyboard clicks, and startup tones. One of the most recognizable is Apple’s Mac startup sound, a bright C-major chord.

It was designed by audio engineer Jim Reekes, who wanted a pleasant sound during boot-up, especially at a time when computers crashed (and therefore restarted) fairly regularly. Rather than startling users, the chime was meant to signal that everything was working correctly.

Reekes’ inspiration for the sound was the Beatles song “A Day in the Life.” He recorded the new sound in his living room, replacing an earlier (and mostly forgotten) Apple startup sound, which had been a jarring tri-tone. The new Beatles-inspired tone was introduced on the original Quadra computer in 1991 and has been used off and on with various modifications ever since.

By contrast, Microsoft has cycled through various startup tones over the decades, with at least 10 distinct sounds. One of the most memorable — the “ta-da” sound from Windows 3.1 computers — was created as a celebratory noise to signify the debut of the Windows Sound System, released in 1992. Before that, most PC sounds were restricted to basic beeps.

Another distinctive Microsoft startup sound is that of the Windows 95, created by celebrated British ambient music composer Brian Eno. Microsoft sought to create a musical piece with emotional depth, which led to a longer, more complex audio piece. Funnily enough, Eno composed the piece using a Mac.

Electric Vehicle Hums

Electric car motors are nearly silent, a quality many customers appreciate. But this poses a safety risk: Pedestrians and cyclists can’t hear them. To address that, electric vehicles must comply with rules set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which requires EVs and hybrids to emit artificial sounds when traveling at low speeds below 18.6 mph. 

Those almost angelic sounds, often heard as whirs, hums, or soft beeps, are designed to communicate movement. They play when the vehicle is reversing, traveling slowly, or stationary but still on. The goal is to make the vehicle’s presence and direction obvious, allowing drivers and pedestrians within earshot to remain aware of the car and its proximity to them.

The noises are designed with minimum audibility and recognizability in mind, meaning the sounds must be intense enough to be picked up by the human ear, and they must be recognizable enough to be perceived as an automobile. This allows us to react to them as we would to the noises of a gas-powered vehicle. Due to the NHTSA regulations, we can distinguish EV noise from other road noise.

Within those requirements, automakers still have room for creativity. For example, General Motors’ electric Cadillacs used an Australian wind instrument called a didgeridoo to create the brand’s sounds, which were also inspired by NASA recordings of noises made by the sun. BMW took a more cinematic approach, collaborating with Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer to craft custom sounds for the i4 and iX EVs.

Clock Chimes

Clock chimes are sharp tones and melodic sounds that indicate the passage of time in 15-minute intervals on analog clocks. Typically, they play a short tune at the intervals and strike a specific number of times at the hour mark to indicate the time. 

Those melodies and strikes are made by hammers that strike rods or gongs inside the clock. This mechanism isa holdover from the time before digital clocks, timers, and alarms when the sounds were used to announce the time without the need for a visual. While their practical purpose has faded, their nostalgic appeal remains today, serving mainly decorative purposes.

The most familiar clock melody in English-speaking countries is the Westminster Quarters. The tune originated in 1793 at Great St. Mary’s, the church at the University of Cambridge in England. It was composed by organ student William Crotch with the help of university staff and was inspired by Handel’s “Messiah.”

Originally known as the “Cambridge Quarters,” the chimes use the notes E, D, C, and G in various combinations. The melody was adopted by London’s Houses of Parliament in 1859, with distinct melodies for the quarter, half, three-quarter, and hour mark. Today, London’s Great Clock of Westminster — home to Big Ben — still plays the Westminster Quarters using four smaller bells alongside the famous hour bell.