The Tree That Grows Pasta

No one is certain how April Fools’ Day started. Some trace it back to Europe, to a time when New Year’s was widely celebrated at the end of March. In 1582, France changed calendars, and January 1 became the start of the year there—accept/except not everyone got the news. Those who kept celebrating New Year’s in the spring were considered fools. 

There is no historical evidence to support this story, though—so we would all be April fools to accept/except it.

Have you ever seen a pasta tree? Of course you haven’t, because there’s no such thing! Yet back in 1957, many people were convinced that there was, thanks to a prank by the BBC, a British news organization. 

The BBC reported that a mild winter and a low population of beetles called “spaghetti weevils” had resulted in spaghetti trees in Switzerland producing more noodles than usual. The report was an April Fools’ joke, accept/except some viewers accepted/excepted the story as real. The next day, the BBC received hundreds of calls asking how to grow a spaghetti tree.

When an animal goes extinct, it’s gone forever—accept/except in the case of the glyptodon. This giant armadillo-like creature went extinct about 10,000 years ago, yet last spring, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo announced the birth of four baby glyptodons. The zoo said scientists used genetic material from fossils to bring back the species.

The news was, of course, an April Fools’ joke. Glyptodons did once roam the planet, but none have been born in a very (very) long time.

Last year, McDonald’s Australia announced a new menu item: the McFry, a juicy burger topped with golden fries. “Get your hands on the McFry today. Available until yesterday,” the announcement said.

The burger was an April Fools’ prank—and all good fun, accept/except to a number of fans who simply couldn’t accept/except that such a delicious-sounding burger wasn’t really on the menu. “I’d actually eat this . . . don’t play with me,” wrote one person on social media.